Pancake compressor life span?

[Kent A Bathurst]

I have a PC pancake compressor. 12 yrs old +/-. Handles everything I need [don't spray finishes....yet]. Blow-off nozzle for dust in oak pores. Light volume air nail/brad. Vehicle tires.

My habit has been to leave it plugged in. A few months ago, it started kicking on to reload the tank more often, then more often, then...

So - a few days ago I replaced every connector: compressor-to-hose; hose-to-blow off nozzle. The situation improved. But - it is still reloading every 8 -10 hours. Drain it every other month or so - less than a cup of nasty rusty condensation - that always seemed "about right" to me.

I have no interest in replacing it anytime soon - when I do, I'll go for a "real" compressor :D. I have no interest in spending much time nor money on this one - I have more than gotten my money's worth out of it - very happy with how it's worked out over the years - zero complaints.

In the meantime - are there any other quick, inexpensive maintenance items that might/would help? More annoying than anything, and I can unplug it when I leave the shop for the daay - assuming I remember. I figured it is just every 12-yr-old component contributing to slow bleed, but thought I'd ask.

[Rich Neighbarger]

How about the one-way valve that allows the compressed air in from the piston?

[Richard Dooling]

Kent,

I don't know if you have tried this yet but there is a simple and usually effective method for locating the leak. Mix dish detergent and water like you would for blowing bubbles. Apply it to the various fittings and any that are leaking will make bubbles.

Commercially I've seen this as Snoop leak detector but I've never needed to buy the commercial version.

[Joe Angrisani]

......Drain it every other month or so - less than a cup of nasty rusty condensation - that always seemed "about right" to me....

I feel this is way too much water in a little pancake compressor, and 12+/- years of letting that much moisture fester for a month or two at a time has directly caused the breakdown and failure of the regulator. Simple case of lack of maintenance and it's resultant failure - twelve years isn't bad, considering the amount of water you stored in the system. I'd guess a pancake compressor should drain off a tablespoon or two each time at most. When you decide to move on, be sure to drain your compressor at least every week.

[John Lifer]

Don't have anything new to add, except why on earth do you leave it switched on all the time? These things wear quicker than a larger compressor. 12 yrs is good lifespan. But other than "convenience" why are you wasting electricity keeping it pumped up? I KNOW my wife would beat me if mine came on 2am every night. I'm not a greeny by any means, but I AM cheap. Power it up when you need it and it might last a few more years.

[Kent A Bathurst]

I feel this is way too much water in a little pancake compressor, and 12+/- years of letting that much moisture fester for a month or two at a time has directly caused the breakdown and failure of the regulator. Simple case of lack of maintenance and it's resultant failure - twelve years isn't bad, considering the amount of water you stored in the system. I'd guess a pancake compressor should drain off a tablespoon or two each time at most. When you decide to move on, be sure to drain your compressor at least every week.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, Joe - I'm an idiot. I already knew that - but at least I was up front about it, eh? :D Where's the "yellow flag" icon for piling on? ;)

Look on the bright side - I've just installed some brand new connectors that I can move to the next one - all is not lost.

[ray hampton]

did you use pipe dope on all of the fittings, solder connections will work better but may not be possible if the connections need to be taken apart

[mickey cassiba]

Kent, did you replace the drain valve? Most of them are metal to metal seal, and if you had rust in the tank, a flake could have scratched that sealing surface. I only asked, because you didn't mention it in your list of replaced components. BTW I replaced mine with an elbow and extension with a ball valve at the end so I don't have to move it to drain it.

[Kent A Bathurst]

did you use pipe dope on all of the fittings, solder connections will work better but may not be possible if the connections need to be taken apart


Ray - good point - answer is "yes and no" - it is just the compressor and a good quality 25' hose, so the only connections are the fittings between the compressor and the blow-off nozzle/air nailer/whatever. No pipe dope, but plenty of magical teflon tape - I love that stuff.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Kent, did you replace the drain valve? Most of them are metal to metal seal, and if you had rust in the tank, a flake could have scratched that sealing surface. I only asked, because you didn't mention it in your list of replaced components. BTW I replaced mine with an elbow and extension with a ball valve at the end so I don't have to move it to drain it.

Ok - we're on a roll - Mickey and Ray - two guys in a row giving me help rather than giving me hel* :D.

