Since I just moved to Minneapolis, will my rol-air compressor make it through the winter out in a non-heated garage? How about other tools like nailers etc..
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There is a bypass valve on the cylinder head and another on the regulator. Open them when starting. If it is really cold, it is a good idea to put a couple of drops of Kill Frost in the valve on the cylinder head before starting. After a few minutes of use, you can close the valve on the cylinder head. Leave the one on the regulator screwed out during very cold weather.
We really don't have cold winters here anymore so I don't think you have to worry. ;-)
Otherwise, do as Les said or do I as I do and do nothing, which is much less than what Les said. Seriously, I don't do really do anything special with my compressors except drain daily and change oil. 6 years on both without problems. Your mileage may vary.
Use lighter weight oil...and what Les said.
blue
Warning! Be cautious when taking any framing advice from me. Although I have a lifetime of framing experience, all of it is considered bottom of the barrel by Gabe. I am not to be counted amongst the worst of the worst. If you want real framing information...don't listen to me..just ask Gabe!
My Emglo compressor was a little hard to wake up in the morning last winter. Slow to start, kicking breakers, etc. I thought it was on it's last legs... Thanks to the people here, I went to a ligher oil, as blue says, and no more problem. BTW - being in NC, some would say that I don't know what cold is... which would be true, except that I have traveled a bit...
I keep a small portable heater handy for when I work in the garage. About 20 min before I start I'll get it going and direct it at the compressor. Sometimes I put the guns in close proximity too. Don't want to get them real hot, just warm enough. espesially if it's an Oiled Compressor.
Drain that compressor on a regular basis ( Like every day) or it will build up condensation and even pass it on to your tools. Thats a bad thing in winter.
Robert, on real cold days, we just set our compessors next to our car exhaust for a few minutes before we try to start it. In five minutes the car exhaust will get that thing nice and hot!
blueWarning! Be cautious when taking any framing advice from me. Although I have a lifetime of framing experience, all of it is considered bottom of the barrel by Gabe. I am not to be counted amongst the worst of the worst. If you want real framing information...don't listen to me..just ask Gabe!
In production framing we actually lean plywood against the compressors and generators to build a small hut. We need to leave hoses and guns inside the hut now and again because the condensation freezes up the hoses. On a normal day we could 1000' of hose on one compressor, finding the frozen section of hose is always fun. If you do this with the plywood though you can't close it up to much because the exhaust will choke out the motors.
are you serious, a thousand foot of hose? Why not move the compressor closer? must have some serious pressure reduction in that length. (kinda like extension cord voltage reduction)
No,
In production framing you might have ten guns going at once. if each has 100ft of hose, 1000ft.
Done that too. And the plywood hut thing as well. Even in the dead of winter, we worked everyday. Some days you have to wonder if it was worth it.
On the other hand! around ten o'clock, maybe 10 degrees, the sun is starting to make a difference, you've got the blood flowing enough to take the gloves off and pull the hood down, Building plates or laying out, maybe standing walls, everyone should be luck enough to experience that.
Sadly, the $3 a sqft illegals around my way have taken all the fun out of it. As a Staff Sergeant ( Promotable) I'm taking home just about as much as my friends who still run small crews.
Main thing is to drain the water out of the tank regularly. A few inches of water in the bottom would be enough to burst the tank, and even a little water will get into the fittings and hoses and freeze.
welcome to the state where nothing is allowed....am 1500...3:00 weekdays...you'll understand...
I just bought me a new Rol Air gas compressor last year. All of the responses are right on...lighter oil, stick her by the exhaust to warm her up...I also do the plywood tent thing and find it helps to keep glue/caulking in working order...nothing is a bigger PITA than trying to squeeze frozen glue on floor trusses in -12 wind chill...
as for your tools, i keep a little ceramic heater in the back of my truck (topper/toolbox) and plug it in at night to keep the air tools from freezin' their rings off..or, i put them in the front seat with me to warm them up on the commute...
BTW...where are you working at and on? I'm currently working on an addition by the airport...
again...welcome to Minnesooooota!
