Air compressors can be applied for many different industrial uses and predominantly, they’re used to generate power for a few on-site tools such as power hammers, air guns, saws, and drills as they’re considered highly useful for workers. Since air compressors have many significant impacts on businesses, it’s essential for one to opt-in for a valuable silent air compressor for health and productivity benefits.
While air compressors are very helpful, there’s this noise they make which isn’t healthy in any way. Serenity at the workplace is crucial, and all thanks to modern trends, silent compressors with adequate lubrication are gradually replacing noisy compressors.
An ultra-quiet air compressor is capable of revamping the sanity of your workers if they’re often operating close to a machine for several hours daily. As it’s understood that proper workflow can be discouraged and disorganised by a loud noise from machinery at business premises, the need to choose the best air compressor cannot be under emphasised.
For employees’ safety and well-being, businesses must use a quiet air compressor because loud noise generated from air compressors can cause sleep disturbances, stress, high blood pressure, and heart disease.
Why Are Air Compressors So Loud?
The noise of about 40-92 decibels is what compressors usually produce and, and it’s said that anything from 80 and above is not safe. Silent air compressors are often sought for by construction engineers and supervisors for workers’ health and safety. There are a couple of factors that contribute to the noise air compressors produce. You can get to be more mindful of these factors when you take a moment to understand how air compressors function.
How to Choose the Right Compressor?
Before deciding the air compressor you’ll be going for, you need to be conscious of some factors, and you can start by asking questions like; what’s the portability like? Can it use natural gas? Does the compressor work with or without oil? The response to all these questions will be the validating factors to help you choose your business’s best air compressor. And, as you make plans to procure your air compressors, here are 5 top tips you should look out for;
1. Oil-free compressors:
Finishing and food processing, automotive assembly, medical, chemical, pharmaceutical, semiconductor manufacturing, and electronics industries generally use oil-free compressors because they pollute less, they’re environmentally friendly, and they do provide clean air at the outlet.
Oil-based compressors create an obvious problem for clean manufacturing environments because of the sealing style, which gets the released air contaminated when the oil gets into the actual compressor. Oil-based compressors are the most common.
However, Oil-free compressors are a better choice for facilities that promise clean manufacturing because their use mitigates the problem of contaminated air, but they are generally more expensive.
2. Energy efficiency:
Energy-efficient compressors do make for long-term projects, but they could cost more initially. Speaking of these compressors, there are two primary options to choose from; variable speed compressors and fixed speed compressors. Variable speed compressors save energy and by extension, money because they can reduce or increase output as required.
However, fixed speed compressors have a motor that continues to run and consume energy when it tries to power down because while the unit is in use, they have a constant working speed.
3. Portability:
Portability is another factor you should consider when procuring your air compressor. Do not be deceived into believing that large air compressors give out much energy because compressors of small, compact builds have the capacity to deliver required energy output. Portable air compressors are sufficient for small projects.
They have what it takes to produce as much energy as big, powerful compressors. Another benefit of theirs is that, if you are transporting your equipment over different locations, they’ll be instrumental.
4. Natural gas usage.
If you seek air compressors that are energy-saving and generally more efficient, you should go for air compressors that use natural gas. These air compressors are more suitable for industrial use, but they’re the right option to go for if cutting energy costs is your goal.
5. What kind of features does it offer?
Before you get your air compressor, you need to know all about its features and ascertain if it meets all your needs and requirements. One of the features you should look out for is the thermal protection charged with the responsibility of automatically turning off the motor when it overheats. It comes in the form of a thermal overload switch.
If your air compressors have the thermal overload switch, it will safeguard your investments as it ensures that the unit is protected from damage due to overloads. Another useful feature is the multiple couplers which offers you an excellent opportunity to see many tasks conveniently.
More so, if you buy an air compressor with a roll cage, it will help you reduce the chances of accidents like getting your compressors crushed or battered. Other tangible features you should look out for when purchasing your air compressors include ball valve drain, cord wrap, ASME certification, adjustable exhaust, air-cooling system, and belt-drive system.
