Winter is coming! The weather outside will be frightful … and that means it’s time to schedule winter maintenance for your compressed air system.
Kaeser has great ideas on how to get your compressors ready. Here are a few ideas to prevent your plant or facility from costly repairs or worse: shutting down altogether.
1. Drain your tanks regularly
Condensation could cause serious problems for your system.
- Keep water (condensation or moisture) from freezing in the tank
- Use an automatic drain to maximize condensate collection for your tank
- Check tanks – Kaeser recommends at least weekly throughout the year
2. Use heat trace tape around drain lines and bowls
What is heat trace tape? It’s tape — a flexible sticky substance — that enables you to wrap around pipes to keep them from freezing. You’ll need power though.
3. Drain water from all lines before closing your plant
If you’re closing your plant, ensure (as noted above) that you drain water to prevent moisture from freezing any part of your compressed air system
3. Minimize flashes of cold air
Flashes of cold air can hurt your compressed air system. But you can’t be out at every moment, monitoring the temperature. Automatic thermostatically controlled louvers are recommended.
4. Recirculate air and use heaters
Recover the heat from the compressor outlet by moving warm air away to heat an adjacent room or recirculating the air if the equipment is too cold.
- Use a cabinet or ambient heater to preheat and keep the lubricant warm.
- If you already have one installed, check to make sure it’s functioning and adjusted for the lowest allowable operating temperature recommended by the manufacturer.
5. Maintain separators, drains, and valves
Clean and rebuild separators, drains, and valves during the reduced production over the holidays and winter months. Separators and valves — not just drains – are susceptible to condensation.
