How to maintain your air tools
Peter Sitkowski | 28th April 2023 | 4 minutes to read
Pneumatic tools are often more convenient to use than conventional electric or battery powered tools. They’re more lightweight, don’t require charging, and remove some of the safety concerns that electrical cables often present, but despite these differences, they still require the same care and attention that you would pay your standard power tools.
While it might seem like common sense to look after your tools no matter what form of power they use, it can be quite common for maintenance to fall by the wayside when jobs need to be completed quickly and tools are being picked up and put down constantly.
Whether you’re a home DIYer or a professional working in a shop or industrial setting, these tips will give you a solid breakdown of how to look after your air tools and help them to last as long as possible.
Here are the main topics we're going to cover for air tool maitenance:
Store Air Tools Properly
Storing your tools correctly is always important and air tools are no exception. Air tools should be stored in dry, clean containers to help prevent moisture build-up and to keep them away from dust in your garage or workshop.
Set Up and Lubricate Tools
While it might be tempting to toss the user manual aside and get straight into the fun stuff, setting up your air tools according to your manual is always an important first step in keeping them in working order.
Similarly simple but often overlooked advice, is that pneumatic tools require lubrication to prevent interior components from rubbing against each other and to prevent the build-up of moisture that is common with air compressors. Generally speaking, you should be putting in a few drops of air tool oil into your pneumatic tools at the end of each workday and then running the tool for a few seconds to lubricate the internal parts.
Check your owner’s manual for specific instructions on how to lubricate your tools if you aren’t sure, as some tools may have their own specifications for lubrication.
Clean Your Air Tools Regularly
Cleaning your air tools should be a part of your general maintenance routine. For many tools, this may just consist of wiping away excess dirt and moisture, but for tools that can be disassembled easily, taking them apart and cleaning them with the specified cleaners in your manual will help to prevent avoidable wear and tear.
Use Tools at Correct PSI & CFM
Firstly, you’ll want to make sure that the air compressor you have can handle the pneumatic tools that you’re using. If you’ve purchased a smaller compressor, you’re going to struggle to use tools like sandblasters and grinders, because they will require upwards of 20 CFM (566 LPM) to operate, where the output of a single-cylinder compressor may only be 10 CFM (283 LPM).
While a small air compressor can produce the 70-90 PSI required to run most air tools, you do generally want to have more air flow than needed to ensure a constant supply of air to the tool, so be sure that your air compressor can provide stable airflow for extended periods.
Note that if you have several tools running from one air compressor, you’ll need to make sure that it can supply enough air to each of them. For instance, if you are running three tools that require 4 CFM, you’re going to need an output of 12 CFM to ensure that all three tools run correctly.
Use a Filter Regulator Lubricator (FRL)
With the amount of dirt, heat, and moisture you’re dealing with when running an air compressor, tools can easily end up with excess water and grime in them that can cause gears and other moving parts to break down. If you’re in an industrial setting and using a large-scale air compressor, then a Filter Regulator Lubricator will help to clean and lubricate the air that exits the system and passes through your tools, helping your die grinder and impact wrench stay in good nick for longer.
Get an Air Dryer
Moisture is the number one cause of degradation in air compressors, air hoses, and air tools. Excess water can cause tools to rust and affect lubrication, causing metal-on-metal friction that can damage internal components. An air dryer uses some of the pressurised air to mitigate the amount of residual moisture in your compressor and pneumatic tools and help them to last longer and operate more efficiently.
You’ll want to look at which air dryer is suitable for your compressor, as refrigerated, chemical, desiccant, and membrane dyers all have pros and cons, and an air dryer will also consume air while operating, which you’ll need to consider when running your system. Check with your user manual and seek advice from the manufacturer as to which type of air dryer would work best for you or ask a friendly staff member at a Repco store for help.
Look After Your Tools and They’ll Look After You
Whether your air tools are part of your livelihood or they’re just for home DIY jobs or servicing your car, the better you take of them the longer they’ll last and the more efficiently they’ll perform.
At Repco we stock air filters and regulators, as well as hoses and reels, and compressor oil to help keep your home garage or workshop air compressor setup well-maintained and working correctly, so remember Repco when you think maintenance.