Thanks, Mickey - that could be a culprit - it is almost certainly metal-to-metal. And as Joe accurately pointed out - that sucker has spent most of its life swimming/drowning in rusty water. I'll see what it costs - that could end up lowering my daily amortization + electrical operating expenses by one or two tenths of a penny - and then John L [and his lovely missus] would also be happy ;) ;) .




John - you realize I'm just having fun, right?

[mickey cassiba]

No problem Kent...the part is pretty cheap, and it's the most overlooked part on most of the smaller compressors. Hope that helped.

[ray hampton]

No problem Kent...the part is pretty cheap, and it's the most overlooked part on most of the smaller compressors. Hope that helped.

the drain valve are overlook on the big compressors too

[ray hampton]

are you using quick-connect , they are another source of air -leaks

[Don Alexander]

don't think that i would be leaving my compressor "on" 24/7 it can potentially be a fire hazard those things have been known to get hot enough to ignite if something goes wrong and causes the compressor to run continuously unattended

i put mine on a switched outlet and the switch for it and the shop lights are side by side , i just flip both switches off when exiting the shop

[John Lifer]

Yeah, you just funn'n. I'm usually careful to cut mine off as my shop is farther away from house than a garage. Issue is, that if you have a hose connected and it fails, your compressor is running full blast till it dies an un-natural death by overheating. Don't think it could burn anything but itself up, but why take that chance as it is in it's death throes now :D

[Joe Angrisani]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, Joe.....:D....

Sorry Kent. Certainly didn't mean it to sound like I was hammerin' you. Just pointing out some things regarding draining frequency, especially going forward.

[Kent A Bathurst]

are you using quick-connect , they are another source of air -leaks
Ray - yes, I do and, yes they are. They can wear over enough uses over time - that's what I just replaced - all of them. Helped a fair bit.


don't think that i would be leaving my compressor "on" 24/7 it can potentially be a fire hazard those things have been known to get hot enough to ignite if something goes wrong and causes the compressor to run continuously unattended


.....if you have a hose connected and it fails, your compressor is running full blast till it dies an un-natural death by overheating. Don't think it could burn anything but itself up, but why take that chance as it is in it's death throes now

OK, Don + John - THAT is something that, somehow, I had not considered. Very good point. Very good.

And no, Joe - I did not misunderstand you, and I did not take it wrong. Before I hit "post" I thought carefully if I wanted to open myself up for that one, because I knew it would be coming - I figured I needed to include that tidbit because it might influence the reply info I got. I was chuckling when I read your post. One quickly gets a "feel" for the spirit of various people that post here, and I know you are not one of the [fortunately very few] jerks.

The compressor itself is not easily accessible - the "under the stairs" space is packed with storage, and the compressor sits at the "toe", behind the bottom step, and under the blade storage cabinet. However - its plug + receptacle is another matter - That I can get to. I just need to develop the discipline to unplug it when not in use. And - off the shop is the laundry room, and I am the weekend "laundry maid", so I need to develop the discipline that says if it's "laundry day", it is also "Joe A. Memorial Drain the Compressor Tank Day." :p :p :p

[mickey cassiba]

Kent, my little compressor is also tucked away, under the house, hence the extended drain I mentioned. I don't leave mine on, though, and I drain the tanks after each use...a little anal, perhaps, but with our humidity, necessary, in my opinion.

[Joe Angrisani]

....it is also "Joe A. Memorial Drain the Compressor Tank Day." :p :p :p

I like it ! ! ! :D

[Jay Jeffery]

Someone gave me an old Craftsman air compressor that would cycle every 10-30 minutes without any use. I could hear air seeping out through the air inlet. It was a Sears product so parts were easy to find. A new gasket and seal were about $15 shipped and pretty straight forward to replace. After the repair it only cycled every couple of hours when not used.

I doubt that helps, but it might.

[Ray Newman]

As you are drawing off a “less than a cup of nasty rusty condensation”, the rust could be a sign that there is some pin hole leak(s) in the tank.

And since the compressor is still cycling off and on after you replaced the fittings, that could very well the problem. Now I do not know how you would reliably check for leaks in the tank.

If you enter and leave the shop through the same door, just put a sign on the shop door reminding you to unplug and/or drain the compressor.

