What is the key to saving time and money with compressors maintenance?
Regular maintenance is the key to reducing life-time maintenance costs.
If maintenance costs are a key criteria when purchasing a compressor the client must look outside the box!
For example, an optimised and energy efficient compressed air system will require the least maintenance. Compressors which are correctly specified for the application will naturally require less maintenance, as they will be performing optimally and efficiently (kW/m³) — off load running costs can be eliminated, and stop-starts eliminated.
Of course, opting for a quality engineered compressor will also ensure minimal maintenance requirements.
Integrating a compressed air management system is a further measure that can be taken to ensure that only the most energy efficient supply of compressed air is used.
This system can provide an on-going audit to track system changes and maintain optimum efficiency.
Ensuring the integrity and quality of the actual maintenance work required will also impact on the related costs.
Opting for trained and authorised service technicians, and using genuine spare parts and approved lubricants, will change long term maintenance costs.
A common cause of poor efficiency is the use of spurious spare parts.
Not using the manufacturer’s genuine parts, like oil filters and separators, can drastically alter compressor specification and efficiency.
In turn this will create additional maintenance requirements.
What are the maintenance costs that should always be considered when purchasing a compressor?
Recommended operating hours of the compressor between service intervals may be considered when purchasing a new compressor.
The frequency of maintenance will be affected by the quality and longevity of consumables proposed by the service provider.
The initial choice of lubricant will also impact on lifetime maintenance costs.
For example, the service regime of a lubricated screw compressor will vary depending on whether a mineral or synthetic lubricant is used.
Lubricant choice affects the operating hours recommended between service intervals.
Those using mineral lubricants will require more frequent service visits.
How can a cut in maintenance costs, by reducing maintenance frequency on compressors, lead to increased costs in the long term?
The integrity and efficiency of a compressor will be jeopardised if a recommended service schedule is not followed, with unnecessary premature wear and tear to parts and a reduction in the air quality.
Poor air quality will lead to increased costs in other areas of the business.
For example, an inefficient compressor being used to power a paint spray system may create inconsistencies and blemishes in a paint job.
As a result, additional materials and resource may be required to touch up or re-paint the product.
Moreover, a compressor running inefficiently uses more energy, which will increase compressed air related electricity bills.
What advice would you have for users that may not be as rigorous with their maintenance scheduling as the compressor supplier would recommend?
It is a fact that caring for your compressor optimises its efficiency and reliability.
Opting from a choice of OEM’s consumables and following the recommended service schedule will ensure that the integrity of the compressor and efficiency is maintained, keeping maintenance, consumables and energy costs to a minimum.
What are the common misconceptions about compressor maintenance?
The most common misconception is that regular maintenance doesn’t matter.
This derives from the time that the piston compressor was the only way of generating compressed air.
The modern screw package is totally different.
Properly maintained they are reliable and efficient work-horses.
Without regular maintenance they quickly become unreliable.
What are the important steps that should be considered when coming up with a maintenance program?
Manufacturers should examine the hours in a day that the compressor operates, the prevailing site conditions, the most suitable lubricant and whether the compressor is brand new or used.
Certain components in compressors should be changed at recommended operating hours.
Key contact:
BOGE Compressors
www.boge.net.au
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