Compressed air systems are the backbone of countless industrial and manufacturing operations, yet they’re often overlooked until something goes wrong. When that happens, the fallout can be significant: unexpected downtime, knee jerk reactions, inflated repair costs, and unnecessary stress.
By prioritizing routine maintenance and regular inspections, you can sidestep these headaches and keep your system running like clockwork. Let’s explore the “how,” “when,” and “why” of compressed air system maintenance — and how it protects your investment. After all, “if you neglect to schedule preventative maintenance for your compressed air equipment, it will schedule it for you, by failing.”
The value of routine maintenance
Think of your compressed air system as the engine of a car. Skipping maintenance isn’t just risky — it’s expensive. Neglecting tasks like oil changes or filter replacements can lead to overheating, oil carryover, increased pressure drop, inflated energy consumption, and equipment failure.
Take this real-life example: A manufacturer postponed a routine filter and oil service to avoid a brief shutdown. The delay allowed filters to blind, and the lubricating and cooling oil to deteriorate, causing a catastrophic air end failure.
The result? A $50,000 repair bill and a full week of lost production. Routine air compressor preventive maintenance would have cost a fraction of that—and saved them from significant disruption.
Daily maintenance tasks: Small actions, big impact
A few simple daily checks can dramatically improve the reliability of your air compressor system. A quick daily walk-through to check for leaks, spills, unusual sounds, abnormal gauge or screen readings and alarms can reveal potential issues before they become costly problems.
Inspect for leaks and spills
Check for water or oil drips, leaks, or pooling around your equipment. These can signal bigger issues, like improper drain valve operation, hose failures, or leaks. Walking into compressor rooms, we often find oil on the floor due to improper discharge, which not only affects system performance but also violates environmental guidelines, and poses a slipping hazard.
Monitor pressure and temperature gauges
Gauge readings are like your system’s pulse. Stay alert for deviations from the norm. Daily monitoring of air pressure and temperature ensures that your system is operating within safe limits, helping you catch potential problems early.
Check auto drain valve
Ensure the automatic condensate drain traps are working effectively to discharge oil and water condensate, avoiding unwanted downstream contamination. Automatic condensate drain traps are arguably the most critical part of a compressed air purification system. If the drain fails, the air dryer, receiver tank, and filters they are attached to are deemed dysfunctional. When piped correctly, automatic drains will transport their discharged condensate to the highly recommended oil-water condensate management separator. A condensate management separator prevents untreated oil/water condensate from going directly down the drain, ensuring compliance with municipal regulations.
Weekly maintenance habits: Tracking trends
Weekly tasks take a deeper look at system performance, and trends of compressor operation. Here are tasks that should be part of every air compressor maintenance checklist:
Data logging
Record system pressures, temperatures, and run hours. Over time, this data can help you identify inefficiencies or potential issues. Reviewing logged data allows you to spot trends and address small issues before they become significant problems. This proactive approach ensures consistent system performance.
Filter and condensate checks
Track and inspect the differential pressure gauges and indicators on the filter housings. Clean or replace clogged filters and check their automatic drains for proper function. These quick steps can prevent filter element failure, unwanted and costly pressure drops, condensate backups, and maintain optimal performance.
Routine checks of condensate discharge from the CMS are also necessary to ensure compliance with environmental guidelines. It's critical to have properly working systems to separate oil from water and filter it to acceptable municipal levels before disposal to drain.
Monthly and quarterly preventative maintenance
Consistently executing proactive monthly and quarterly tasks will help to extend the life of your equipment and the efficiency of your system. This includes changing consumable parts like your HVAC filtration, air intake, and oil filters on a regular basis, together with graesing the appropriate equipment points, and checking and topping up oil levels. These forms of protection are crucial for maintaining optimal system performance and avoiding unnecessary wear and tear.
Deep cleaning
Dirt and debris accumulation in coolers can drive up operating temperatures, leading to inefficiencies and potential system damage. Regular cleaning is critical to avoid overheating. Air blast coolers can be protected from airborne particulate, and dust contamination, using filter media, or cardboard framed pleated filters. Filter media can be attached to the compressor cabinet by virtue of magnets, or the hook side of a Velcro strip.
