Dry Mount press/ Compressor on all night

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sumik

CGF, Certified Grumble Framer
Joined
Oct 12, 2000
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Loc
Akron,Ohio United States
Have an issue that has come up now for the third time. I don't claim to be an expert on the mechanics of a Dry Mount press or compressor, but just how serious is it to have either of these left on all night? An employee left the press on even after signing off on the "Closing Procedures" checklist. A temination offense do you think? 2 strikes and your out? Or am I being to harsh? (I hate being mean.) Could it burn the store down....Short out the equipment...etc...
Thanks for your sure to be expert advise.

Susan
 
In one of the stores I worked in someone left the compressor on over night. When the morning crew came in the motor was running the whole store smelled of oil and there was much smoke. Apparently there must have been a leak in the tank or one of the hoses wasn't totally turned off and that kept making the tank empty out and the motor run all night long. Which in turn made the motor overheat and burn out. Very expensive lesson learned there. It probably was a fluke but it is a possibility.
 
I normally leave the compressor on unless I'm going to be gone for more than just overnight. I just know I'm going to hear horror stories about broken hoses and other carnage. I leave both computers on, too. Twice I've forgtton to lock the door at night. If it happens a third time, I'm going to go find a job where I don't have to think at all - maybe air-traffic control or the bomb-squad.

I've also left my Vacuseal press on overnight on two different occasions. I really hate that, especially in the summer when the air-conditioning is running overtime to begin with. I've sometimes thought an auto-off switch would be nice and maybe that's a feature on presses that aren't 18 years old.
 
I have two air compressors in my shop, one upstairs for my Wizard, one downstairs for underpinner/CTD45 - leave them on all the time, usually unplugging the airhose from the saw if last used due to very small leak due to where air hose fits on, otherwise no problems. If I had to reprimand a staff member because they accidently left the press on overnight, I would have had to fire myself too many times. Maybe I should have (fired myself). I don't consider either offense enough to sweat about, if my press ever caused a fire, it would be the best sales day I ever had, that's what insurance is for. Frankly, i don't see the risk but could easily be corrected. Anyone from Seal advise us if this is a risk?
 
At my part-time, we leave the compressor on all of the time, as well as the computer. The drymount goes off every night, unless AirHead is working. She usually forgets to turn it off, then it will be hot as blazes in there in the morning. In my shop, I don't have a drymount, and just plug in and turn on the compressor when I need it. None of my equipment runs on air. It is all manual, except for my stapler and nailer. It sits right next to the plug, so it's a simple matter for me to just plug and unplug, turn on and off as needed. As for firing or disciplining, if my Boss did that at my part-time, AirHead wouldn't have lasted the first week. There are 2 things to consider. 1) Leaving this stuff on is not really a big deal. 2) You have set up certain proceedures, and she is not following them. How important is this to you? Pick your wars. Is she following proceedures in other things? How is her work? Is she easily replaced if you fire her? Is it really worth the hassle? If she is not following this check list, and signing off on it, what else is she not doing and signing off on. Lot of questions that only you can answer. I guess, what I'm trying to say, is this the only place where she messes up? If it is, it is no biggie. If it is not, you've got a real problem.
 
Regarding your compressor, are you referring to the vacuum pump as part of your dry mount press or as an actual compressor for operating pneumatic equipment?

As part of any day-end procedure no equipment should need to be left on. If your compressor is acting up to the point that it fills your shop with smoke, well then maintenance is a problem. Check your pump, connectors, lines, valves, etc. or have someone qualified do it for you if you are not comfortable with the equipment. As part of shop maintenance our compressors are checked daily.

If it was a vacuum pump left on all night than I would be concerned why your employee was in such a rush that he or she did not hear it. If this is an offense you would use to consider termination than there are probably other reasons to end this relationship.

If it was just a matter of not turning off the main power to a vacuum press, there should be no concerns. Most systems have breakers built in.

Murray Scott
Super Plak
 
I felt I should post a second response to the compressor thing.

The reason I have our system shut down every night is the fear of damage, fire and/or injury that can result from a faulty compressor. The shut-down and start-up each day also force my staff to look at the equipment.

Connectors , hoses and the like are all parts designed with a short life span. They constantly leak, crack, break apart, etc.

One of my buddies was filling out a compensation claim just last month because a line burst knocking a picture off the wall which hit an employee. It was a 'small' injury but it could have been much worse.

How many of you drain your compressors or perform any maintenance? These things come with an owner's manual, READ IT.

This public safety blurb was brought to you by Murray Scott
Super Plak
 
We don't have any pneumatic equipment at our shop, but I have a 5 hp, 50 gallon compressor in my home 'shop', and I leave it on all the time.
As long as you have no air leaks, once the compressor reaches the pre-set, by you, psi limit, it shuts itself off. It shouldn't come on again unless you DO have a leak, which you should fix.
Routine maintenance IS a must for any compressor. As James said, the oil should be checked AND changed according to mfr's specs.
As someone else also said, if this is a first offense, I don't think termination is justified, but they're YOUR employee, and only you know of their weaknesses.
 
