How often do I have to service my compressor?

You understand the importance of servicing and performing maintenance on your car, why wouldn’t you do the same for your air compressor? Servicing your compressor is important to help avoid downtime and having decreased productivity for preventable reasons.

Below are few tips to keep your compressor running in tip-top shape:


• Replace Filters: between 1000 to 2000 hours, this should be the air, oil and panel (if applicable) filters.

• Replace your oil: Regardless of usage, oil degrades over time and needs to be replaced. Degraded oil CAN cause catastrophic air end failure, which is a very costly repair, much cheaper to just change the oil at least annually (refer to your manual for the exact time).

• Purchasing oil: Purchasing CP oil for your CP machine guarantees your machine is running at it’s best performance and increases the longevity of your air needs.

 Other Checklist Items:
- Check condensate drains are functioning properly
- Check drain valves and/or switching valves
- Clean and inspect your machine

Here's an example of the screw compressor maintenance schedule outlined in the manual

Depending on how often you run your compressor will help you understand how often you need to service your machine. If you’re running your compressor occasionally, then annual service would be adequate. If you are running continuously, then quarterly service may be needed to ensure you are staying ahead of avoidable issues.

Remember, your manual outlines the recommended service and maintenance schedule to keep your air compressor running at optimal efficiency.

Do you have an idea for our #expertcorner? Let us know!

Useful links:

Book Your Compressor Service

Who we are and how Ash Air can help your business!

Ash Air has been around in New Zealand since 1979, and we’ve grown into a nationwide company with international support and a reputation for quality and reliability.We look after all things compressed air for your business!

  • Reciprocating, Screw, air compressors
  • Vacuum pumps
  • Nitrogen
  • An extensive line of air treatment components

Ash Air's range of Chicago Pneumatic, Alup, Pneumatech, and Quincy compressors are used extensively around the world in industries ranging from oil and gas to food, automotive and farming, and we bring you these world class compressors here in the land of the long white cloud.Our technicians are compressed air equipment experts and are dedicated to addressing customer needs. Supported by a 13 locations nationwide, Ash Air offers one of the widest selections of compressed air equipment and parts available today in New Zealand.

Reliability and Efficiency

With Ash Air compressors, you can count on reliability and high performance for even the most demanding applications. We focus our efforts on the following:

  • Increasing uptime
  • Reducing unexpected repairs
  • Reducing energy consumption
  • Improving the cleanliness of compressed air


Talk to the team today:  CONTACT US CONTACT US

Read more from our #expertcorner


Your company purchased an air dryer for your compressor, now where should you install it? One of the most common things we see in the industry are air dryers being stored on top of the compressors. Seems like a wasted space not being used on top of the compressor, right? Wrong. …


When using air compressors, there are many variables that are integral to the quality and effectiveness of your compressed air. When dryer air is necessary, being able to constantly and accurately monitor dew points can be a critical factor to your operation. …


Compressed air plays an integral role in breweries both large and small around the world. From start to finish, all details in the brewing process are managed in fine detail and having the right air compressor is no exception. …


We Kiwi's love our Coffee! Coffee, like all other food & beverage products, must go through a preservation process to keep the beans fresh during storage and packaging before they reach the consumer. Coffee that is not properly stored after it is roasted will lose a large amount of carbon dioxide, which lessens its' flavor and speeds up the staling process. One of the most common ways to preserve the freshness of coffee is the use of nitrogen gas. Learn more here: …


Air compressors are helpful for an enormous range of applications such as air filling, packaging, tools, HVAC control, and more! One possible drawback is the amount of electricity they use; air compressors can be a huge drain on energy if used ​inefficiency...  …

Show More