Keeping your compressor charged?

[Thumper68]

My answer to a question in another thread prompted this.

I don't understand why you wouldn't keep your compressor charged and ready to go all the time.

The only time mine has been off-line since I got it in 1990 is when I am doing service. If I am not going to be in the shop for weeks at a time I will close the ball valve that is on the outlet, but otherwise it is up and ready to work 24/7/365.

What is your reasoning for turning it off and draining the air?

 

[astroracer]

I have no reasoning... Mine is 24/7 also.

 

[md21722]

I like to cut the power and close the tank ball valves when not using mine. Consider cases of a blown out hose, or other pressure line where the compressor runs non stop until its noticed. Happened to a buddy of mine, a line blew sometime between Saturday afternoon and Monday morning when he was back at the shop.

 

[fnieto]

Switch off and ball valve closed when not in use. Tank stays charged full time.

 

[edcantu9]

I like to cut the power and close the tank ball valves when not using mine. Consider cases of a blown out hose, or other pressure line where the compressor runs non stop until its noticed. Happened to a buddy of mine, a line blew sometime between Saturday afternoon and Monday morning when he was back at the shop.

Did it damage the compressor?

 

[LXCam]

Switch off and ball valve closed when not in use. Tank stays charged full time.

I do the same thing.

 

[nine4gmc]

I switch off the ball valve when I'm not using it but mine is always on and charged.

 

[goldie lox]

little off topic but what size and length is your piping the quick release

 

[OCJohn]

Switch off and ball valve closed when not in use. Tank stays charged full time.

Same with mine for the last 18ish years.

 

[littleponderosa]

Powered up, tank pressurized & discharge (ball) valve closed. In service since '94 on this configuration.

Bill

 

[Strouty]

Runaway compressor could cause a fire or if you have an old tank a broken pressure relief valve could make it go boom. I never discharged my tank, but I did disco the power when leaving for the day. I know plenty of people that don't do anything and keep it running 24/7/365 with no issues today.

 

[md21722]

Did it damage the compressor?

Nope, compressor didn't miss a beat, the PVC pipe that broke inside the shop left quite a mess though.

 

[Strouty]

Uhoh, they said PVC!

 

[bcradio]

Switch off and ball valve closed when not in use. Tank stays charged full time.

This is my approach. I prefer no surprises of blown hose and pump running non-stop

 

[justanengineer]

Bc EVERY industrial compressor company suggests draining them daily as PMCS, bc I only need air a few times per week, bc shutting machines off when not in use is industrial safety 101.....

 

[Shiftless]

md:
Maybe you haven't been around here long enough to hear all the horror stories about PVC air lines.

 

[garfunkle24]

Here's the one good reason I know of for shutting your compressor down at night: Fire.

In theory if there was a fire in the shop and it burned through a rubber airline or whatever, the compressor would kick in and feed the fire until it or it's power supply got burned up.

Consider cases of a blown out hose, or other pressure line where the compressor runs non stop until its noticed. Happened to a buddy of mine, a line blew sometime between Saturday afternoon and Monday morning when he was back at the shop.

This is my approach. I prefer no surprises of blown hose and pump running non-stop

^^This + fire.

 

[nine4gmc]

PVC can last decades. It can also last no time, and anything in between. My last shop had PVC for several years, never one incident. My new shop will have black iron pipe but for now I have hoses laying on the floor.


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[tdkkart]

Mine is charged 24-7, however I built a contactor box powered by the shop lights that only supplies power to the compressor when the lights are on, which means only when I'm in the shop.
Yes, I've had a couple instances of compressor run-away, which is the reason mine is the way it is today.

 

[nine4gmc]

Any info on the contactor box?


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[WILD-BILL]

I leave mine charged but close all the ball valves and turn power off when I'm not in there working.

 

[firebox40dash5]

At the shop, the breaker got cut and the outlet valve turned off every night. I mean, yeah, we could've left either or both on, but why? The lines had a few leaks that would drain the tank overnight, meaning either starting fresh every morning or leaving the juice on, and leaving the juice on means something fails, the compressor runs needlessly. Why not take <30 seconds to turn off when we leave and turn on in the morning?

 

[sberry]

On 24/7 since 72

 

[goodysgotacuda]

I leave it full but cut power and throw the ball valve when I'm not using it. No reason to waste the energy to fill it back up, no reason to leave it powered up either.

 

[Cruzomatic]

I've always wondered about this as well. I have a little 4 gallon. So I should keep it charged up? I usually drain it after using it

 

[redmondjp]

Any info on the contactor box?

There are a lot of ways to do it. If your compressor has a motor starter, you can insert a normally-open 120VAC relay into the contactor coil circuit, with the relay coil powered by the lighting power.

Or, you install an additional contactor whose coil is powered by the lighting circuit, and this contactor is in the two power legs L1 and L2 feeding the compressor circuit. You need a contactor rated for the horsepower of the motor that you are feeding (to deal with the motor's inrush current) so this can get expensive, plus you have all of the additional wiring to do.

I'm with the others here - I valve off the compressor output right at the tank, and switch the controller to "off". It doesn't leak down at all.

On a related note: on the compressor that I have been using now for the past 25 years (not one of the bigger ones sitting in my garage that I haven't installed yet), I installed a 120VAC solenoid valve on the tank drain, with a momentary pushbutton at the top in the side of the motor mount plate. I push the button for a second or two every time I am in that corner of the garage.

