Shop Compressor -- turn off when not in use?

[welder4956]

I always close the valve at the compressor and switch the power off (unless I forget). A few times I have been outside and heard the compressor kick on when I forgot to switch it off. I don't want it running if we are out of town or gone for several hours and chance a meltdown or fire.

 

[cabranch47]

My compressor is wired with a relay to the lighting circuit in the shop, no light, no compressor.

IMO you need to shut off the compressor as things can fail. Air hoses pop, diaphragms in pressure switches fail and leak, pressure switches stick on, PVC air lines rupture and the compressor runs until you go out to the shop.


Do you leave your air hoses connected? I had one blow and the compressor ran long enough that when I got home the pump was smoking!

I too have my compressor on a relay wired to my shop lights. Works great and no worries about failure from unexpected leaks.

 

[alex71]

always off! Just turning the valve off at the tank is not enough. I had an IR 5HP compressor blow the factory compression fitting from the head to the tank, causing it to run continuously over a long weekend. I guess 100% duty cycle is as advertised, as there was no damage. Just a lot of heat. Changed the oil, replaced pipe and fitting and it still runs to this day... But it is always turned off at the end of the day.

 

[peter94]

Best to turn it off, if you have a line burst or something decides to leak overnight, your compressor will run for hours until it is noticed. A friend of mine has a hobby shop that he uses on weekends, didn't turn his compressor off, something started leaking (in a major way) and the compressor ran all week. Now the motor turns on, the compressor spins, but builds no pressure.

 

[Citation]

I turn off and close an output valve. This is a belt drive 120V compressor. I don't drain the tank beyond what is needed to get the condensation out (ie not drained to zero). With the outlet valve closed the compressor generally will hold pressure for weeks so when I turn it back to on ("auto") it generally does not need to immediately turn the pump on.

 

[Bad Eye Bill]

Keep mine off.
Have walked outside to shop in
middle of night when I remembered
I had left it on.

Same here. I've walked to the shop in the middle of the night because I couldn't remember if I'd shut it off. Found it on a few times.

 

[PoorUB]

Nobody has a leak until they do

Yup! My piping for my air compressor didn't leak. All new quick disconnects that didn't leak. I could shut off the compressor and go on vacation and come back and the gauge maybe dropped a couple PSI over a couple weeks. It was almost unbelievable!

Came home to the compressor running and a blown air hose.

My set up now has a small leak. It takes a bit over a week before the system leaks down to run the compressor, and that is with the auto drain on a timer left on. I still shut it off.

 

[txvwnut]

I try to turn mine off when not in the shop. I went out of town one time and when I got back my neighbor to the shop I was renting said he heard my compressor running non-stop. All of the units had a master disconnect at the meter so he tripped it to shut the compressor off. I don't know how long it had ran but the oil was rather burnt. I thanked him for the assist, changed the oil in the compressor and fixed the blown hose on a reel and was back in business. That compressor ran for about 15 years after that before it tossed a rod.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I just close the ball valve that pressurizes the system. Compressor will kick on once in a great while to maintain pressure in the tank.

 

[CJM8515]

off unless im using it and drained after every use

 

[gtae07]

Why WOULDNT you shut it off?

It's one of those things that's usually only obvious in retrospect, once it's happened to you or you hear about it from someone else.

 

[brownbagg]

had a older model. it was left on and when it fired up, the motor caught on fire, just old, shorted out. so I now throw the circuit breaker when I walk out

 

[whateg01]

had a older model. it was left on and when it fired up, the motor caught on fire, just old, shorted out. so I now throw the circuit breaker when I walk out

I've always been told that circuit breakers are not meant to be used as switches and doing so will shorten their life. No idea how accurate that is though.

 

[u2slow]

I've always been told that circuit breakers are not meant to be used as switches and doing so will shorten their life. No idea how accurate that is though.

Make or breaking under load is harder on them than without load.

Breakers made for the purpose are marked "switching duty" or SWD.

 

[Skellyii]

My old compressor setup two houses ago leaked, so I got in the habit of always turning it off when I wasn't using it. I also traveled for work a lot, so I might not use it for a week or two. Next house, no leaks, but I had gotten in the habit of turning it off when not using it.

Just setting up things in my new (to me) garage. Will probably turn it off when not in use, since the new garage is a lot bigger and the sound of the compressor will echo off the walls a lot easier. Also, I've gotten used to using more cordless tools.

 

[TJMtl]

I have a big knife switch, flip it on when I need it, off when I don’t.

 

[mikedodge]

I always shut mine off and drain them when done unless I know I'm using it again shortly after. Like others said why risk something going wrong.
I use a small compressor for things like filling tires to save having to run the big one.

 

[vanapplebomb]

Put valve on outlet from tank, turn that off, leave electrical on. Open valve when want use air.

This mentality has been the demise of many a good compressor…