Great answers!!! I like the part about not getting cold up here anymore...for Dec it feels great up here...I will listen to 1500 at 3:00 today...I hear unusal thing about this place everyday...If you go to the "You're from Where" thread you will see that all of the places that I have lived, there are some strange thing up here that I wasn't expecting...one example, no selling of beer,wine, lic. in grocery stores.
Edited 12/3/2004 3:15 pm ET by EVETSS
"one example, no selling of beer,wine, lic. in grocery stores" - There has been considerable effort to allow the sale of "soft" (beer, wine, malternatives) in grocery and convenience stores but, as I understand it, the liquor store lobby is hard against it for the (supposed?) impact it would have on sales.
Oh, and 1500 at 3:00 is Joe Soucheray, the self proclaimed "Keeper of Common Sense." You might like him. His show as a lot of guys calling in to describe their new shops and garages in great detail. Guys calling in to start their cars on the air, revving up the RPMs over the phone (you can't tell if it's a vett or a lawnmower over the phone). Simplistic snap judgements about complex issues. Other residents of "Gumption County" calling in to declare "I think [fill in subject] is a bunch of crap...", or to re-iterate Soucheray's own conclusions for an hour at a shot.
At least that's how it was a while back when I tuned in for a few shows. However, his skepticism towards the status quo and political correctness is often on target and thought provoking.
Welcome to MN!
Derek
I've sometimes had problems with framing guns icing up, even when the compressor was warm enough to work fine. Expanding gasses get cold, if you remember high school chemistry. I've countered this with a few drops of regular old antifreeze in the tanks first thing in the AM. Works like a charm.Andy Engel
Senior editor, Fine Woodworking magazine
Arguing with a Breaktimer is like mud-wrestling a pig -- Sooner or later you find out the pig loves it.
Other people can talk about how to expand the destiny of mankind. I just want to talk about how to fix a motorcycle. I think that what I have to say has more lasting value. --Robert M. Pirsig
Adding an extra moisture trap to the output from the tank will also help this.
Yes, it probably would. One thing I like about adding anti-freeze to the compressor tank is that it contains corrosion inhibitors. My guess is that they might extend tank life a bit.Andy Engel
Senior editor, Fine Woodworking magazine
Arguing with a Breaktimer is like mud-wrestling a pig -- Sooner or later you find out the pig loves it.
Other people can talk about how to expand the destiny of mankind. I just want to talk about how to fix a motorcycle. I think that what I have to say has more lasting value. --Robert M. Pirsig
Andy, I was told that the using anti freeze might damage the O rings. I used to use windshield fluid...but I think I'm going to use your idea and dump some anti freeze into the tanks.
blueWarning! Be cautious when taking any framing advice from me. Although I have a lifetime of framing experience, all of it is considered bottom of the barrel by Gabe. I am not to be counted amongst the worst of the worst. If you want real framing information...don't listen to me..just ask Gabe!
Forgive the dumb question, but how do you get antifreeze into the tank?
Flip it upside down and dribble some in through the drain cocks.Andy Engel
Senior editor, Fine Woodworking magazine
Other people can talk about how to expand the destiny of mankind. I just want to talk about how to fix a motorcycle. I think that what I have to say has more lasting value. --Robert M. Pirsig
If you use the Kil-Frost product, you won't have the o-ring problem. It's also a good idea to put a few drops on your hose manifolds and intakes. Totally prevents icing up.Les Barrett Quality Construction
Have any of you tried putting heat tape or refrigeration compressor heat bands around the compressor to heat it up and keep it warm in the extreme cold? I have been wondering if that would work.
I've never tried that. Actually, if were using gas generators, the exhaust will heat up any compartment that we create. If were using electric, we just leave the compressor in the JOBOX and only crack the lid enough to get the hose out. The heat from the compressor motor keeps everything very warm. If we do this in warm weather, it overheats.
blueWarning! Be cautious when taking any framing advice from me. Although I have a lifetime of framing experience, all of it is considered bottom of the barrel by Gabe. I am not to be counted amongst the worst of the worst. If you want real framing information...don't listen to me..just ask Gabe!
I woke up this morning still thinking about what a pain it is to use my emglo in the Maine winters. Why doesn't someone come up with a block heater. Maybe even one that you just screw in the oil filler hole. Plug it in when you need it unplug it when you don't. Something like the little coffee cup heaters. It would be even nicer if you had the option of buying a cold weather package that had a thermostat to kick out when things warmed up kick back in when it got cooler.