Replace filters and check valves
Dirty, plugged, and blinded filters strain your system, reducing energy and output efficiency. Regular filter replacements are essential to maintaining proper airflow and “in check” operating temperatures. Compressed air equipment which operates within the manufacturer's recommended ambient, and approach temperatures, outlast, thrive, and outperform compressors, dryers and filters which don’t.
TSSA guidelines call for safety relief valves to be manually checked, by pulling the test pin or pushing the lever, once per year. Document a proof of the test, in case TSSA makes an unannounced visit to your facility. Every 5 years, TSSA requests that SRV’s, and PRV’s are recalibrated, or replaced. Again, ensure your records reflect this process for each valve, in case of an audit/inspection.
Leak detection
Even small air leaks can add up to significant energy losses. Monthly checks can save thousands of dollars annually. Air leaks, if left unchecked, silently waste energy and drive up operating costs. A quick monthly check can make a huge difference in operational efficiency, and this can be done during a plant walk through while listening for leaks. Soap and water testing, or employing a professional compressed air leak detection study, are also excellent ways to identify a very costly system fault, which often goes unnoticed at hundreds of facilities across the country.
Annual maintenance: Maximizing longevity
Annual maintenance involves more comprehensive tasks to keep your system in top condition:
Refrigerant air dryer and desiccant air dryer spot checks
A simple check you can perform “in house”, to confirm whether your refrigerated air dryer is cooling the compressed air, is to place one hand on the inlet pipe, and the other on the outlet pipe of the dryer. There should be a noticable difference in temperature, with the inlet pipe being warm and the outlet pipe being colder. Test that the automatic condensate drain is powered, and able to discharge. Typically they include a “test” button. Push it to confirm that the above functions are ok. If the dryer includes a dewpoint reading, or indicator, the targets should be +38℉, or +3℃ from a digital display, and “Green” with analogue indicators.
In the case of a desiccant air dryer, and specifically the most common type, a “twin tower heatless” design, these will include two pressure gauges on each of its vessels. These gauges will indicate the operating status for you.
By adhering to the following time patterns, you can confirm that the dryer is cycling correctly.
During a “timed” drying cycle (4 mins), one gauge will indicate system pressure, (approx 100 psig), while the other gauge will indicate ambient pressure. During the repressurization cycle, (1min), both gauges will read system pressure. This is then followed by the two towers swapping roles, and each gauge displaying the exact opposite of what they read 60 seconds previously. One should be at line pressure, and the other at ambient pressure.
Another 4 mins of regeneration will pass, plus an additional 1 min of repressurization, to complete the 10 minute drying cycle . During the time you are standing in front of the dryer, be sure to check that the exhaust mufflers are expelling air, in accordance with whichever vessel is displaying ambient pressure. Ensure that the pre-filter is in excellent condition, as this protects the desiccant media from its Nemesis: “oil.” Investing in original OEM filter elements is strongly recommended, as their quality and filtration efficiency is very different compared to offshore pirate parts. Replacing the pre filter element(s) on a semi annual basis will help the desiccant to survive its service life expectancy of 4 to 5 years. Replacing the elements 10 times over the next 5 years, will far outweigh the costs associated to the downtime, the replacement desiccant media, disposal of the spent media, and the labour. Take care of the pre filter, and it will take care of your desiccant beds.
Comprehensive inspections
Vibration analysis, thermal imaging, and compressor oil analysis can uncover wear and tear before it leads to system failure. Comprehensive inspections help us identify hidden issues inside your industrial air compressor, such as lubrication problems, varnishing, arching, and wear and tear on internal components. This proactive approach prevents costly breakdowns.
Proper maintenance ensures an air compressor can last 15 to 20 years. Without it, failure can happen in the blink of an eye. Some air compressors include comprehensive warranties, and regular service maintenance, using OEM parts and oil is a mandatory requirement to sustain coverage. Documenting regular maintenance tasks on time, will help to support warranty claims and keep the system running reliably.
