I was reading a post in the "Air Tanks, Pumps & Compressors" thread and a comment was made about having an hour-meter installed on your compressor.
In my 20+ years in the Navy I stood many watches on operating equipment in the engineering spaces of a nuclear powered submarine and the importance of monitoring that equipment cannot be over emphasized. That monitoring along with planned controlled maintenance will generally prevent unexpected and sometimes damaging breakdowns. Part of that monitoring involved taking and logging readings of thermometers, pressure gauges and other installed instrumentation hourly. When I retired from the Navy, I figured that part of my "adventure" was behind me but it is surprising how some things will always stick with you.
I'm sure that most of us probably pay close attention to maintenance on our cars and trucks but other equipment we might not. My previous Navy "training" probably made me more conscious of "equipment" I own. I was reminded of this when "humdinger" mentioned that HP air compressors should come with an hour-meter installed. I fully agree.
When I purchased my Shoebox 8 earlier this year, the first thing I installed was an hour-meter. The maintenance items on the Shoebox and any troubleshooting required seemed to fit time related monitoring.
I made up a log sheet to track the different parameters of my air charging station (my past Navy experience kicked in). I can look at this log and see; 1) trends that are developing, 2) Air leaks, 3) decreasing output, 4) Reminders for checking filters, desiccant, lubrication, belt, Etc.
Don't get me wrong, I don't go overboard and keep a log sheet on my vehicles, lawn mowers, or other minor equipment, but I believe that HP air compressors lend themselves to this type of monitoring and an inexpensive, easily installed hour-meter is an excellent tool to aid in this monitoring.
In my 20+ years in the Navy I stood many watches on operating equipment in the engineering spaces of a nuclear powered submarine and the importance of monitoring that equipment cannot be over emphasized. That monitoring along with planned controlled maintenance will generally prevent unexpected and sometimes damaging breakdowns. Part of that monitoring involved taking and logging readings of thermometers, pressure gauges and other installed instrumentation hourly. When I retired from the Navy, I figured that part of my "adventure" was behind me but it is surprising how some things will always stick with you.
I'm sure that most of us probably pay close attention to maintenance on our cars and trucks but other equipment we might not. My previous Navy "training" probably made me more conscious of "equipment" I own. I was reminded of this when "humdinger" mentioned that HP air compressors should come with an hour-meter installed. I fully agree.
When I purchased my Shoebox 8 earlier this year, the first thing I installed was an hour-meter. The maintenance items on the Shoebox and any troubleshooting required seemed to fit time related monitoring.
I made up a log sheet to track the different parameters of my air charging station (my past Navy experience kicked in). I can look at this log and see; 1) trends that are developing, 2) Air leaks, 3) decreasing output, 4) Reminders for checking filters, desiccant, lubrication, belt, Etc.
Don't get me wrong, I don't go overboard and keep a log sheet on my vehicles, lawn mowers, or other minor equipment, but I believe that HP air compressors lend themselves to this type of monitoring and an inexpensive, easily installed hour-meter is an excellent tool to aid in this monitoring.
