Since compressors are such an important part of business, it’s essential that compressor valve repair occurs quickly and efficiently.
Not only is it important to keep a compressor valve in good health, this important component must be repaired quickly, if not constantly kept in solid shape through regular preventative maintenance.
If a compressor valve goes down, the entire machine is adversely affected. It is a given that efficiency will suffer, but in addition, the system will not be working at full capacity.
Why Do You Need Compressor Valve Repair?
If the machine is not working as efficiently as it could, it presents many dangers.
This can cause dangerous conditions for employees and the environment of the workplace.
While it might be tempting to just “let it go,” your output and perhaps even safety will suffer if a faulty compressor valve is not quickly tended to.
Both suction and discharge valves should be regularly inspected and repaired.
The machine could be quickly endangered if not.
How can you tell when you need compressor valve repair?
Sound and Vibration in the Machine
One of the indicators that a compressor valve is not functioning properly is unusual vibration within the machine.
This can include noises such as humming or thumping. Since sound is vibration, both of these symptoms are equally telling.
It might seem obvious that loud noises or an annoying hum can make for an unpleasant workplace, but the problem goes even deeper than that.
If the valve which is causing the problem is not rapidly repaired, the vibrations can, over time, damage or weaken the machine.
This takes place from the shaking the machine encounters while vibrating.
That quickly leads to a whole host of problems.
The Problem
Vibration from the machine can unseat it from its foundation and placement, which can create cracks on the surface on which it is standing.
That can lead to instability and perhaps even foundation repair.
The shaking which the machine, as it reverberates through the floor, can even cause shaking and vibration in other machines, leading to a domino effect.
Vibration and Pressure Problems
When a machine is vibrating beyond what its designers and manufacturers originally planned for, it can cause damage and fatigue throughout the whole.
That means the damage the compressor valve has sustained will creep into other areas, leading to issues in other areas:
- Cracks
- Weaknesses
- Early fatigue
Keep in mind, too, that the role of compressors is to move a substance in one direction.
The substance is expected to remain in only the areas which it is designed to touch. This is true for liquid, air, or gas.
The Problem
Vibration can mean sloshing or substance creeping through cracks which were caused by the machine’s instability.
Especially if the machine is involved with water or an even more corrosive material in its work cycle, this can have a devastating effect on the rest of the machine.
Architects like to say that “water always wins.” This means that no matter how carefully a structure has been designed, if a fault leads to the damaging effects of water, compressor valve repair might cost a great deal.
If a machine is not designed to bear exposure to water in certain areas, rust and other forms of corrosion are sure to follow.
Mold might even become a problem within as well as without the machine.
Although the machine may still be operating with a faulty valve, letting it do so for an extended time can be catastrophic in many other ways.
Stalling, Stopping, and Starting
If a compressor valve is not working properly, the system may send distress signals to the computer. It may also send a signal to the overload indicator which governs the machine.
This might be a safety measure. It can also quickly become an annoyance, not to mention a precursor to expensive compressor valve repair if left to go on too long.
Compressors and the machines which they work with are generally not designed to constantly stop and start. Stalling offers the same problem.
The Problem
This is, as expected, a disaster for efficiency and a major frustration to personnel. In addition, it can send electricity or gas bills through the roof.
This can quickly drain resources if solar power is used.
An untended faulty compressor valve is not only dangerous and costly. In addition, it can have a detrimental effect on the environment as well.
This problem might also be called a “short cycle.” It can help to avoid overheating and other problems, but the repeated fatigue of stopping and then starting again is a disaster where fatigue is concerned.
Again, even though the problem is located in the damaged compressor valve, machine parts which are nowhere near the compressor cylinder might be negatively affected.
Forcing such parts as the crankshaft and various gears and plungers to sustain more work cycles than normal.
On the other hand, performing these tasks without monetized output, is not smart business or good machine care.
Unusual Temperature Swings at Intake and Outtake
Sometimes, if the compressor valve is not working properly, the environment around the intake and outtake valves will not maintain an optimal temperature.
This, again, forces the machine to work too hard unnecessarily.
These temperature shifts can result in stopping and starting, as discussed earlier, if the faulty compressor valve itself has not caused this problem already.
The Problem
The differences can also lead to condensation on certain machine parts, which is a fast route to corrosion and even mold. In all these cases, inefficiency is the result.
Condensation can even lead to an electrical short. This is another danger of not acting quickly when a valve is cracked or faulty.
Temperature shifts can lead to an increase in energy uses and unusual amperage draw. These, too, are efficiency nightmares, and can lead to negative impacts on the environment.
This is a symptom of a faulty valve which should not be overlooked.
It’s not as pervasive and obvious as vibration or unusual noises. However, at the same time, it does signal the need for compressor valve repair, and quickly.
Conclusion
There are many ways to tell you are in need of compressor valve repair; and it’s important to pay attention to the symptoms.
Choosing to avoid them will lead to costly damages and repairs.
If the mechanical load of the compressor or the rest of the machine is exceeded past manufacturer standards for an extended period, you may be endangering your warrantee.
Not to mention you’re risking costly downtime.
Bearings, pistons, connecting rods, and other parts are all dependent upon proper performance of the suction and discharge valves of the compressor, so pay attention to their health.