On May 10, 2011 we received an email from R. John Phillips of Kootenay Sprinkler Installations Inc. in British Columbia, Canada. John had recently completed work installing one of our OL Series oilless riser mounted compressors in an office building.  A call from the general contractor prompted John to ask us:

“Under normal operating conditions and assuming no leaks in the system, how often should a OL610V100AC cycle when installed on a attic system. Is once a week considered to often?”

Ray DeCecco, our customer service manager and resident dry pipe system air compressor expert responded:

“John, it is nearly impossible for a system to have no leaks. You should be commended for having a system so tight that the air compressor only cycles on about once a week. ”

“NFPA 13 under Dry Pipe and Double Interlock Preaction Systems Air Test, section 24.2.2.1 states that 1.5 psi pressure loss per 24 hour period is acceptable. We recommend that a compressor cycle no more than 4 times per hour to ensure maximum compressor life, so you are in very good shape with your system.”

Thank you John for asking the question and for letting us post it here. Hopefully it will shed some light on the issue of compressor cycling for others in a similar situation.

If you have questions regarding our fire protection air compressors, their installation, best practices or troubleshooting please feel free to call (800-345-8207) or email us with them. We are always happy to help!