Do you leave the compressor on all the time?

[Joe Pelonio]

In the news recently there was a shot of a fire at a local sign shop a few miles from mine, at 2am. I wondered what happened then yesterday the owner came in to ask about some wholesale laser work, so I had a chance to ask him about the fire. According to the fire department investigators his compressor which he left on all the time had overheated from running continuously after the hose had burst. He didn't know if the compressor was defective, or had any kind of thermal fuse device. I have several here at my shop and normally only turn them on when needed, but I'm planning to make sure they are unplugged when I leave.

[Kelly C. Hanna]

No...mine's unplugged when we leave the house.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Joe,

In my new shop I wired in a switched outlet for the air compressor. The switch is located by the light switches next to the exit door. Once I get moved in, as I go out at night, the switch for the compressor and the light switches will be turned off.

[tod evans]

nope, all equipment circuits are dead when i walk out the door. tod

[Bruce Page]

I have a small leak (~3psi/day) somewhere that I haven't been able to track down, so I always turn mine off at the end of the day.

[Jim Becker]

My compressor is powered all the time, but I have a valve at the tank that is closed when I am not in the shop. And problems with the piping to the shop are taken out of the loop that way. My arrangement is this way because I also run an auto-drain. I do power down if I am going to be gone for a period of time.

[Jerry Clark]

I also have a switch by the door that I turn off when leaving-- I also wired in a red light that when power is on to the compressor, the light is on. Helps to remember to shut it off.:D

[lloyd morris]

Joe,

No I unplug my compression and also drain it after every use.

Lloyd

[Shiraz Balolia]

Not only should your compressor be off, but you should open the bottom valve to let the air out so that water does not accumulate in the tank. Most compressors come with a bleed valve at the bottom, and usually it is not in the most convenient place to reach. What I have done with mine is add an elbow and a long nipple, and extend that plumbing out with a ball valve at the end (the one with the long handle on it) and then I can simply use my foot to open and close the valve. Do wear hearing protection when you open that valve as it will be loud, but it forcibly removes all moisture from the tank. This, in turn, will keep your lines clean and not mess up your air tools. First turn off power, then bleed the air, at the end of each day.

[Steve Clardy]

Both of mine stays on 24-7. Two 60 gallon tanks.

[Tyler Howell]

The small Bosche in the shop is on a "spin nob timer that will give me enough air (60 minutes like the ones for a bathroom heater or hot tub.) for just about any job in the shop. (I hate that thing going off in the middle of the night.):mad:
The IR in the detached garage is on a breaker and it's wired to a pilot light I can see from the house letting me know there is AC to the compressor.

[Mark Singer]

Only when I forget to trn off the switch

[Travis Porter]

Turn it off when I am away for awhile. Should turn it off when I leave. Don't turn all the power off due to wanting to keep shop heated. I have hot and cold water buried to my shop and found that the hot water pipe has busted and drained all the hot water from the house for days. For some reason I got smart and turned the well off as we were out of town for a week before I realized I had the problem. I do not look forward to seeing the electric bill this month. I expect I burned a 1000 gallons or more of hot water.

[Scott Tiewski]

Have seen this debate on many forums with both sides heavily favored. I did 22 years in USAF aircraft maintenance and now in civilian life as well, way back when I received ground support equipment training we were taught to always drain your compressor tank at the end of each day. Never thought much about it until years later when I saw pictures of MC1A compressor that the tank had ruptured on due to a failed weld and frozen condensation. Sharpnel nearly killed an Airman several hundred feet away. I drain my tank when I leave my shop.

[Bill Lewis]

Mine stays on all of the time, but like Jim Becker I turn off a valve at the tank, but like Mark Singer, only when I remember to do so.

Funny stuff aside... My compressor is located in the utility room in the basement, and it feeds both the basement (ww) shop, and the garage. I piped my system completely in copper and it is pretty tight. If I forget to turn off the valve, or shut off the power at the disconnect, it will only run about once every 1.5 weeks to catch up. Not too bad. However, if I leave a tool "plugged-in" it can run more often.

Even though it is a pretty quiet unit, we can hear the compressor when it runs. Likewise when I do remember to turn it off, I have the same problem remembering to turn it back on. I usually discover this fact when I am either the farthest from it, or in the greatest need for compressed air. For these reasons I've considered installing some kind of system to control the compressor. I've been thinking about using either remote or timed switching, valving or both.

