Thread: Care of air cmpressors

Turn on when needed, turn off when finished. I suppose I should drain it more often but once in 7-8 years having owned it for 12 or thereabouts,

cheers

usage first 5 years every weekend now not so much just tires and the odd sawdust blow. But will up the usage when I set the next project in motion.

Drain after every use, leave valve open until next use, check oil level every 6 months, clean filters as needed.

Mine is light use and aluminium tank. I keep it charged so it is ready when I need it and not wasting energy. I turn it off after use in case a hose fails overnight so it won’t run continuously.

I part drain about every three months and yet to see any water of note discharged. That could be the climate humidity, usage and being kept inside. I would expect more moisture in the air up your way.

If it becomes a problem you could add a timed auto drainer. They discharge every so often with duration and frequency adjustable.

If it's only used every few weeks, it's best practise to drain it after each use.

I wouldn't leave the cock open though, as around where I am that'd be an open invitation for a mud dauber or similar little beastie to take up residence at my expense. It's bad enough when they move in when the cock is closed (as witnessed by high-speed evictions at the end of the day) but at least I have no problems closing it again.

i'm with wrong way first...

if its just a little direct drive unit just turn it on and off as required. make sure the oiler (if it has one) has some oil in it and call it a day.


if you where using it for spray paint work you might get a bit more concerned about water in it, but if you're just popping some nails and blowing down dust just use it.

Dengue this time of year in TSVL, after every use!

In the dry season, after each use if I remember.

Honestly, initially drain it after each period of use and you will soon gain a feel for just how much water accumulates in the tank. It can be very surprising at times.

I trust you have purchased a moisture filter / separator / trap as well. They give a good indication of how much humidity is in the air, hence water in the tank etc. It will also save you a lot of potential grief with spray equipment.
Take note that some air tools require an oiler to prolong life, but leaving it in line with spray guns is a no no.

Originally Posted by skew chidamn!!

if it's only used every few weeks, it's best practise to drain it after each use.

I wouldn't leave the cock open though, as around where i am that'd be an open invitation for a mud dauber or similar little beastie to take up residence at my expense. It's bad enough when they move in when the cock is closed (as witnessed by high-speed evictions at the end of the day) but at least i have no problems closing it again.

damhikt!

We learned that lesson when air nailers first appeared on jobsites in FNQ!

I've kept the plastic caps used to protect the more expensive NITO couplings, but generally store the air compressor with a short airline and with an air duster or tyre inflator / gauge installed. Also store air hoses with M & F couplings - coupled!

Mud dauber's love outboard telltales, garden hoses, snap on hose fittings ...... plus we have a variant here that loves to build nests using resin from wood! Now they are a real PIA to get the resin nests of painted masonry block!!

Depending on what your definition of good is, you may find that if you leave it "charged" by the time you come back to it it may very well have emptied itself through small leaks it inevitably picks up as you move it around.

I'm in the same camp as others, emptied after each each and let it air out. Mine is in an outdoor enclosure, so to make life easier i've replaced the drain valve with a small length of hose that hose sticks outside of the enclosure with a ball valve on the end. I leave it "on" at the compressor end so all i need to do is turn on the power supply in the shed and close the ball valve when i'm ready to go. Once done turn off and reopen valve, it does make one heck of a racket and have been tempted to install a silencer on it, but given it gets used once every couple of months i haven't bothered.

Mine sits inside the shed in a heavy wooden enclosure I made from a very heavy pallet, lined with some of that sound-proofing foam from Bunnings. The beer fridge sits on top of it.
I can still hear it when it runs, but most of the sound is absorbed by the enclosure. I drained it the other day when I noticed it spitting a bit of water as I was blowing something down. Got probably a litre of very dirty water out of it - that was the only time I remember draining the tank in the last 10 years or so. I don't have any water traps or oilers on the two air lines coming off the compressor - only a pressure regulator on the line that goes to my pressure pot for epoxy resin casting.

I do have another compressor sitting next to it that I picked up when my son moved to Victoria and I cleaned out his shed. It is a larger two cylinder unit, which runs much quieter than my old single cylinder unit. Unfortunately, for some reason I have not been able to figure out - it no longer operates to any sort of reasonable pressure - gave up the ghost when I was spray painting a trailer a while back. It does still run but only gets to about 15 or 20 psi no matter what I do to it. If I can't figure it out, I guess it will eventually find its way to the tip.

Originally Posted by BMKal

It is a larger two cylinder unit, which runs much quieter than my old single cylinder unit. Unfortunately, for some reason I have not been able to figure out - it no longer operates to any sort of reasonable pressure - gave up the ghost when I was spray painting a trailer a while back. It does still run but only gets to about 15 or 20 psi no matter what I do to it. If I can't figure it out, I guess it will eventually find its way to the tip.

Have you checked the inlet filters to make sure they didn't get a coating of paint while spraying? Also sometimes if not used for some time the valves on the top of the heads get a bit sticky and won't seal properly which allows the air that's drawn in to get pushed back out.

Originally Posted by Treecycle

Have you checked the inlet filters to make sure they didn't get a coating of paint while spraying? Also sometimes if not used for some time the valves on the top of the heads get a bit sticky and won't seal properly which allows the air that's drawn in to get pushed back out.

Pretty sure the inlet filters are OK. But I haven't checked any valves on top of the heads - will look at this and see if that is the problem. Thanks for advice.