Help, please: Air Compressor trouble

Ed Westerly · Apr 25, 2011

I need all cafe members with experience with air compressors to help me with an ongoing problem I am having with mine. :shock:

I have just lost my fourth air compressor in seven years! They work well for a year or less (the first one lasted three years), and then they
just stop working at all. :beat up:

I have had one Sears, two Huskies, and one Campbell/Husfield. Only the Sears got very far past it's first birthday, and it's the one that went three years. That may be partially caused by the fact that I only engraved three days a week back then, but who knows?

Anyway, what is your experience with air compressors, who makes one that will last, and are the quiet ones worth the added expense?

Thanks in advance for your help! :tiphat:

I'm ready to tear someone else's hair out! I like mine too much to pull out mine! :shock:

Andrew Biggs · Apr 25, 2011

Hi Bruce

I have a Jun-Air silent compressor and it's been going strong for about 6 years. I'm unfamiliar with the brands you have mentioned but I had an old cheap air compressor in the sign shop that lasted about 15 years (and still works) and it took a real hammering and a lot of abuse.

Are you letting the moisture out of the tank every day.? That can make a lot difference.

Cheers
Andrew

rodsta · Apr 25, 2011

I've had my Silentaire compressor for over 11 years and it works great everyday...
Just my 2 cents...

Rod

Ed Westerly · Apr 25, 2011

Thanks for the replies, Andrew and Rod,

Yes, I drain out the water, not every day, as I'm in southern California, where the air is dry, but very frequently, although the compressor that lasted the best only got it's water drained once early in it's life, when I broke the drain valve in the (fortunately!!) closed position. I killed that compressor when I tried to drain it through the air hose/valve assembly, thus clogging it beyond hope of rescue.

Glad for the info on Silentaire, please anyone else with experience with air compressors weight in!

graniteguy52 · Apr 25, 2011

Ed,

I've been using a small Senco PC1010 1/2 hp nailing gun compressor for the last three years for engraving - no problems, relatively quite, and fairly inexpensive - $130, but not loads of cfm. For the rotary tool, I use a 3hp with 20 gal tank (Dial-O Matic)- very noisy, so I've run a nail gun hose from the garage. It is on it's 2nd tank though as I didn't drain the water and it rusted through the bottom of the tank. A side note - I epoxied the rust holes shut until I talked to a painter with a black-eye and bruised body - seems he'd been leaning over a compressor that was making excessive noise just before he picked himself out of a hole in a sheet-rock wall. That's when I ordered the 2nd tank!
My theory on buying tools is to purchase the best I can afford - It has worked so well for me for so long that my wish list of tools is pretty small these days!
Gordon Alcorn

DKanger · Apr 25, 2011

Regardless of whose compressor you purchase, you need to get one that is rated for "continuous duty." Whether you are an engraver, auto mechanic, or, on an assembly line, you need a commercial compressor, not a hobby compressor. And get one that is rated for more cfm than you require in case you have to use it for other purposes.

Ed Westerly · Apr 25, 2011

Thanks for the info, guys. I think the compressors I've had have been continuous duty, but I didn't check for that, so it's possible that they weren't. I got all but the first one from either Home Depot or Lowes, as I have no brand loyalty.

One thing I forgot to mention, and which might be relevant, is that I have had each of these compressors set with their on/off switches in the on position permanently, and turned them on and off with a remotely located wall switch. This allows the compressor to be in a small shed outside of the shop, which is much quieter.

graniteguy52 · Apr 25, 2011

Ed,
I've been using a remote switch also - it should not have much, if any effect on service life.
A too small electrical cord or wiring that's not large enough could definitely have effect in the life of the motor.
Gordon

Ed Westerly · Apr 25, 2011

I'm running regular 12 gauge house wire to the plug, then the wire the compressor comes with, so I think I'm good there. I guess I just need to break down and pay the big bucks for a top of the line compressor, instead of getting these home improvement types. I just hope it's worth it, because while you usually get what you pay for, it ain't always true.

Thanks for helping, forum members.

