Posts by: Brad Taylor

A compressed air receiver tank (sometimes called an air compressor tank or compressed air storage tank) is a type of pressure vessel that holds compressed air under high pressure. Air enters the air receiver tank after it exits the air compressor and is held there for future use. It provides a reserve of compressed air that you can draw on without running your air compressor. What is the Purpose of an Air Receiver Tank? The air receiver tank has three main functions in your compressed air system: It stores compressed air that can be used for short, high-demand events. It… Read more »

Excess moisture in your compressed air system can cause problems both within the system itself and for the applications that utilize it. Appropriate maintenance and the use of air dryers can remove moisture from your air and extend the life of your system. What Causes Moisture in Compressed Air? Moisture is an inevitable byproduct of compressed air. All air contains a certain amount of water vapor. The volume of water held by the air varies with temperature and pressure; the higher the temperature, the more water air is able to hold. That’s why humidity tends to be higher in warmer… Read more »

How does cold weather affect your compressed air system? Freezing winter temperatures can have adverse effects on your air compressor, air dryer, and compressed air system accessories. Here’s what you need to know about cold weather air compressor maintenance and operation. Most compressed air systems are designed to operate in temperatures above 40° Fahrenheit. In the winter months, if your system is not in a heated indoor environment, ambient air temperatures may drop below freezing. When this happens, your compressed air system may sustain both short-term and long-lasting damage. This happens because compressed air systems generate condensate, which can freeze… Read more »

Time to Upgrade Your Compressed Air System? Your Energy Company Might Pay the Bill. Upgrading your compressed air system from a fixed-speed to a variable-speed drive (VSD) can deliver big savings on your energy bill. But did you know that your energy company may help you pay for the cost of the upgrade? You could get thousands of dollars back on the purchase of a VSD compressor or other energy-saving improvements for your compressed air system.  Understanding Energy Company Incentives for Compressed Air Systems  ComEd (Chicago and Northern Illinois), Xcel Energy (Minneapolis area), and many other energy providers nationwide all… Read more »

Do you know what size air compressor you need for your facility? Calculating compressed air requirements may seem complex, but it’s important to understand your needs before installing a new compressed air system. Here are four ways to calculate compressed air requirements for your facility. Why Proper Sizing for Compressed Air Systems Matters Air compressors come in a range of sizes and styles to suit a variety of needs. A small auto repair shop with a handful of tools will not need the same volume of compressed air as a large manufacturing facility using compressed air to run dozens of… Read more »

Why Do You Need One? Compressed air produced by any oil flooded compressor has contaminates. After the air is cooled by the heat exchanger and/or the dryer, the contaminants including water and oil condense and become a liquid. To properly dispose of this liquid, the oil needs to be removed from the water so that the water can be reintroduced to the municipal water system. This can be achieved through the use of air compressor oil separator. If you do not use an oil/water separator and you dispose of the liquid from your dryer by dumping it into your usual… Read more »

What is the Optimal Temperature Range for a Compressed Air System? How does ambient temperature affect the performance of your air compressor? Temperature plays a bigger role in air compressor performance than you might think. Air compressors are often subject to temperature extremes, especially if they are installed outdoors or in a warehouse without temperature controls. Large swings in temperature can lead to air compressor overheating in the summer or freezing in the winter. Understanding the optimal operating temperature for your compressed air system will help you avoid heat- or cold-related damage to your air compressor and extend the life… Read more »

How to know the right amount of compressed air your facility needs. There are many ways and methods that can be used in determining how much compressed air is needed to supply your facility, and believe it when we tell you – Getting a properly sized compressed air system is very important. Why do we say that? Under-sizing an air compressor will cause the system not to work. Both over-sizing and under-sizing your equipment can lead to large budget constraints that management never likes to deal with. Over-sizing your equipment can be costly too due to long-term maintenance and higher… Read more »

How does a backup compressor help my business? Let’s use a manufacturing business as a perfect example; compressed air is vital for operations, and if it goes down, you may as well turn off the lights and count your losses. You will soon find out that besides losing production uptime when the compressor is down, it may also spoil the current product that is in your lineup when you go down. For example, if a food manufacturer goes down, not only do they lose the hours of production that they are down, but whatever is currently in their production line… Read more »

Your air compressor’s location in your facility is critical to how it performs. But do you know exactly what you need to consider when determining where your compressor should go? The location not only affects the compressor’s own functioning… it can affect your facility’s efficiency and your employees’ productivity, too! To help you find the perfect location for your unit, here are six key factors you need to consider before locking in its location. 1. Serviceability and Accessibility Your air compressor should always be accessible for servicing. A rule of thumb is to place your compressor somewhere that allows a… Read more »

