June 12, 2019
Tips to Beat the Summer Heat
With summer rapidly approaching, it’s as important as ever to make sure your compressed air system is running optimally as the temperatures rise. Your compressed air system will experience additional moisture load on your air treatment equipment.
Downtime and maintenance issues can be costly, so here are a few tips to help your compressed air system run optimally as the temperatures increase:
Maintenance
- Clean the air compressor’s coolers on air-cooled units. Particularly dirty coolers could even require a power wash. The oil cooler condition will have an impact on the discharge temperature and the aftercooler condition will affect your dryer operation.
- Clean the condenser on your refrigerated air dryers.
- Check/service your air and oil filters. Clogged filters can lead to pressure drop, which can cause the air compressor to run at higher levels to accommodate demand.
- Check/service your drains. Moisture loads will increase in the summer and drains need to be operational and/or set correctly to manage the condensate flow.
- Check/service your oil/water condensate separators. Again, the increased condensate flow can tax this component.
- Check the lubricant level on the air compressors. Low oil levels can increase operating temperatures.
Ventilation
- For air-cooled air compressors, be sure to divert the heated exhaust from the compressor room/area. This can typically be achieved via either ductwork or a properly designed exhaust fan.
- Ensure the cooling air intake flow is adequate to keep the air compressor running as cool as possible. Discharge temperatures in excess of 200° F can reduce lubricant life.
- For water-cooled air compressors, check your cooling system for proper operation.