Episode 42: Six Reliability Rules for Air Compressors

Jason Reed

Alright, welcome back, everybody, to The Big Dog Podcast! I’m Jason Reed—joined as always by the best in the business, Lisa Saunders. And today, we’re digging into what keeps your rotary screw compressor humming: reliability. More specifically—how do you actually increase it, day in and day out? Because, let’s be honest, those factory maintenance manuals—they’re, uh, kind of written for a perfect world, right? Who’s running a plant with 24/7 pristine conditions out there? Not the folks I talk to.

Lisa Saunders

Exactly. I mean, there’s always something different at every facility—maybe you’ve got dust, you’ve got temperature swings, or you’re only running two shifts. Relying strictly “by the book” for your maintenance? That’s a recipe for headaches. Customization is huge. You gotta look at how your compressor is actually being used and shape your plan around real conditions, not some textbook scenario. And, that’s why the most reliable operations? They aren’t the ones stuck on autopilot—they adapt.

Jason Reed

Yeah, and that starts with your daily routine. I tell people, make a checklist. Take five minutes every day—seriously, that’s it—to check the “vital stats.” Let’s rattle those off: load cycles, motor starts, condensation, temperature, and vibration. Why? Because each one gives you a clue about your system’s health. Too many load cycles? Might be short cycling—that’s just chewing up your compressor for no reason. Loads of condensation? Maybe your drains aren’t doing their job. That kind of thing.

Lisa Saunders

I—I love checklists, honestly. And let me share this story: I was at this Midwest food processing plant, right? They’d been seeing, like, these little unplanned shutdowns...nothing dramatic. But it stacked up. So, with their reliability lead, we put together a basic, customized checklist tailored to what their machines actually experienced—things like checking drain valves for blockages, looking out for condensation in the lines, and monitoring temp swings. And, you know what? Within a year, their unplanned downtime dropped by 30%. Just from literally tracking and tweaking day-to-day checks. Kind of wild for something so simple.

Jason Reed

Yeah, that’s huge. And I know folks out there sometimes roll their eyes at “just another checklist.” But if you’re only waiting for the alarm to go off, you’re waiting way too long. Custom, daily monitoring—nobody else is doing it for you. Those little numbers you’re jotting down—those become your early warning system, every single time.

Lisa Saunders

So, let’s talk about what happens once you start tracking those stats. It’s not just about writing numbers in a notebook—the real key is spotting the trends before they turn into big problems. Your compressor should be running pretty steady, unless something in its environment changes. When you see outliers—maybe, suddenly your power use creeps up, or you get a weird spike in discharge temperature? That’s your clue right there.

Jason Reed

Right—I mean, think about this: A massive automotive assembly line, right? If they miss a bad trend—a slow temperature climb, an unusual vibration—they’re not just dealing with a little delay. Downtime costs about $2.3 million per hour in those places. That’s, uh, six hundred bucks a second. I remember working with a team who noticed a consistent, small increase in their compressor discharge temp. If they’d ignored it, that whole line could have gone down—instead, they found a failing cooling fan before it got catastrophic. That one little temperature trend saved their whole operation. Sometimes it really is the difference between a minor repair and a full-stop crisis.

Lisa Saunders

And it’s not just temp—could be, suddenly, your motor’s pulling more amps. Or vibration readings aren’t what you expect. Comparing your current readings with last month’s? That’s often more helpful than checking against some “acceptable limit” in the manual. You see where things are headed. If something’s drifting, you adapt. Maybe you add more ventilation, or tweak your maintenance schedule. Or—hey, sometimes conditions change in your plant: new lines come online, ambient temps spike, even just changing a single shift can throw your routine off.

Jason Reed

Exactly. Your system isn’t set-it-and-forget-it. You gotta be ready to change it up when your operation changes. If demand goes up—like a new production line, or suddenly everything’s running hot because it’s August instead of March—you’d better be watching those trends. Track your stats, notice what’s normal, and jump on anything unusual. It’s boring, until suddenly it’s not. That kind of adaptability is what keeps you from scrambling after the fact.

Lisa Saunders

And that brings us to, well—ownership. It’s easy to hand things over to outside techs and just call for help when something breaks. But, if you want true reliability, operators—meaning you folks actually on site—need to be invested. You’re there every shift, you hear the noises, you see the little changes. Don’t let a consultant tell you not to touch anything. That’s outdated thinking. You know your system best, day in and day out.

Jason Reed

Yeah, no one’s gonna be on third shift but you. Your local air compressor guy isn’t camping out in your plant, and when things go sideways at 2 a.m., it’s on you to notice changes, log what’s off, maybe even make some safe adjustments. Obviously, you want backup—don’t get me wrong. But you can’t outsource ownership. Paper and clipboard’s good enough for a lot of tracking, by the way. You don’t need some fancy remote dashboard unless you really want it.

Lisa Saunders

And, this is where good partners make all the difference. I remember working with a packaging facility—maybe three years ago? They were prepping for a push—way higher volume, more shifts, whole new line of products. What actually made it work wasn’t just installing a bigger compressor or pushing more air. It was working side-by-side with their local distributor, who understood the quirks of the building, helped tweak settings, sourced the right parts fast—basically, a responsive partner who could show up, instead of going through corporate runaround. That partnership was key for tuning their system to new demands—no extended downtime, no panic overnight deliveries.

Jason Reed

Absolutely. Big difference between a hotline that puts you on hold and, you know, a tech who’s been in your facility and already knows your equipment history. They help you refine maintenance plans, adapt to changes, and yeah—supply the right parts when things go sideways. Not just selling you equipment, but really caring about your operation’s uptime.

Lisa Saunders

That’s what it’s all about. Taking ownership, partnering with the right people, and being proactive—that’s how you keep that compressor reliable year-round, not just when everything’s easy. If you’re listening and you want to dig deeper into any of these topics—custom checklists, trend tracking, how to build a real partnership—let us know. We could talk all day, but we should probably wrap this one up.

Jason Reed

Yeah, let’s do it. Thanks for joining us on The Big Dog Podcast. Next time, we’ll be back with more straight talk and smarter air. Appreciate the conversation, Lisa.

Lisa Saunders

Thanks, Jason. And thanks to everyone listening—take care, keep your air reliable, and we’ll catch you next episode!