Seven Tips for Summers for Your Air Compressor

Summer is almost there, which means that the temperature all around will rise. The high temperatures will put a lot of pressure on your air compressor. If the necessary precautions are not taken, it may cause production loss and machine failure. For industrial air compressors, extreme weather may play a key role in overall efficiency. Some of the most common problems we see when servicing equipment are air leaks, blocked drain pipes and dirty filter systems. To avoid some of these problems, we have organized 7 tips to help you prepare an air compressor for summers

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1. Check the Drains

When the temperature becomes higher, the level of condensation in the air compressor usually increases. This is problematic on many levels, because moisture can affect the performance of parts in pneumatic tools and air compressors.

If the drain fails and water starts to accumulate, it may disrupt production or cause the machine to shut down. Check the discharge port to ensure that once the temperature rises, the discharge port can work normally to cope with the increasing demand on the compressor. Make sure that no excess water passes through, and that the drain pipe can handle more water flow from the air compressor.

2. Clean Air and Oil Filters

Filtration plays a huge role in improving the efficiency of the air compressor. As long as the air and oil are sufficiently filtered in a given entire cycle, it can be expected that the air compressor will produce a constant volume of cold air, and the overall performance of the machine is stable. However, if the filter is clogged with dust, the pressure may drop, forcing the air compressor to work harder to perform only basic functions. In essence, energy is consumed during this process, and parts wear faster.

If dust is allowed to accumulate in a few seasons, the decline in air quality may be a warning sign that road costs will be higher in the future. To avoid these problems, please check the filter regularly and clean it if necessary.

3. Clean the Coolers

During summers, the surrounding air is hotter than normal, it will affect the performance of pneumatic tools and machines. It is essential that the air compressor itself maintains a stable temperature throughout the year, including the hot summer season when the outdoor temperature soars above 30 degrees Celsius.

To prevent the air compressor from becoming hot in summer, the cooler must be cleaned every year when the temperature starts to rise. If the cooler is blocked, it may hinder its ability to keep the compressed air system functioning properly. To prevent this from happening, please perform the following steps later in the spring:

• Check the cooler for dirt, debris or mist residue
• Remove any dirt deposits present on the cooler

4. Check the Ventilation

Just as you put the air filter and oil filter in the air compressor, you must also check the ventilation of the room where the machine is located. To prevent the ambient air from becoming too crowded, please perform the following steps regularly:

• Check the ventilation holes for dust deposits
• Remove dust accumulation on the vent
• Check the HVAC system for dust accumulation and defects

5. Adjust the Water Cooling System

When you cool the air system with water, the water itself must be cool to achieve the desired effect. When the weather gets warmer, the incoming water should be colder. Like air coolers, water-cooled air compressors also require enough cold water to offset the warmer months of the environment.

To ensure that the water maintains a sufficient temperature, perform the following steps before each wet work cycle:

• Check water temperature
• When the ambient temperature rises, adjust the water temperature if necessary

6. Identify and Fix Air Leaks

Regardless of the season or outside temperature, air leakage is the ultimate enemy of compressed air systems. Summers happened to see more leakages though. Air compressors can have a fully functional filtration system without condensate and flowing oil, but if air leaks occur anywhere between the machines itself, in piping system or at pneumatic tool, performance will still lag.

When a leak is formed along the compressed air system, the performance of the tool will decrease and the operating efficiency will also decrease. If the operator does not know the source of the problem, the first solution usually thought of is to simply increase the system capacity to compensate for the lagging power which leads to increased capital and electricity costs.

7. Change the lubricant

Summers bring high heat and humidity which can shorten the life of the oil by as much as half. Changing lubricant regularly is must as it several key functions:

• Lubricated bearings
• Absorption / removal of compression heat
• Form a liquid seal on the air end to effectively compress
• Prevent contact between metals
• Removes particulate contaminants