JJ Roberts · Apr 25, 2011

Bruce,I have a Sears Craftsman air compressor 30 gallon that I purchased about 14 years ago and only had to replace the switch in all that time,drain it ever 2 weeks.It,s down in a root celler 35 feet from my shop. J.J.

fegarex · Apr 26, 2011

Perhaps this isn't the problem but just how small is the "shed"?
Is the compressor getting too hot? Heat will kill them.

bildio · Apr 26, 2011

What was the nature of the failure, i.e., did they all have the same problem, e.g., totally dead, or motor running with no air flow, etc.?

mitch · Apr 26, 2011

hi Ed-

"set with their on/off switches in the on position permanently, and turned them on and off with a remotely located wall switch."

this is fine so long as you are careful to never shut it off while the motor is running. always listen to make sure the compressor has reached max pressure on its own and shut-off automatically before killing the power. pressure switches vent excess compressed air in the line (that little PSSSST right after the motor stops) which allows the switch to come back on without fighting residual pressure.

search the archives for a recommendation from Chris DeCamillis. he'd found a pretty quiet brand/model (GMC?) at a decent price ($200 or so) that he's been happy with. basically your options are replacing a cheap one every 1-3 yrs, or getting a near bullet-proof top quality model like a Jun-Air or Werther Panther (preferably a multi-head unit). keep an eye on ebay and other used industrial/dental/medical eqpt sites. occasionally you can find fantastic deals on them (because new they are $$$$$$$$$).

Ed Westerly · Apr 26, 2011

Wow, the stuff you can learn on this forum! Rex, the shed is small, but vented, and in the shade during the hot part of the day. Also, they seem to fail at different times of the year, not when it is terribly hot. (S Ca, 110+). Bill, they all (except the first one, which I killed by trying to drain the water incorrectly) failed the same way. They were running fine, and then wouldn't restart when the air pressure got low. Mitch, I have turned off the switch while they were running, and you may have hit the bullseye, here. I will never do that again. By the way, I flipped the switch late lasted night, and the compressor is working again! I don't know how long it will last, but according to the book, it has a circuit breaker inside, which might have tripped. But the book says it will reset if you turn off the switch for 30-45 seconds and then turn it back on. I did that at the time and it didn't work. Tried for an hour!

mitch · Apr 26, 2011

and just so we're clear, Ed, it's perfectly ok to shut off a running compressor with ITS OWN switch, just don't cut the power from a remote switch (or unplug it, etc.) while it's running. (which is yet another reason to make sure the circuit is wired heavy enough to handle the load- blowing the breaker on a regular basis does the same thing.)

if it has an internal overload breaker that's tripping itself, it may be an indication that the compressor just isn't up to the task. what are you using it for? although they seem like small machines doing tiny jobs, some engraving eqpt- both impact & rotary- can use a surprising amount of air.

fegarex · Apr 26, 2011

Another thing that happens (usually in humid climates) is the pressure switch gets dirty. They are set of contacts and usually need to be cleaned like an old set of automotive points. Might be something as simple as that as well.

Ed Westerly · Apr 26, 2011

Rex, where are these contacts, and what do you clean them with?

Mitch, it is the compressor's internal breaker that could have popped. The cfm that the compressor is rated for is well above the cfm of my Gravermach, and the compressor runs only about 15 minutes or less in very hour (I've never timed it, but it seems about like that!), so I don't think I'm overloading it.

These have all been good suggestions. Most of them I had also thought of and discarded, but good to know I was thinking along the right lines. The stuff I didn't think of or know will be used in the future.

fegarex · Apr 26, 2011

On most compressors they are in a box that looks similar to a handy box with a cover. Can't say they all look like that however.

Ed Westerly · Apr 26, 2011

Mine doesn't. I guess I'll have to look it up in the manual!!!! ;-)

Dave London · Apr 26, 2011

Sounds like a pressure switch ,or a thermal overload breaker problem. Most pressure switches can be replaced ,but the thermal protector is not a owner service item. Good luck.

Help, please: Air Compressor trouble

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