 

[Chadwilliam1]

I keep mine cocked and locked at all times too.

 

[tdkkart]

There are a lot of ways to do it. If your compressor has a motor starter, you can insert a normally-open 120VAC relay into the contactor coil circuit, with the relay coil powered by the lighting power.

Or, you install an additional contactor whose coil is powered by the lighting circuit, and this contactor is in the two power legs L1 and L2 feeding the compressor circuit. You need a contactor rated for the horsepower of the motor that you are feeding (to deal with the motor's inrush current) so this can get expensive, plus you have all of the additional wiring to do.

I'm with the others here - I valve off the compressor output right at the tank, and switch the controller to "off". It doesn't leak down at all.

On a related note: on the compressor that I have been using now for the past 25 years (not one of the bigger ones sitting in my garage that I haven't installed yet), I installed a 120VAC solenoid valve on the tank drain, with a momentary pushbutton at the top in the side of the motor mount plate. I push the button for a second or two every time I am in that corner of the garage.

Yep, pretty much this.
Surplus contactor rated for the motor, contactor's coil is fed from the lighting circuit switched by the compressor's pressure switch

 

[finn]

I"ve got a leak in my old IR, probably a check valve, so it leaks down over 4 or 5 days.

The old Craftsman has a leak at the built in pressure regulator, so it leaks down overnight.

My 1970'ish Champion holds air fine, but I cut the power just the same.

I wouldn't drain a compressor, but I wouldn't knowingly leave the power on, either.

 

[CompressorPros.com]

Always kill the power to it when not in use. Keeping air in the tank should not be an issue. If there were a leak when you are not around, it is possible that the compressor could run until something failed. If you turn off the power, make sure that the head pressure is released prior to bring power back up

 

[dkroth]

... broken pressure relief valve could make it go boom.

I cycle the pressure relieve valve once a month or so to make sure it's free and working properly.

 

[tdkkart]

a broken pressure relief valve could make it go boom.

I cycle the pressure relieve valve once a month or so to make sure it's free and working properly.

With one of the run-away incidents I had, the motor contactor had welded itself closed so it was running continously, relief valve blowing off like crazy, and the tank humming along at over 200psi.
No idea how long it had been running that way, possibly a couple days, but it was happily chugging along.

 

[TMcCay]

I turn the ball valve off and switch the contactor off. I don't see the need to waste the energy I paid for filling it. When I turn it back on I do hit the water valve first to drain out all the moisture that has settled, then turn the air valve on then the contactor.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I shut the ball valve to the system but leave the compressor on and charged.

 

[rlitman]

I like to cut the power and close the tank ball valves when not using mine. Consider cases of a blown out hose, or other pressure line where the compressor runs non stop until its noticed. Happened to a buddy of mine, a line blew sometime between Saturday afternoon and Monday morning when he was back at the shop.

Funny story about that.

About a year ago, I bought a $25 pan/tilt IP camera on eBay, and mounted it upside down to the underside of the attic ladder that goes up to the loft in my garage (because that spot had the most central and unobstructed views). The compressor is in the loft...

I have the camera set to email me a snapshot whenever it senses motion. Kind of a cheap security system supplement. Usually I'll just capture a picture of the wife digging through the freezer. After I'm working in the shop, I'll delete a few hundred **** emails, etc.

Well a few months ago, while at work, I started to get an email every few minutes. After about 10 of them, all with the lights off, I knew something funny was up. Then I noticed that every other image had a vertical motion blur, and the other half were clear. I thought that perhaps an animal was trapped in the loft and was walking on and off the closed ladder...

Then I got the good idea to log into the camera and pan around a bit. When I saw a plastic bag fluttering around on the workbench, I immediately realized a compressor line had blown, and the running compressor had vibrated the loft floor just enough to trigger the image motion detection.

A phone call and a few minutes later, and the coil hose that had split was shut off, and all was well in the garage again.

Now I know that if I get a motion detection email with the lights off, I've got a leak somewhere.

But in regards to the OP, no, I leave everything on. I only drain water from the tank as needed.

 

[fireboat]

I keep mine charged with the valve closed and switch off.

However, I have been told that leaving the tank under pressure accelerates rusting in the tank as there is more oxygen and moisture in the tank. I had one old compressor that must of been 25 years old that I rarely drained nor let it bleed down and far as I know it is still running. But, I was wondering if there is any truth to this?

 

[Olafur]

Lights off -> compressor off. While good compressors can, and often do, survive - it doesn't do them any good to let them run continuously if a line blows out. They can get very hot after several hours.

Big leak in the air system - the air pressure against the compressor is low and air is basically free-flowing through it. Not too bad situation and overheating is unlikely.

Small leak, but enough for the compressor to run constantly close to full pressure is much worse. The motor is operating close to full power and plenty of heat is generated in the compressor. Only heavy industrial compressors can survive a day or more in this condition.

 

[jbaccell]

I do the same thing.

Me too.

 

[taumac]

I fixed mine so there's no leaks so it's on 24/7 and hose charged. If I had a leak I would turn if off and close the valve. I turn it off if I go out of town.

 

[bczygan]

I unplug all mine.

And I have special HF connections, that then automatically leak down the tank pressure to zero, for safety purposes.

Bill