I have a harbor freight little oil filled compressor. I tried using it today after a very cold night. It made a few trouble noises and stopped. I reset the overload switch and tried again. Same result. Tried again, this time it tripped the breaker. I reset the breaker (apparently not having the brains I was born with...) and tried again. This time it made it and ran normally.
This probably isn't a good thing to do to the compressor, and won't work at all next month when it is even colder..
What else do you expect? The unit doesn't have a multivis oil like your SUV does. Besides heavy oil, you can get clogs from ice inside as the incoming air's moisture load condenses. Now do the poor thing a favor and keep it inside. If you need an outdoor capable unit, go rent one. And don't forget to drain the air tank now and then.
Others may differ, but I keep a permanent commercial compressor tucked under the stairs in a heated shop. Both 2 HP and 5HP poratable units are kept inside. For outdoor work, we just run longer, larger air hoses with high flow connectors. HTH
Use 20w oil in the winter instead of 30w, and/or keep the compressor in a heated shop.
A few years ago my ancient Quincy compressor broke a connecting rod and beat itself to pieces with it when I started it in the winter and it must have had ice in the head or the cylinder walls. :-(
My new Coleman "6 HP" compressor is louder and barely produces half the air that the old Quincy did, and the Quincy only had a 1.5 HP motor.
I knew the horsepower rating was wrong because you can't get 6 hp from a
15A 240V circuit. But I expected the CFM listed on the little metal plate to be close to accurate.
The settlement was a joke. The companies admitted that they lied, but basicly claimed they shouldn't have been expected to tell the truth therefore it wasn't their fault. I'm sure the plaintiffs' attorneys made a lot of money, but the actual customers got nothing -- well, some of them got coupons but Coleman customers didn't even get that.
I used to have high regard for Coleman, but I don't buy their products anymore.
Have an Emglo that is about 13 yrs. old. Book stated straight 30W. During the colder months I had the same problem. Switched to 10W-30 year round, no problem. Compressor never gave me a problem as far as lubrication. Beware of running pneumatic tools outside during the extreme cold. Have encountered a couple blown seals. Also, let the air out of the tank/s at the end of the day, makes morning starts easier. If you are storing your compressor outside (back of truck or similar), it is improtant to let all the air out of the tanks. The moisture in the tank can freeze, causing problems or permanent damage to the compressor.
It's detergent. Yes I know, going against manufacturers recommendation. As I've noted, the Emglo is 13 yrs old. No problems in 13 yrs, and has seen summer workouts running 2 roofing coil nailers going 12 hours a day.
I'm not advising going against manufacturers recommendation. Just stated what I did. It's hard to argue with success, especially since I'm totally surprised the old Emglo is still going strong after so much use and abuse.
If you search the net for car oils, manufacturers recommended detergent oil for older cars. You will find lots of information where people swear by the multi viscosity oil instead of detergent.
Motor oils usually contain detergent. And detergent makes it easier for the oil to absorb water. This isn't a problem in cars, where it gets good and hot each time it's run. But in a cold application like a compressor, it can absorb and hold the water.
Detergent oils suspend debris in the oil, to be removed by the oil filter, which air compressors generally do not have. Older cars and hachinery often had bearings that were not compatable with detergent oils. As for running detergent oil in a compressor, I probably would not do it, unless I could not find suitable non-degent oil, but if you live in the sticks and are unable to find compressor oil, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do! Greg
Just curious. Would the "detergent" do anything in a compressor? The reason I ask, is because the oil in a car engine gets hot. Air compressors have no combustion, so they dont get hot. (Yes, I know they get pretty warm, especially the older piston types, but most of the heat is at the top of the pump, which is why they put fins around the piston sleeve.
Part of the reason I ask this, is because air compressor oil dont really get all that dirty. I cant think of the last time I changed the oil in mine. I just check it a few times per year to be sure there is enough.
I used to work for a company that had industrial compressors. The air was used to control the heating zones in the building. In other words, air operated valves at the hot water heat radiators. Anyhow, we had some special "compressor oil". I never questioned it, but the stuff looked just like any other type of oil. I always thought it was just a way to charge more for a bottle of oil. Of course we didnt use very much.
This is the same sort of thing they do with stereo equipment now-a-days. I was an electronics hobbyist in my younger days. Back then we used RMS and PEAK ratings. A 100Watt (per channel) stereo amplifier was powerful. and equivilant to most guitar amplifiers back in those days.
Now, they sell these so called "portable" stereos. The things are ugly as sin, and are about the size of a boombox. They got speakers that are 8 inch as best, and somehow, they rate them in rediculously high power amounts. I saw one at Walmart rated at 5000W. I just laughed. I used to know a guy that did sound for large Rock Concerts. I went to several of the shows, and I still recall the one show that was in a huge outdoor auditorium that seated 100,000 people or something like that. The show was LOUD. Even way in the back. I later asked this guy what they were running for power, and he said
10,000W. Those 10K W powered HUGE towers of speakers that took a crane to lift into place.
So, now these idiots that "claim" these little boxes sold at Walmart put out 5,000 W are completely full of crap. How they can legally get away with that, I will never know. My guess would be at MOST, 50W RMS per channel, and probably half that is more close to the truth.
Getting back to the air compressors, these new "pistonless" types are garbage !!!!
Nice article. Now when will someone get on the case of the true output of audio devices? Most 25 watt amplifiers from the 50's will blow away a 50 watt or higher rated amplifier made today. They used to measure in RMS (root mean square), now they normally rate the peak wattage. It's been a joke for many decades.
What this has to do with a cold compressor I don't know. ;-)
That is true for older cars without rebuilt engines. If it's rebuilt, start and stay with detergent oil. The problem is in an old engine they are counting on a buildup of sludge and varnish, which actually helps the rings seal and give it good compression. Change to detergent oil and it cleans away the sludge, reducing compression, then it doesn't run as well.
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