Proper repair and preventative maintenance on your equipment is essential to your business running smoothly — especially when it comes to equipment like your compressed air system, which is integral in keeping your operation running. So, when it comes to finding an equipment service provider, finding a quality provider can be the difference between your equipment running efficiently and dealing with unplanned downtime. How can you you determine if an equipment service provider is the right fit? There are three things you should expect from a quality service provider, no matter what equipment they service. Let’s dive into each in… Read more »

Given how crucial compressed air supply is to manufacturing systems, unplanned downtime on your compressed air system can be a critical problem for your operations. Afterall, when your system goes down, your business shuts down, too. Not only do you have to pay to repair the system, but you’re losing valuable money you could be making by operating your business! Yet due to the amount of work compressed air systems go through (such as running continuously, generating heat, ingesting dirt, etc.), unexpected downtime is practically a given if you aren’t proactively caring for your system. Luckily, we have five easy… Read more »

  What is a compressed air receiver tank—and how do you know if you need one? Our 2020 guide to compressed air receiver tanks explains how they work, what they do, and how you can use them to maximize the efficiency of your compressed air system.  What Is a Compressed Air Receiver Tank? An air receiver tank (sometimes called an air compressor tank or compressed air storage tank) is exactly what it sounds like: a tank that receives and stores compressed air after it exits the air compressor. This gives you a reserve of compressed air that you can draw… Read more »

When it comes to installing a new piping system, you may find yourself overwhelmed with the options for your application. How do you know which type is best? Many of our customers come to us asking this very question and wondering where to start. To help you make a decision, we have put together some information on the different types of piping you can use in your compressed air system. Traditional Methods of Piping Iron Pipe Iron pipe is one of the most commonly used and traditional methods of piping for compressed air systems. In fact, it’s been around for… Read more »

Ever wonder how much motor grease is enough when pumping it into a motor? Or what type of grease is the best? We wondered the same so we invited in John Wojdyla from Timken, to educate us on bearing greasing. We took our previous knowledge and combined it with what he taught us to produce the below information. The challenge we face as an air compressor service company, is that we maintain many different brands of compressors that use different brands of motors, some of which are domestic and many that are European and Asian. To add to the confusion,… Read more »

Winter is upon us again. We all know the summer went too fast, but hey – how can you be better prepared for the cold weather? By learning how cold ambient temperatures affect your compressed air system! Temperatures below freezing can have many adverse effects on compressed air equipment. The one that is most obvious is that compressed air generates condensate. Condensate will freeze when temperatures drop below freezing. This can cause short-term and long-lasting damage to your equipment such as freezing control lines, freezing and cracking of heat exchangers, frozen drain valves, and much more. Ideally, your air compressor… Read more »

There is really only one key difference between fixed speed and variable speed drive rotary screw air compressors; the way the motor is controlled. There is very little variation in the way the machine compresses air. Basically, a VSD machine varies the frequency and voltage supplied to the electric motor, thus allowing the speed of the motor to be efficiently controlled with the demand for air at any given point in time. On the other hand, a fixed speed compressor gives consistent frequency and voltage to the motor, meaning that when the demand for air is lower, the efficiency is… Read more »

How does pressure drop cost me money? Every compressed air user needs to understand the importance of minimizing pressure drop. Pressure drop is costing you money if, in order to maintain the desired pressure at your point-of-use, you have to run your air compressor at a higher pressure than the minimum pressure needed to keep your factory operating. It takes more energy to produce air at a higher pressure, and energy costs money. To put it in context: If a machine only needs 90 PSI to function properly, but you have to operate your air compressor at 120 PSI in… Read more »

1. How large is your demand? Rotary screw air compressors are especially durable and are able to handle large amounts of demand for extended periods of time. They are still more efficient and durable in smaller horse powers than piston compressors, but this is noticeable when getting into larger demands (i.e. 15 horsepower and more). Rotary screw air compressors are designed to run at 100% duty cycle, day in and day out. 2. Is lifetime cost important to you? While yes, a rotary screw compressor may have higher air compressor maintenance cost and/or initial capital cost, the lifetime expectancy is… Read more »

Inline filters are used to keep your compressed air clean and free of particulates and oils that are passed from your compressed air equipment into your system. These filters can technically be placed anywhere in the compressed air piping systems. Some of the most common placements are the following: Directly after the commercial air compressor Before and after the air dryer (refrigerated air dryers, desiccant air dryers) Just prior to point of use (i.e. on each compressed air drop) All of the above Or any other way that is specific to your system’s needs Keep in mind, the better the compressed… Read more »