Master These Tips to Revive Your Air Compressor Equipment

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Master These Tips to Revive Your Air Compressor Equipment

Release time:

2025-09-25

Master These Tips to Revive Your Air Compressor Equipment

CHANUN Air Compressor

As the “power heart” of industrial production, an air compressor’s failure can directly impact production schedules. Understanding the causes, symptoms, and remedies of common faults is essential for every maintenance technician. Today, we take a closer look at several typical compressor issues to help you quickly locate problems and find effective solutions.

1. Abnormally High Discharge Temperature
When the compressor’s discharge temperature consistently exceeds the design value, it deserves serious attention. Theoretically, intake temperature, pressure ratio, and compression index all affect discharge temperature. In actual operation, however, the most common causes are blocked cooling water passages, reduced intercooler efficiency, and leaky air valves.

Solution:
Check whether the cooling water pipeline is clear and clean out any blockages. Inspect the heat exchange performance of the intercooler and remove scale buildup. Carefully check the sealing condition of the air valves and replace damaged valve plates or springs. Regular chemical cleaning of the cooling system helps prevent scale accumulation.

2. Abnormal or Reduced Discharge Pressure
If the air volume delivered by the compressor cannot meet demand, discharge pressure will drop accordingly. This usually indicates insufficient air delivery, often caused by faulty air valves or piston rings.

Solution:
Thoroughly inspect the valve assembly, including valve plates, springs, and valve seat wear. Measure piston ring clearances—if beyond allowable limits, replace immediately. For older equipment, check for cylinder bore wear. If the problem persists, consider replacing the compressor with one of the same pressure rating but higher air delivery.

3. Abnormal Noise
Unusual sounds are often an early warning sign of equipment trouble. Different noise characteristics point to different issues: a gap that’s too small between piston and cylinder head can cause direct knocking; a loose or detached nut at the piston rod–piston connection can cause the piston to strike the cylinder head during upward movement.

Solution:
Shut down immediately to identify the source of the noise. Check and adjust the piston-to-cylinder head clearance. Tighten all connecting components, especially the piston rod nuts. Inspect bearings and drive components for wear. Regularly tightening bolts and checking clearances is an effective way to prevent abnormal noise.

4. Insufficient Air Delivery
This refers to the compressor’s actual output being lower than its design capacity. Possible causes include clogged filters, reduced rotational speed, leakage due to cylinder/piston/piston ring wear, or poor packing-seal tightness.

Solution:
Regularly clean or replace air filters. Check the drive system to ensure normal speed. Measure cylinder-to-piston clearances and replace piston rings if needed. Inspect packing seals and adjust or replace them if they leak. Avoid operating at altitudes beyond the unit’s design specification.

5. Piston Seizure
One of the most serious compressor faults, piston seizure is typically caused by insufficient piston-to-cylinder clearance, metal fragments or other hard objects entering the cylinder, piston misalignment causing abnormal friction, inadequate cooling leading to high cylinder temperature, or poor/lost lubrication.

Solution:
Shut down immediately to prevent further damage. Check whether the cooling system is functioning properly. Inspect the quality and supply of lubricating oil. Measure piston-to-cylinder clearance. Check the cylinder for foreign objects. Ensuring reliable cooling and lubrication is key to preventing piston seizure.

6. Failure to Build Pressure
If the pressure gauge reading stays fixed after closing the receiver outlet, the compressor is failing to build pressure. Common causes include a blocked air filter, misinstalled air valves, or worn pistons.

Solution:
Clean the air filter and intake passages to reduce intake resistance. Check and correctly install the air valves to ensure proper suction and discharge. Measure piston-to-cylinder clearance—replace components if excessively worn. Inspect piston ring sealing performance. Adjust any improper cylinder clearances.