The tools that keep you on track
Managing maintenance schedules doesn’t have to be a headache with the availability of modern tools like Ethernet-enabled systems and ‘watchdog’ features that notify users of necessary tasks on the maintenance schedule of your industrial compressed air systems:
Built-in alerts
Many systems feature “watchdog” monitoring tools that notify you when maintenance is due. These alerts are triggered after approximately 2,000 run hours, reminding the operator to perform critical tasks like changing filters, or applying lubricant to bearings, and replacing oil.
Remote monitoring
Ethernet-enabled systems allow technicians to track performance remotely, and address issues before they escalate. We can monitor your systems in real-time from our office, ensuring potential problems are addressed proactively without needing an on-site visit.
What happens when maintenance is skipped?
The consequences of neglecting air compressor maintenance go far beyond reduced efficiency. When oil breaks down, it creates “varnishing”, which creates an unwanted residue on metallic surfaces, such as the rotary screws, often clogging components, and orifices, which drives up operating temperatures, and costs. Over time, this taxes the system and can ultimately cause your air compressors to fail catastrophically, leaving you scrambling for emergency repairs or rental equipment.
Varnishing and oil degradation
The internal surfaces and components of an air compressor are prone to varnish buildup, which can cause an air compressor to fail. “Varnishing” is a common problem in lubricated rotary screw style compressors, usually caused by:
Low cost, poor quality oil: Failure to flush an oil before replacing it with an alternative oil with incompatible additives can lead to varnishing.
Operating the air compressor at high temperatures: Excessive ambient and operating heat can cause oil to degrade and form varnish.
Stagnant oil: In an air compressor, which sits idle for extended periods of time, dormant oil can also lead to internal varnishing.
Our Varnish removal service will resolve this problem.
Bearing failures
Failure to grease the correct points of contact, with the specified amounts of lubricant, and neglecting timely oil changes can cause bearings to fail. This typically results in catastrophic compressor failure, leaving the system non-operational and requiring costly repairs or replacements.
Environmental fines
Improper disposal of compressor lubricants, oil laden filter elements and cartridges rags, absorbent pads, and oil water condensate effluent, can lead to hefty penalties for non-compliance with municipal guidelines. Ensuring proper separation of oil and water condensate and documenting its disposal is critical to meet municipal regulations and avoid fines also.
How Air Solutions Canada can help
Air Solutions Canada isn’t just a service provider; we’re your partner in keeping operations running smoothly. We’re always ready to help, with the largest compressed air team in Southern Ontario, a 93% first-time fix rate, all backed and supported by an extensive fleet of field service vehicles and multiple Ontario based warehouses, stocked with critical parts and equipment.
Technicians dedicated to your business
We assign a primary and secondary technician to each of our partners accounts, as this ensures that our team becomes familiar with your system and your equipment service history. Furthermore, we become familiar with access to the facility, points of contact, and customer specific requirements. Having dedicated technicians has been a key contributor to continuity in service and reliable maintenance, even during absences.
Preventative maintenance
Our preventative maintenance schedules are tailored to the specific needs of your compressed air equipment, guaranteeing that your system gets the care it deserves without disrupting your operations. Plus, with our remote monitoring capabilities and emergency support, you’ll never have to worry about unexpected downtime.
Comprehensive warranty
Air Solutions Canada also offers extensive warranty options to provide peace of mind. Our compressors come with a five-year bumper-to-bumper warranty, provided maintenance is completed on time and properly documented. It’s just like a car warranty — having thorough records of regular maintenance supports warranty claims and ensures reliable operation.
Additionally, we offer extended warranties on critical components like the air-end assembly, allowing you to extend coverage for an additional five years beyond the standard warranty. This means your system could be protected for up to 10 years. This approach gives our clients confidence that their investment is protected for the long haul.
Take the next step
Don’t wait for problems to find you. Schedule your next maintenance service or consultation with Air Solutions Canada today. Whether you’re dealing with routine inspections, planned maintenance or emergency repairs our team is here to ensure your operations stay on track. Together, we’ll establish reliable and efficient operation of your compressed air system so it will serve you well for years to come.