Why do I need a Motor Starter on my Dry Pipe System Air Compressor? In short, to prevent this from happening: What you see here is a burnt motor on one of our LT Series lubricated tank mounted units. In this instance the air compressor was run with no oil, causing the pump to seize.
Why the heck is my compressor turning on and off, and on and off, and on and off?! Sometimes an air compressor will turn on and off rapidly in an unending fashion, this is an occurrence known as short cycling. The good news is that it does not mean that your air compressor is broken… Read more …
Utilizing the RFP System’s Alarm Contacts We are often asked about the availability of alarm contacts in our RFP systems as many fire protection contractors and home owners would like their system to provide a wide variety of alarms. Fortunately the engineering team behind the design of the RFP System had the forethought to provide… Read more …
Jump To: Standard Pressure Compressors Low Pressure Compressors High Pressure Compressors Standard Pressure Air Compressors General Air Products’ air compressors have two standard or factory pressure settings, depending on the type of compressor you select for your dry pipe system: 1.) Oil Less Air Compressors: After the initial system pressurization or fill, our OL &… Read more …
After reading our post “DO NOT USE A RETAIL AIR COMPRESSOR FOR A FIRE PROTECTION APPLICATION” David Walencewicz of P&J Sprinkler Company in Connecticut felt the need to share some pictures of a horrifying air compressor installation that he recently came across. We at General Air Products all died a little inside having looked at… Read more …
DO NOT USE A RETAIL AIR COMPRESSOR FOR A FIRE PROTECTION APPLICATION. The air compressors that we manufacture at General Air Products are specifically designed to meet the code set out by NFPA and therefore the demands of a fire protection application. The air compressors that many contractors buy “off-the-shelf” at a home supply store… Read more …
On October 6, 2011 we received an email from Teresa M. King, S.E.T. from Front range Fire Protection in Colorado, Terry asks: “Can you tell me why you recommend a tank mounted air compressor when there is an accelerator used in a dry pipe sprinkler system?” In short, yes we can. I’ll refer to Ray… Read more …
On September 28th, 2011 we were asked this question by Chris Redmond, PE at Redmond Engineering & Design in Michigan: “I have specified and used General Air for years and have recently come up with a dilemma. An AHJ states that the air compressor must meet NFPA 13 requirements (2007 Section 7.2.6.2) that the air… Read more …
On September 27, 2011 we received an email from Fred Davidson of Metro Swift Sprinkler Corp. in Massachusetts. Fred was looking for clarification on the requirement of an air maintenance device, he asks: “It has come up a number of times, on the installation of air compressors on fire protection systems. NFPA 13 requires an… Read more …
This LT Series lubricated, tank mounted reciprocating fire protection air compressor was installed in a dry pipe sprinkler system in the Pittsburgh area. Our customer notified us that the unit was too noisy. After trying to troubleshoot the issue over the phone, while the unit was still in the field (our preferred method), we determined… Read more …