Like any mechanical equipment you may have your air compressor needs to be serviced regularly to maintain its performance, reliability and longevity. But what is the importance of servicing your air compressor? Most manufacturers recommend servicing an air compressor every year or every 2,000 hours whichever is the shorter. 2000 hours is effectively single shift operation 52 weeks a year.
To take a look at what’s typically done in an air compressor service take a look at out post ‘whats included in an air compressor service’
Air Compressors work quite hard for long periods of time. They absorb a huge amount of power and give off a large amount of heat. They also need to be built to fine tolerances to prevent the air escaping. All this means that air compressors need to be:
- – Strongly built and well engineered to cope with all the power and torque forces they are exposed to.
- – Carefully machined and well sealed so internal gaps are minimised to prevent air leakage
- – Able to operate a high temperatures so they need to be able to transfer a lot of energy and use materials that can work at high temperatures
- – They suck in and compress large amounts of atmospheric air so impurities in the air can effect the internal workings of the air compressor
Clearly some of these features work against each other, eg high temperatures and fine tolerances are hard to mix, but collectively they do all mean that wear, corrosion and heat damage can be a serious issue with air compressors.
The conclusion is that following recommended servicing schedules is critically important to keeping your air compressor in tip top condition and working efficiently. Also since the working environment is so hostile using genuine parts and lubricants is also vital to long life, and minimising wear.