[mickey cassiba]

At Delta, our standard practice was to submerge the charged tank(power disconnected, of course) in a tank with soapy water. We lowered the unit, until the vessel was submerged, but not enough to wet the pump/electrics. The soap in the watter helped to locate the leaks, after the test was complete. No leaky tanks were refurbished, they were destroyed at a local metal recycler, although the pumps were recycled.

[Kent A Bathurst]

........just put a sign on the shop door reminding you to unplug and/or drain the compressor.

Won't help. When I have a doctor's appt, LOML puts a note on my monitor, on the light switch, and on the wall facing the toilet. Still 50/50. :D

[Lee Schierer]

No pipe dope, but plenty of magical teflon tape - I love that stuff.

Not to burst your bubble, but teflon tape is not a thread sealant it is a thread lubricant that allows fittings to be tightened more readily. If you apply teflon tape to a fitting and back it off any amount at all, you have about a 90% chance that that fitting will leak.

Pancake compressors generally have reed valves and they will wear over time and eventually leak. New valves usually won't help because the seats are also worn.

I fail to see a valid reason for leaving the compressor plugged in and able to recharge 24/7 in a part time shop. It is a hazard and waste of energy.

[Bruce Page]

Won't help. When I have a doctor's appt, LOML puts a note on my monitor, on the light switch, and on the wall facing the toilet. Still 50/50. :D
You crack me up Kent! :D

[Kent A Bathurst]

You crack me up Kent! :D

Bruce - it you envision it in sequence, it is even funnier, but kinda cold in person.

Get up, fill a travel mug with coffee. Stumble downstairs to the shop. Note on the light switch. yeah-yeah-yeah. Go to the PC and turn it on to boot while I'm in the bathroom. Another note. For cryin' out loud. Then to to the bathroom for the "morning ritual". Sit down. Look up. Right there, on the wall, in-your-face............another freakin' note. Bigger that the first two.

Later in the morning, cell phone rings. It's her. "Remember the doctor". Ho....Leee...Cow....gotta run.

[Larry Edgerton]

Kent

Your memory issues are just like mine. I attribute it to the fact that I have so many important things to think about that there is not room for the mundane. Ya, I'm going with that.....

And yes my wife leaves me notes, and calls me, then calls me again to see if I got involved and forgot again. I usually do. She thinks its funny. Glad she does.

Her birthday is 2-3. A couple of years after we got together I woke up on 3-2 and was frantic that I had forgot her birthday. I made a card, and whipped up breakfast in bed for her, brought it in and said, "Happy Birthday baby!". She looked confused, then she started laughing.

I had bought her a new car and took her to dinner on 2-3............

I left my shop compressor on for 13 years. It did burn up eventually one night when the switch quit, but it was in an area that would be of no harm if it did. Under a stairs is a conduit for fire, and your escape route, so maybe a timer that shuts it down from 8PM to 8 Am or such would be the solution for the memory impaired?:p

I have a jobsite pancake that is awesome that I bought from Fasteners for about $500, in no way comparable to the garden variety Borg units. This one has an automatic water drain as well as the normal petcock. Don't know how it works but the water will drip out, and no air. Never have to drain it except on very hot humid days. I wonder if one of those are available as an add on?

Do you write notes of things to pick up/do and then forget the notes? I write them out at my desk most mornings, then leave them on my desk. My wife calls me, " Honey, do you need this list on your desk?".:o

I'm not perfect, but believe it or not, I get a lot done. Not sure how........

Larry

[Bill Huber]

Kent, at my old house I had my compressor set up on a big relay. When I turned on the light the relay would energize and this would let the compressor come on if it needed to but it also would keep it from coming on any time I was not in the shop and the lights were out.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Not to burst your bubble, but teflon tape is not a thread sealant it is a thread lubricant that allows fittings to be tightened more readily. If you apply teflon tape to a fitting and back it off any amount at all, you have about a 90% chance that that fitting will leak.

Pancake compressors generally have reed valves and they will wear over time and eventually leak. New valves usually won't help because the seats are also worn.

I fail to see a valid reason for leaving the compressor plugged in and able to recharge 24/7 in a part time shop. It is a hazard and waste of energy.

Lee - no arguments, but, to quote Bob Dylan: "I've already confessed, no need to confess again." ;)

I have no need to "back out" teflon-threaded fittings, but thanks for the grooming tip. And, it is unplugged. I now plug it in when I need it, and then unplug it.