Owning an industrial air compressor has countless benefits for making sure your organisation runs at optimal efficiency, thus ensuring production is excellent , but what are the telltale signs that it is not working correctly?
Let us take a look!
1) An Increase in Noise
An increase in noise is usually the first sign that something is wrong.
Industrial air compressors will always operate with some resultant noise, but anything out of the ordinary should be investigated immediately.
For instance, an unusual bearing noise or any concerning rattles, clicks, or knocking may indicate a more severe problem.
2) Excessive Moisture
It is only natural for any compressed air system to produce a small quantity of liquid condensation, as this is a normal by-product of the compressed air process.
Unfortunately, if there is a presence of too much condensation or water, this can negatively affect (or even hinder) your overall productivity, quality, and system reliability. This is usually caused by a problem in the air treatment process and is generally easy to resolve.
To overcome excessive moisture, most air compressor users utilise water trap filters, refrigerated air dryers, and electronic drains, which help to remove condensation from the compressed air system.
3) Low Pressure or Loss of Air Flow
When your industrial air compressor is working at maximum efficiency, it should easily be able to supply enough pressure and airflow to support your applications.
If it can’t maintain optimal pressure any longer, this can severely impact your day-to-day operations and result in manufacturing downtime, subpar product quality, and a risk to safety.
To ensure that the pressure and airflow are always running at its optimal level, it is recommended that you regularly check your system performance, which would indicate any problems in compressed air supply.
4) Increase in Operating Temperature
Heat can be described as an industrial air compressors worst enemy because, in order to function safely and efficiently, the temperature must remain constant and not become too high.
A healthy system compresses air molecules at a rapid rate, and this naturally results in a production of heat energy. As long as the air compressor can effectively dissipate this heat, it will operate just fine.
However, when there is an unexplained rise in temperature in the system, this should be a cause for concern and attended to as soon as possible.
To avoid your air compressor experiencing an unhealthy rise in temperature, always ensure that you clean the oil coolers on a regular basis. Checking on the oil lubrication levels should also form part of your normal system inspection as a problem here could cause excessive heat.
5) Tripped Breakers or Overloading the Motor
The majority of industrial air compressors have a safety shutdown mechanism that will shut the unit down automatically should there be an increase (above the normal range) in the motor amperage.
Any automatic shutdown should be investigated as soon as possible, as this could indicate a very serious problem in the system like an increase in mechanical friction or a problem in the air compressors electrical system.
Of course, it is always a good idea to read your user manual to ensure that you operate your industrial air compressor safely and efficiently as this can avoid any potential problems.