Pond Boss Forums Thread Like Summary - When to Rebuild a Compressor?

I have a Stratus SRC25, rocking piston, 1/4 HP compressor pumping two air stations (one in winter). I run the system year round, 20/7. It has been in continuous use for 2 years, now.

I have a rebuild kit on hand. When do you know it is time to rebuild the compressor? After a set period of time? When the airflow to the airstations reduces significantly? When the unit craps out completely?

There is no rhyme or reason as to the timing, although it may depend on how clean you keep the air filter. When the compressor puts out noticeably less air or craps out completely is when I rebuild it. For customers that are local, I have a temporary compressor that I use to keep aeration going in their pond while I rebuild theirs. It may look ugly (Gast 1/4 hp rotary in a plastic dog kennel) but it works.

I would definitely have some gauges in the pipeline system. When the pressure drops, your compressor is usually starting to exhibit some signs of wear.

I also have some field employees that run large engines and compressors. It is amazing how often they use the "sound" of the equipment to determine a change in its operating conditions. I have never had the mechanic break down an engine or compressor after my worker said it was sounding bad, and NOT found a serious mechanical problem.

This is very valuable information when you fix a small problem before a critical component craters and then you would have to repair a major problem.


P.S. I believe esshup sells rebuild kits and is in charge of the compressors at the ponds of several clients. Hopefully he will drop into your thread and give you some actual specific expert advice.

Otherwise, I would just keep good records of your operating pressures. For example, if you do a rebuild now after your system has dropped to x psi, and your rebuild is still operating above that pressure three or four years from now, then I might consider letting it run until it drops to that pressure before performing the NEXT rebuild. (Unless of course, you get advice that saving a little time and money on rebuilds risks a greater critical failure.)