You've secured the capital cost and spent it on a new compressed air system. Production is now underway using the new compressor. You’ve thought of everything… right? Your compressor is only as good as the maintenance strategy you’ve put in place. Make sure it doesn’t end up costing you more than it should!
When investing in a new compressor it is time to start considering the total life costs. The same is true when you inherit a system. Servicing and maintenance should be in line with initial buying decisions. Effective maintenance strategies can save money, reduce downtime, and increase efficiency.
And the first decision to make is who carries out the maintenance and service support. Now you could self-service your own equipment. But you’ll be adding an extra job to do, more skills and information to learn and, if something goes wrong, it’s your fault.
A service contract with a compressor company gives you all the benefit of their compressed air expertise. The maintenance responsibility falls on the service company. They guarantee availability of the equipment and maintain the manufacturer’s standard.
Read on to discover the most effective maintenance strategies for compressed air:
Genuine parts v pirate knock-offs
During routine servicing components such as filters, valves and oil get replaced.
It can be tempting to opt for usually cheaper non-genuine spares. Especially when you’re trying to cut costs in your maintenance budget.
But non-genuine parts can be harmful to your compressed air system’s performance. They can affect efficiency and energy consumption. And sometimes they can be very damaging, causing your system to fail completely.
So, the initially cheaper parts can cause expensive repairs and unplanned downtime. All costing your business money.
Manufacturer's genuine spares are the same standard as the compressor they're intended for. They get tested in a quality-controlled environment to ensure the highest standard of reliability. And you will peace of mind of exactly who and where your parts come from. For example, CompAir and Hydrovane, even manufacture their own airends!
The key components use genuine parts for are filters and lubricants. Filters protect the entire compressor system, including up to point of use, from dust and dirt which could cause unnecessary wear and tear. Non-genuine filters are more likely to have limited capacity for catching particles, allowing more contaminants into the system.
Genuine lubricants not only improve the performance of all the system’s components but can help to extend oil change intervals. This reduces the cost of oil changes and reduces the environmental impact of oil disposal.
So, can you rely on pirate parts?
Read the rest of our tips covering warranty, pipework & remote monitoring on our website: https://www.directair.co.uk/news/do-you-have-a-compressor-maintenance-strategy/