Pressure washing a compressor

[MattF]

I assume it'll be okay to pressure wash a compressor, provided I cover over the intake, motor etc.? It's one which has a fair old build-up of paint dust on it, so thought the pressure washer might be the simplest way of cleaning it without farting around too much?

 

[bc30se]

start it up and wash

 

[Robotstar5]

Won't an air blowgun shift it?

 

[MattF]

Some of the dross it would, but it really was caked on there. I've used the blowgun on the internals of the pressure switch, (there's no cover on that, and not sure if that works or not properly as yet), and some bits, but it ended up with the pressure washer on it to shift most of it. I'm caked in watery dust and such now. I've blown it off with the airgun to remove most of the water from it, so it's finishing off air drying out in the garden.

 

[MattF]

This is the beastie. Black bagged the pressure switch and motor junction box just to try and keep water out of those.

Looks like it had everything from paint dust to plaster/cement powder on there. No photo's of it after the washing as yet. Got dark before I had chance to take any, but it looks a bit better now. Needs a new pressure switch, as the baseplate is cracked in half. The drain tube is probably partially blocked too, and the ball valve has a slight leak to it. It runs though, so only needs a tad of fettling.

 

[tinman123]

a nice lick of paint now maybe?.....

 

[MattF]

Wouldn't normally hear me saying this, but I was just planning on leaving it as is, looks wise, and just concentrating on the necessary repairs. This is going to be a straight out user rather than a project.

 

[tinman123]

if your anything like me if you dont do it now it ill never be done to it.
it wont make it fill any quicker but it id clean it up.
but its easy for me to say too while sitting in my office chair.

 

[brightspark]

anything I buy crappy gets cleaned off and a lick of paint . nothing special and whatever colour I can buy cheap. the gears easy to keep clean if its not rusty

 

[the snooper]

ive had a comp given about 150 Ltr but no motor, after you have washed yours I can tell you the motor will be absolutely no good, don't bother trying it just send it to me for disposal

 

[MattF]

That's why I'm avoiding doing this one. I know that if I start tidying it up, it'll end up being stripped down and ne'er use nor ornament for a while. Better to put that time into the old Laycock/Bristol compressor.

 

[MattF]

anything I buy crappy gets cleaned off and a lick of paint . nothing special and whatever colour I can buy cheap. the gears easy to keep clean if its not rusty

Sounds like I'm being outnumbered on the decision not to paint it.

ive had a comp given about 150 Ltr but no motor, after you have washed yours I can tell you the motor will be absolutely no good, don't bother trying it just send it to me for disposal

 

[brightspark]

beuty of painting a compressor is u can use it to paint it

 

[bc30se]

was it used on the construction site? does it some cement on? then use a cement remover, I don't know how you call it but we have such products here to wash mixers and all construction stuff including trucks, of course you use different concentration - it's cheap and very effective...

 

[MattF]

It's probably been used on site occasionally. Not too bothered about the buildup on there, to be honest. This thing is way too new to be something I'd class as a project, (it's only of '84 vintage, so a young pup with regard to my other stuff ), so just going to run it as is, once the necessary parts are sorted, mainly the pressure switch and possibly fabbing a bracket for the motor caps. They're just duct taped on there at the moment. Thinking of probably making a little enclosure outside for this one. It'd kill any free space in my workshop if I took it inside. With it being an Ingersoll Rand compressor though, I figured it should have some decent life left in it and be worth having, especially at the price.

I'm guessing the likes of brick acid or mild sulphuric should shift the concrete/plaster residue easily enough, if I do decide to fettle it a bit further?

 

[tinman123]

It's probably been used on site occasionally. Not too bothered about the buildup on there, to be honest. This thing is way too new to be something I'd class as a project, (it's only of '84 vintage, so a young pup with regard to my other stuff ), so just going to run it as is, once the necessary parts are sorted, mainly the pressure switch and possibly fabbing a bracket for the motor caps. They're just duct taped on there at the moment. Thinking of probably making a little enclosure outside for this one. It'd kill any free space in my workshop if I took it inside. With it being an Ingersoll Rand compressor though, I figured it should have some decent life left in it and be worth having, especially at the price.

I'm guessing the likes of brick acid or mild sulphuric should shift the concrete/plaster residue easily enough, if I do decide to fettle it a bit further?

my last one was on the shop floor, but the new one i hung up on the wall to save space, in a different area of the workshop so now its out of the way and a lot quieter.

 

[tinman123]

was it used on the construction site? does it some cement on? then use a cement remover, I don't know how you call it but we have such products here to wash mixers and all construction stuff including trucks, of course you use different concentration - it's cheap and very effective...

i have it here, maybe its just me but i wouldnt of put it in the class of being very effective, i find it more a slow, many coats kind of job.

 

[MattF]

This is it after being washed down. Not a vast improvement, but pretty much all of the spray dust and such has gone.

You can see the crack in the pressure switch in this one. Runs the full width of the base. Wondering whether to just try gluing that as a first approach or not?

 

[MattF]

my last one was on the shop floor, but the new one i hung up on the wall to save space, in a different area of the workshop so now its out of the way and a lot quieter.

I'm just as limited, (if not more so), on wall space as floor space. I've eked every ounce of space out of my shed already.