Air Audits for your Compressed Air System

When a company is trying to identify ways to lower their compressed air system energy what they will do is referred as an air audit or air demand analysis. The goal is to reduce costs and energy consumption by identifying issues within the air compressor system. At Best-Aire, air audits are just one of the many products and services that we can offer to help our clients meet their objectives. The process of an air audit is comprised of five steps and this article will be discussing each of these steps.

The first step is the conducting of a site survey so that you can list and understand all of the equipment in the compressed air system. You do this so that all measurement devices are properly placed, and system dynamics are properly understood. The second step of the air audit process is measure and quantify matters like kW/100 cfm and determining minimum pressure. The measurement period should include nights, weekends or other downtimes to determine non-productive demands. This is referred to as a supply side audit and is also used to detect leaks or other inefficiencies in the compressed air system. The third step is to understand the systems dynamics with the measurements that have been gathered. During this stage you are analyzing the system information and identifying areas of improvement and coming up with scenarios to lower the system’s energy consumption leading to reduced costs. After analyzing the system info, the fourth step is to recommend or implement the changes to the system that will lead to greater efficiency and reliability and save the client on costs of operating the compressed air system. The final step of the air audit process is the verify performance of the updated system through a post audit check.

For additional information about air audits or any of the services Best Aire can provide feel free to reach out to any of our locations spread across Michigan, Indiana or Ohio.

Air Compressor Lubricant - Why Make the Switch to Best Aire Platinum

Why Make the Switch to Best Aire Platinum

Through the work of Summit Industrial Products, Best Aire is happy to introduce you to our very own line of air compressor lubricant Platinum. Platinum is specifically formulated to outperform other synthetic compressor lubricants on the market. A common problem that compressor lubricants experience is due to high temperatures and discharge pressure accelerating the oxidation process to oil can start to form varnish or sludge and hurt the efficiency and performance of the blower. However, Platinum employs a unique base stock that allows for improvements in both oxidation resistance and compressor cleanliness. Platinum has proven capable of eliminating varnish sludge, and carbon deposits better than traditional synthetic base stocks when tested. Platinum has met the challenge under field condition tests with over 12,000 hours of service and beyond in high temperature applications.

Now that you have an introduction to Platinum let’s look at some key reasons to protect your air compressor with this product. Firstly, as was discussed previously the use of platinum provides increased reliability and operational safety. With an oil that is keeping your air compressor running longer and cleaner you will see an increased longevity of your system as well as increased profitability as service and oil are not needed as often. Platinum oil is an environmentally friendly product with extended drain intervals that result in less volume and cost associated with lubricant disposal. A final advantage of making the switch to platinum is that our synthetic lubricants offer significant economic advantage by improving thermal and mechanical efficiency to lower your energy costs.

If you have any questions or would like additional information about Platinum or any of the other products and services Best Aire could offer you we would love to hear from you. Our website is www.best-aire.com and we have multiple branches located throughout Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana.

Maintenance Requirements - Rotary Screw Air Compressors

Essentially, there are four service milestones that need to be completed on your air compressor:

1.  Weekly
2. Minor (2,000 hours)
3. Interm (4,000 hours)
4. Major (8,000 hours)

The Weekly Service is just as it sounds, should be completed once a week. At this point you want to check all filters and oil level. Additionally you will want an ideal differential reading from sump to delivery pressure of 2 - 6 PSID. If this is greater than 8 PSID then you might have a dirty separator, the check valve might not be opening or you may have a transducer issue.

During the 2,000 Hour Service you will be submitting an oil sample, especially if your air compressor is presently under warranty. If your are running food grade oil, you will want to perform this test every 1,000 hours. Upon your sample being processed, you will receive a report back stating your oil's TAN number, which is essentially indicates the oil life left. Additionally, if this is the first 2,000 Hour Service, you will want to check all electrical connections, as the heating and cooling of the wires may affect the tightness of the connections. 

During the 4,000 Hour Service you will be removing the separator and examining and cleaning the Scavenger line. If this line gets blocked or clogged, it ill carry over oil into the air supply. In addition, you will perform all steps in both the Weekly Service as well at the 2,000 Hour Service.

During the 8,000 Hour Service you will be examining the inlet valve. Anytime you replace the inlet valve you will also be replacing the valve body, spring, check valve and the air filter.  Additionally, you will be performing all steps in the Weekly, 2,000 Hour, and 4,000 Hour Services listed above.

Us at Best Aire would love the opportunity to earn your business. Please contact us to see what we can do to serve you. We have locations in Grand Rapids, MI, Toledo, Ohio, Detroit, MI and Indianapolis, IN.