If you need high performance, you should do high maintenance; and there is no debate about that. Air compressors are high-maintenance machines, and so are their tools; if you do not look after them, they will not last you any longer.
Changing oil also counts in the maintenance of an air compressor, along with many other factors. Owning an oil-lubricated compressor is no joke, and not knowing how often you should change air compressor oil is better than overdoing or underdoing it.
Concerning that today, we are here with all the essential knowledge from industry experts and after making millions of mistakes and learning from them. This article will specifically teach you which type of compressor needs how many changes and risks associated with them. To know about that, follow us with this article.
How often should you change air compressor oil? – For Different Types
Most air compressor requires oil to lubricate the bearing and functioning of the motor. If not given, they get jammed, overheat and undergo many other risks that we will further discuss. But if you perform the oil changing as per the demand of the compressor, it will enhance its performance and functioning.
In addition, every compressor’s functioning and requirements vary as designed by the manufacturers. So, first, we will talk about two main types of air compressors and how often you should change their oil for better mobility and performance. These include the following:
1. Reciprocating air compressor:
In a reciprocating air compressor for the compression of gas, they use pistons. For that driving force, a reciprocating air compressor is required to use oil. Talking about the oil changings, the experts recommend two to three different ways or rules. As a general rule, one should perform regular maintenance and care to prevent any corrosion and rusting.
On the other hand, it is also recommended to go for regular maintenance after every two to three months of machines working or the time period recommended by the manufacturers.
2. Rotary screw compressor:
Addressing the rotary screw compressors, it uses two rotors for the compression of gas. Also, one important thing to talk is that a rotary air compressor runs continuously as it has a 100% duty cycle, so the time period will vary according to that. Also, you are more likely to find such compressors in factories, industries etc.
Concerning so, since the usage is more, the time will be more. According to that, experts recommend to change oil after more than 5,000 to a maximum of 10,000 hours of run-time. But for more intense calculations, you must see what your manufacturers suggest and go for that in the first place.
Why is it Important to Change the Oil of Your Compressor?
The oil in an air compressor doesn’t perform one function but three important functions, from lubricating to sealing to as a cooling agent all in all. The oil in the compressor makes sure that everything stays in its own place without getting in touch with others etc.
In any case, running an air compressor with no oil or very little oil can cause significant harm to the equipment. Additionally, it’s possible that the parts will actually burst and will result in scattering pieces everywhere.
Additionally, it prevents the machine from any kind of wear and tear and different conditions that you can’t think of. Just make sure that you are changing the oil of your compressor regularly or as suggested by the manufacturers. If you still can’t figure it out alone, go for a consultation/technician to get it to change.
Risks Associated with Not Changing Oil in Air Compressor
Not looking into the driving force of your air compressors means you are not giving water to a tree and getting the fruit. It can ultimately lessen the quantity of oil that is present over there, and it will affect the performance. The affected performance of the air compressor results in the following conditions:
Wearing of compressor:
Avoiding the wearing of air compressors is important, and the most prominent solution is to clean the compartments and change the oil. What people often do is that they do change the oil but without filtering or removing the already used/leftover oil.
The contaminated oil ten mixes up with the new oil and contaminates the whole, which goes to waste and ultimately affects the machine in a negative manner. On the other hand, if you handle it with love and care, you can easily expect your machine to last you years with great performance.
Corrosion of compressor:
We all are aware that the components installed in an air compressor are made of metal, and metal is prone to rust and corrosion, even if it is stainless steel or metal.
If not taken enough care of, it will rust, and you won’t even know that your inlets or the tank or the motor is rusting until and unless it starts making noise or will stop working. In some cases, the machine just bursts off without showing any prior performance.
Overheating of compressor:
An air compressor, while working, automatically generates its own heat and why it doesn’t heat even at high temperatures is because of the oil present in the machine if you are not changing the oil regularly and thinking of changing it after a while, even if it’s already been the past few months.
I can’t debate more about it that your machine will start overheating, and this results in explosions, the machine getting stuck, and ultimately all the product you are generating will be wasted too.
Final words:
An air compressor is a high maintenance yet easy-to-go machine that you don’t need to spend a lot of money on it. Make sure that you are fulfilling the little demands of the machine, and it will last you for a good 10 years.
Above, in this article, I’ve shared how often you should change the oil of your air compressor and the circumstances that you can face if you take it lightly. So, don’t take it easy and make sure to contact a technician if you don’t know how to change.