For remote switching I could use an X10 240V appliance (20a) module, and then have an X10 switches located in the garage and the shop, or wireless. Likewise I could put a solenoid valve in between the tank and the piping and also control it with X10 (120V appliance module). With the right X10 controller, I could program it to limit the times the system would be on at all, or I could use an electro-mechanical 24hr timer to accomplish the same thing (though they are expensive).

[tod evans]

bill, instead of going with the x-10 stuff (read home automation) i went with magnetic contactors on all of my equipment lines. a 24" run from the breaker panel to the contactor panel then to the equipment, one simple light switch controls both single and three phase power to the shop. cost effective,simple and safe......02 tod

[Brian Jarnell]

I have one of the ubiquitous 2hp direct drive jobbies and there are leaks,so switch off because of the noise.

[Joe Pelonio]

While the fire was caused by a comination of circumstances that may be unusual, it still does make me nervous to think of leaving a compressor running while I'm not here. Strangely enough the guy that lost all his equipment in the fire is talking about a timer so that it comes on before he arrives in the morning and shuts off after he closes for the day. That is after he finds a short term lease somewhere else or after they rebuild the shop. It seems like peace of mind is worth having to wait 5 minutes for the pressure to build up in the mornings.

[Steve Stube]

(AGE) Scott Tiewski, The MC1A and MC-11 compressor units are at 4,000 psi when charged to start aircraft - lots of potential distruction should they blow. Airmen have been seriously injured when the disconnect was not seated properly and the supply hose whips around like a wild snake - I've been there and witnessed it when the pilot of a F 106 got in a hurry to clear the ground on an ORI.

Based on this thread and the fact that the intercooler line on my new compressor (that still is NOT in the shop - part on order) already failed before leaving the showroom (visable crack) I will be providing a magnetic disconnect either at the compressor, under the stairs, or next to the power panel with a lighted remote switch near the normal exit door. Can't believe I missed it in my electrical plan but it is still doable.

[Barry O'Mahony]

Circuits to all power tools are locked in the Off position when I'm not in the shop.

[Scott Tiewski]

Steve,
Totally understand the pressure differences were talking about here. However, I just can't see taking a chance for the minimal time involved to dump the tank and fill it again next time I use it.

[Jim Becker]

I drain my tank when I leave my shop.

Exactly why I mentioned that I have an auto-drain mechanism on my compressor. I would NOT leave it on without this important feature as water buildup over time can be a safety issue. With the auto drain, there is no standing moisture in the tank at any time for more than about 45 minutes and that is a very minute amount.

[Byron Trantham]

Mine runs 24/7 except if I leave for vacation or the like. Like Jim, I have an automatic water discharge valve that runs two times at 1AM and 2AM. The odd schedule is driven by the timer for the valve.

One night we had a very hard rain and high wind and I was in the basement checking for leaks and I was on my hands and knees moping up water and the discharge hose for the tank was about 1 foot away from me and went off! :mad: Every see a sixty year old guy go from hands and knees to his feet in one motion!:D :D Man that air discharge scared the bejeezus out of me! I guess the upside side is my tank is dry!

[Steve Stube]

Hi Scott, that was my rather poor way of saying Hi and welcome to SMC.

I have had multiple air compressors over the years and seldom drain a tank on purpose (except for transport, maintainence or hydrostatic test) rather I allow a steady/constant purge from the bottom of the tank that clears any water from the tank. This procedure has proven to work well and I'll likely stick with it. No matter what method you use it is still important to insure it is working correctly. I do disconnect power for extended absence, it is a question now (for me) of where I want to make that disconnect. The easier it is to accomplish this, the more likely it will be done more frequently - and that will be a safer way to operate.

[Jim Benante]

Unplugged and drained every day after use.

[Fred Voorhees]

Like some of the others, I have a dedicated switched outlet for the compressor. Only turn it one when I need it. Feel much safer and confident with that set up.

[Roger Everett]

My shop compressor is on 24/365, has been for the 13 years I've owned it. Only cuts on when i'm using it, unless it comes on when I'm not home, but that would be covered on the " if a tree falls in the woods and nobody's there does it make a noise" theory. And it's a Craftsman, for the craftsman knockers. Since I don't have little ones, every thing in the shop is ready to just flip a switch 24/365. Although if any little ones are to visit, a one step flip the breaker to the sub-panel, covers everything.
Roger