We turn everything off except the compressor. The compressor shuts off at 125PSI and sits there until someone uses some of the reserve. We shut it down every saturday afternoon and bleed the tank, to eliminate water and oil. (water can damage the equipment and the tank itself)

Just last week the 125psi sensor switch in our compressor failed, and the thing ran over a weekend, and kept letting the excess out through a safety valve. The air hose from our basement(compressor) to the shop swelled and was leaking. I had to replace the compressor and the air hose, but fortunately it didn't cause any problems with the v-nailer.

We still leave it on 24/7, but maybe I should learn a lesson and turn it off every night. The compressor that failed was only 8 months old.

Mike
 
When I worked on the railroad in a past life, Maintenance and Way left a compressor on in the engine house. The entire building burnt to the ground because the compressor overheated. It doesn't take that long to turn the compressor on each day. Yes, they do have safety valves, but I wouldn't depend on them. Needless to say, we double check our compressor every night to be sure that it is turned off.
 
Talk to your friendly, local electrician and have him recommend a time switch that can be added to your equipment. This will ensure a timely shut-down that you could override if necessary. We can all make a mistake. I almost smoked our hose by leaving an electric bathroom heater on all day. Really warm when I got home but learned about installing time switches quickly enough.

Jack Cee
 
Originally posted by James Murray Scott:
.......Connectors , hoses and the like are all parts designed with a short life span. They constantly leak, crack, break apart, etc....
Click to expand...
Timely discussion.......

All of our computers including our Fletcher F-6100 CMC are on a dedicated electrical line. We purchased a very nice Silent Aire compressor for this machine four years ago. It is plugged into a power strip along with lights in the area. This is powered off every night.

Just as we're beginning to leave at 7pm one night last week, I thought I heard a minor "hissing" noise. Sure enough, the polycarbon bell around the filter on the compressor had a small fracture in it, and the compressor was starting to run continuously! :(

I'm thinking that had this been any worse, my staff would not have picked up on this and the compressor might have burnt out. I picked up a replacement filter over the weekend, and will have the Original Equipment version replaced as a back up. Questions......

--Has this happened to anyone's compressor filter?

--How long will a "silent type" run before burning out, or is there a heat override of some sort?

John
 
Silent Aire, Italian is a brand of silent compressor similar to a Bambi, UK, or a Jun Air, Denmark, for those that are unfamiliar with the name.
 
Jack: Thanks for the GREAT idea!

We'll install a commercial time clock on ours this weekend. Most of the new ones are 7 day programmable, and can be set to stay off on days the shop is closed. (ours is currently closed on Sundays)

I'll sleep better knowing the power is OFF.

Mike
 
I have worked around air powered equipment for the last 40 years and, as was mentioned in other posts, hoses will rupture, equipment will fail, water will cause a pinhole to appear in the storage tank if not drained regularly. All this considered, I have no reservations in leaving my air compressor on 24/7 and have done that both in the autobody shop and in the frame shop for as long as I have been in each industry.

If one were to worry about all the potential hazards around us each day, we would not leave the bed in the morning! (Just lay there and HOPE the ceiling didn't fall on us!!) I suppose if you are THAT concerned about the potential for something happening with an air compressor, then you should take the appropriate means to minimize that potential for the hazard. But, gosh, that is one of the reasons that I pay alot of money each year for business property insurance! Why should I pay some company to cover any loss to my business or property and THEN sit around and worry about each and every potential disaster that could possibly happen to cause me to collect that insurance money?? Man, life is way too short to waste it on those types of thoughts.

The next time you are driving down the Interstate behind some 18 wheeler at nearly 70 MPH and you are a bit too close, think about the precious time you have left if one of the tires suddenly delaminates and flies through your windshield! What would you do? How would you react? But many of us do just this very thing when we are following behind another vehicle. And we don't give it much thought. But, we can fritter our time away worrying about whether our air compressor is going to blow up??

This was not meant to be a "pick on ya" type post but I wonder where our priorities are sometimes when we put so much energy into worrying about things that may be so nebulous and let those things that could seriously change our lives just go on by with hardly a thought. The chances of a tire delaminating may be small just as the chances of an air compressor blowing up or shorting out but I can tell you that I have seen alot more torn rubber littering the interstates than I have heard about compressors blowing up.

Just an opinion that is worth as much as anybody's.

FGII
 
This is our experience with silent compressors (as a distributor of framing equipment).

The problem most of the silent compressors have is over-heating. The engine is placed in special oil to avoid vibrations and noice. When the engine works, the oil is heated. Therefor it is absolutely necessary to let the engine rest for 15 minutes after 15 minutes of working (I wish I had such a time schedule
). This is even indicated on the latest models of Sil-Air.
When you do not respect this time schedule, the oil is overheated, will become more fluid and will disappear into the air pipes. And... an engine without oil will burn out. This is why you smell burnt oil when it happens.

Leaving the compressor on overnight may not cause any harm, when... you do not have a leak somewhere. A small leak might cause the work-rest schedule to change and might result in the disaster above...

But... there is a new solution on the market: the Jun-Air OF302 oil-free models. They do not have an "oil-bath" in which the engine runs. You may use the compressor continuously - no more 15 minutes working & 15 minutes of pause. The noice level is slightly higher: 65 dB instead of 45 dB, but still "silent"). The compressor is more expensive than the Sil-Air models, but it's worth it - especially when you realize a broken compressor might close your workshop completely ...

Best regards,
Kris Casier, GCF
 
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