The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Tool Chest Compressor Oil Change Out

I was just wondering when is a good time to change out the oil in the 60 gallon upright compressor. It shows slightly grey, so I was just getting some ideas. I don't have any sort of hour meter on it. What's ya'lls idea?

Most compressors come with a chart of reccomended oil change times.But if you dont have one and the oil looks grey,or dirty,change it.To me oil changes in compressors,and car and truck engines are cheap insurance.If in doubt,change the oil.

Jake, unless you really use one a lot I suggest doing it in the early fall and springtime. Its good to have fresh oil for the winter time start ups and also for the looong summer days.

Most compressors come with a chart but who is keeping track of the hours and what compressor has an hour meter on it??!!

if it is looking grey, it probably has condensation in it, if it turns green, it has algae in the oil from thep same...

I change mine seasonally since I don't heat my garage in the winter. Usually once the rains stop in the spring. It's very dry here in the summer so I don't bother in the fall.

Mind you now, I'm not bragging, just stating a fact and I wouldn't recommend this maintenance schedule. I bought my Craftsman 3hp twin cylinder air compressor when I first got married. That was back in '72 and I've used it pretty steady ever since. Sprayed my double winger Pitts with it, several cars and trucks, a couple of trailers, a few lawn tractors, filled a few hundred tires, use it a few times a week ever since it was new to just blow things off, in other words I’ve used it for tons of things over the past 36years. Now her comes the bad part, I've never changed the oil in it and can't remember the last time I even had to add oil to it. I do clean the air intake on a regular basis and drain it out before I'm gonna do any sprying. Also it's always been kept out in the garage or barn, neither of which was ever heated unless I was working out there. One last item, it still pumps up to 150psi. and can keep up with the spray gun, air tools are another story but after all, it wasn't intended for that kind of abuse.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Denny Graham,

A man after my own heart! Isn't it funny how we fixate on some things, like potting our own rheostat or turning our own little rivets for some job, but don't get excited that our air compressor hasn't had a oil change in 36 years.

Stuart

You mean Stu, at long last we've managed to find some common ground???
You know I've had several cars over the years that I've driven over 150k and only had about five or six oil changes. Lifters would clatter a bit when I started them up toward the end but other than that they were still running pretty good. Some stuff just isn't worth preserving, at least not in my life time, I can alway buy another two or three year old truck or $300 air compressor so I only need them to last a decade or two.
Now a 60year old truck is a different story all together.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Denny Graham,

We have always had common ground. I read all your posts, enjoy them and above all, respect them. Everyone is different, otherwise the world would be a real boring place, right!

Stuart Miller
Eureka, CA

Yepper, case in point, I'll bet ya voted for the other guy, mind you now, I'm not saying which other guy cuz I surly wouldn't want to start talkin' politics here.
Denny G

Denny Graham,

I don't want to get political here either so suffice it to say, I will get Barack to you later on the question of who I voted for!

Stuart

& DON'T use regular motor oil
http://www.google.com/products?hl=e...t_result_group&resnum=1&ct=title

You guys are after my heart,bought my compressor in 96 and it sits right inside my walk-in door. Always look at the sight glass on the compressor and it hasn't moved in 10 plus yrs, still clean. Always turn the outlet valve off just in case a hose breaks(don't ask why I started that). A compressor is not a internal combustion enging, no carbon build up or dilluted by to much fuel, the only enemy is heat. 80 gal tank, 5hp motor, 1750rpm, over 18 cfm, added a intake muffler and a drain valve plumbed to the outside (sure makes the dog go to the other side of the yard when you open that valve). If the color of the oil changes or gets low I will change it with a good quality compressor oil and run it another 10 plus years. When I installed the muffler on the intake I fabbed a larger tube and installed a K&N cone type filter and service it about every 3 months, you can stand close to it and talk on the phone, which is annoying while I'am in my space.

iv got a friend that never chaings oil when he changed his van oil it came out like mud never seen anything like it

my compressors i never change the oil

Read your compressor owner manual.

Oil should be changed after break-in just like on a gas engine and because there is no filter it is more important for the first one.
Your car manual says to change the oil after so many miles or after X months, even if the car is not driven.

OIL ABSORBS MOISTURE.

Just like in a car, oil absorbs moisture from humidity and short heat cycles causes condensation.
You don't need compressor oil, just a good quality non-detergent oil.

I do try to change mine every two years, but time has a tendency to slip by.

This is not my suggestion it is one that I read in another forum and I thought it was well written and made good common sense.

Let me add a tip to this old thread, the best way to know how many hours as you compressor already worked (for example to control oil changes and such) is to put an industrial type hour meter between the pressure switch and the compressor electrical motor. If you wire it this way the hour meter will count only the time that the compressor is really working. This type of hour meters is quite used in many industries to control service time in machines including air compressors. And there some of this metters that sell for quite cheap (chinese crap...)

I'm not sure how to exactly wire this up but it sounds like its worth doing.

V6
I actually read the manuel on my NEW IR 80gl compressor and IR recommends the synthetic all season oil every 2000 hours or annually whichever comes first.
It also says to change the oil early if cloudy or milky as the water condensation will degrade oil protection causing premature internal wear, and ultimately pump failure.

Hope this helps
Brad

We have been using synthetic for many years. It is more tolerant to moisture than petroleum based oils. We watch the sight glass and change the oil if it gets cloudy. This year has been very low humidity because of the drought and we haven't changed oil all year. When the humidity is up, any moisture laden blowby turns to water.

I change mine every spring before the heat hits.