Thanks, antifreeze is a great tip. Will be trying it this week.
Mike may be right -- I could have gotten the tip from him. He's also right that really cold winter air doesn't hold much moisture. The times I've had trouble were when the air was hovering around freezing and it was humid.
AndyAndy Engel
Senior editor, Fine Woodworking magazine
Other people can talk about how to expand the destiny of mankind. I just want to talk about how to fix a motorcycle. I think that what I have to say has more lasting value. --Robert M. Pirsig
Even better than regular anti-freeze is the anti-freeze you put in big rig air brake lines. My pneumatic tool repair guy turned me on to this one time when one of the compressors was in his shop. He asked me if I wanted him to "winterize" the compressor while it was in for service. He pours half a quart of air brake antifreeze right into the tank. Says not to drain the tank all winter, that the antifreeze will neutralize any water that makes it's way into the tank. Only hiccup is that you have to oil the framing guns twice a day instead of once or it will dry out the rings. That 1/2 quart was for my old twin tank wheelbarrow style compressor. Now I've got a 20 gal Rol-Air, so I may have to use a bit more.
This may not be good for finish guys and electric compressors cuz of the occasional discharge at the gun end though. Worked great for the framing guns last winter. Never had a line freeze and haven't noticed any difference in service needed for the guns.
I also use the cold weather gun oil in the guns, this too is an antifreeze.
I think I'm going with your idea Dieselpig...i'm easily persuaded!
Our tool guy told us not to put the kilfrost directly into the guns. He says it's a drying agent and every time he opens up a gun that isn't working, it's all gunked up with black stuff on the cylinder from the kilfrost. He says use regular oil in the guns and dump a couple of teaspoons of kilfrost in the hose near the compressor.
Each of us take our own hoses with us and warm them up with the truck heater. AS soon as we get there in the morning, we blow all the hot moisture out. Depending on the day before, sometimes we get a minutes worth of moisture blowing out. Sometimes nothing.
blueWarning! Be cautious when taking any framing advice from me. Although I have a lifetime of framing experience, all of it is considered bottom of the barrel by Gabe. I am not to be counted amongst the worst of the worst. If you want real framing information...don't listen to me..just ask Gabe!
Les, were using Kil frost already. I just like the idea of adding antifreeze into the tanks to keep the water from freezing and minimizing rust.
blueWarning! Be cautious when taking any framing advice from me. Although I have a lifetime of framing experience, all of it is considered bottom of the barrel by Gabe. I am not to be counted amongst the worst of the worst. If you want real framing information...don't listen to me..just ask Gabe!
Andy,
Another tip. In the dead of winter, don't just drain the compressor. Make sure it is at full pressure, leave it on, open the drain and let it run for a few. Push as much water out as you can.
I've got a few guns that freeze but I remember seeing an antifreeze gun oil just recently.
........... change to synthetic compressor lube if you haven't already; or trade it in on a Thomas ;).
I have two compressors for winter work. One (big)lives in my cold shed and I only use it for outside work. The other (small) lives in my basement and only goes to inside jobs.
Most of the suggestions (thinner oil, preheating...) are good to get the cold compressor working. The reason I never bring the outdoor compressor in during the winter is it's the fastest way to cause icing problems. Winter air does not hold much moisture in it. In most cases you won't have to drain the compressor at all during the winter. When you bring it inside - (and run it) you will get mositure inside it.
I use Andy Engle's trick (I'm wondering if he picked that up from me). REgular antifreeze will not harm O-rings in your nailers (in fact many of the cold weather lubricants for nailers has glycol (antifreeze) in it. On around this month I drain out whatever water is in the tank and pour in 1/2 cup of antifreeze through the drain port with a funnel. In March I drain it.
I have a nylon cover I sewed up to fit my compressor. It covers it when in the back of my truck. I also leave the cover on during the first part of the day to retain the warmth generated by the motor.
Be careful about warming a compressor with truck exhaust air. Lots of moisture in exhaust air - when your compressor intake sucks on exhauset air you will need to drain the tank.
MG