Question Compressor ran 14 hours straight

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Richard Darling

Richard Darling

SGF, Supreme Grumble Framer
Joined
Feb 24, 2006
Posts
1,540
Loc
Bozeman, Montana
So my wife and daughter closed up the shop last night. The compressor valve got opened, but the compressor didn't get turned off. So it ran for about 14 hours until they got in this morning.

Any suggestions for maintenance before I use it again? Should I change the oil? Is it likely shot? Or is it ok just to let it cool down before I turn it on again?
 
And put it on a timer. That way if it gets stuck open it'll only be running when it is attended. So you'll hear it and hopefully be able to fix it!
 
The timer idea is a good one but be sure the contacts of the time will support the amperage of the startup of the compressor (some motors have two ratings, one for the current draw at start up and one while it runs.)

Most "plug in" timers will not work. Grainger would be a good resource.
 
It sounds like opening the valve is a daily thing. If so, any particular reason why?
 
David N Waldmann said:
It sounds like opening the valve is a daily thing. If so, any particular reason why?
Click to expand...

I have always understood that draining the air and releasing moisture was best for the compressor tank to prevent rust and sludge. Am I mistaken? (I imagine this question may spark a lively variety of opinions :popc:)
 
Richard Darling said:
I have always understood that draining the air and releasing moisture was best for the compressor tank to prevent rust and sludge. Am I mistaken? (I imagine this question may spark a lively variety of opinions :popc:)
Click to expand...

We do it twice a week... balance between draining it and keeping air in there so it has to juice all the way up the next morning. Left the jun air on overnight like that once too... the motor was pretty warm to the touch... just turned it off for a while an put in more oil.
 
Richard Darling said:
I have always understood that draining the air and releasing moisture was best for the compressor tank to prevent rust and sludge. Am I mistaken? (I imagine this question may spark a lively variety of opinions :popc:)
Click to expand...

No, not mistaken at all. The difference in opinion comes when you ask about how often it should be done. Some people do it once a week, some people daily.

My opinion, if it's worth anything, is that it depends on where you are. Denver, once a week will do. Orlando, I would do it daily. What I'm saying of course, is that it depends on how humid it is wherever you happen to be.
 
Try calling the manufacturer on Monday to check their suggestions. Let it cool down for a little bit. What you need to do may depend on the model you have, the size of compressor and its intended use. (Some compressors are perfectly capable of running for long periods while running multiple accessories...such as on construction jobs....we framers really baby our compressors compared to some industries.)

My guess is that its probably okay, but it also means you've probably put some serious wear on it.

I've let mine run for a few hours by accident before ... but not overnight....so I don't have anything first hand to give you.
 
An alternative measure...

Bob Doyle said:
.....And put it on a timer. That way if it gets stuck open it'll only be running when it is attended....
Click to expand...

Richard,

We have our SilentAire compressor sitting below our Valiani CMC. We also have a clamped lamp giving extra illumination to the working area on the CMC plugged into a power strip along with the CMC and the compressor.

One of the closing procedures for our staff at the end of each working day is to not only turn off the CMC but also to hit the power switch of the Power Strip which is visibly mounted to the wall. This obviously cuts the power to all three items.

The lamp left on is a clear indication as one leaves the building that the switch has been missed! :thumbsup:

John
 
Good idea John. Another useful hint is that if you want to take something from the shop refrigerator home, put your keys in the refrigerator sos you don't forget. Well, maybe "useful" is a stretch for mine but I like yours!
 
Richard Darling said:
I have always understood that draining the air and releasing moisture was best for the compressor tank to prevent rust and sludge. Am I mistaken? (I imagine this question may spark a lively variety of opinions :popc:)
Click to expand...

The tank should be drained every day. But maybe I have a different definition of what "drained" means. I mean, any liquid water removed, not all the air. Places that run 24/7 can't drain the whole system of air pressure, and places that have "dry" sprinkler systems (that use compressed air to keep the water out of the system until it's set off) can't either.

Before we put automatic drains on our system, we would just open the valve until the water stopped and then closed it back up. Unless it's very humid and the compressor is running a lot it should only take a few seconds. If you have a larger system it can be well worth putting an air dryer in place that removes moisture down to about a 40 degree dewpoint (meaning it won't condense into liquid water unless it gets that cold).
 
We open the valve and drain the tank every night, then switch off the power strip. This happened to us once. It was fine when we started it up. Check the oil levels.
 
Thanks everyone. I really should get a power strip. I have to keep switching cords for my shipping scale anyway. I especially like the idea of the lamp as a visual reminder. Not too much problem for me to remember, but the elves...that's a different story.

We're not very humid here in Montana, but there's still a good spray of moisture everytime I open the valve at day's end. But perhaps I only need to drain until the moisture stops, as David mentioned.

I'll check the oil, and probably change it next week.
 
I changed the oil in our silent one today. I was surprised that the levels went down so much in a year. We change the air filter every 6 months on this unit.

We leave ours pressurized 24/7 but on a timer that turns off the power when we are closed. (x10) Even though off, she holds the pressure overnight. It only connects to the CMC and Vnailer.

Weekly, I drain just the liquid off - which goes into a small cola bottle. (it takes about a year to fill)

Our unit says right on it that its designed for a 15 minute max cycle, then 15 minutes of rest. Although truly silent, it does get HOT. I'd imagine that if it was going all night, that's not good. Changing the oil is probably a great idea. If it got that hot, the oil probably broke down.

I bet it's ok! The silent ones seem to be built to last.

Mike
 
John-

I would be sure to verify the amp rating of the switch for the power strip. I am sure the CMC and the lamp don't draw much current, but I know my compressor draws more than a toggle switch on a power strip could switch on a regular basis. Now, if the compressor doesn't come on as soon as you switch the power strip on, it is not drawing all of the current, but if the compressor fires up as soon as the switch is switched, I bet the contacts will eventually either arc to the point of no contact, or arc closed.
 
we drain every night..get a lot of water out of the tank in this climate....also drain both moisture traps to the cmc and nailer every night...we have a wall switch that shuts off power to the compressor right next to the ganged light switches that are turned off every night...if the lights go off, the compressor does too..so far nobody has left lights/compressor on all night....

in the back shop (other building ) we have a huge compressor 240 v that is on an industrial timer so no problem there...also has an industrial grade automatic water drain system and inline dryers at each station....each bay (5) has two air oulets and two filters/dryers at each one.
 
Automatic drain is the way to go. At the end of every cycle a small 1 or 2 second burst of air thru a hose to the outside gets rid of all the liquid.
 
We have a light that is hooked up to the compressor, as well. Compressor is off, light goes off.

My understanding is that if compressors run for a long time, the risk of overheating and fire is greatly increased. Never mind the wear and tear on the compressor, just be glad you didn't burn the place down.

edie the onlyyoucanpreventshopfires goddess
 
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