The term CONTINUOUS DUTY and how it applies (or doesn't)

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bubblerboy64

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Jul 25, 2018
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Pa, United States
When I bought my Alkin I was told it was continuous duty rated . I really didn't know what that meant but figured it was related to build quality (which indirectly I think it is) 

What continuous duty means applied to compressors is as follows To the best of my understanding.

It really applies to a system. Envision as follows. You have a shop running air tools. It includes a tank and a compressor. A compressor that is rated at 50% duty should run only half the time the system is being used at it's maximum drew rate. Say you have two guys using air tools. If they are draining the tank so fast that the compressor is running more the 30 minutes out of an hour you need to increase the size of the tank or increase the size 0R RATING of the compressor. SO....

When Alkin says their compressor is 100% duty rated it means that you can run the air out so that the unit runs continuously. That is a little different then my assumption that the compressor could run 24/7. And it's not directly applicable to our use filling 70 to 100 cu ft air tanks once a week. But it still may be a measure that relative build quality ( when there really is no other that I'm aware of)

Pretty significant difference but I think it's still speaking to the build quality. Now the next question is who rates them as such.

If any of you guys can add information to this I think it would be especially helpful to guys looking at these high end compressors.

Clearly (or at least it seems so to me) if you intended to fill air tanks to 4500 psi 24/7 the Alkin 31W is not the unit you would need. Now what you would need I have no clue. Probably have to spend multiple tens of thousands ????
 
My little Vevor (Yong Heng type) compressor was limited by the cooling system. A bucket of water circulated via small pump through the compressor water jacket. Without some way to remove sufficient heat from the water, the compressor can't be continuous duty. If I had a large radiator or continuous stream of cold water flowing, it might qualify as continuous duty, but it still had a very short service interval, so it needed constant maintenance.

My MCH6 is continuous duty, and has a decent service interval, for instance - 50 hour oil change interval and 500 hour valve/piston rebuild interval. A W31 has a 100 hour oil change interval and a 1000 hour valve/piston rebuild interval. Larger compressors might have even longer intervals and also much higher rates of fill.
 
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My little Vevor (Yong Heng type) compressor was limited by the cooling system. A bucket of water circulated via small pump through the compressor water jacket. Without some way to remove sufficient heat from the water, the compressor can't be continuous duty. If I had a large radiator or continuous stream of cold water flowing, it might qualify as continuous duty, but it still had a very short service interval, so it needed constant maintenance.

My MCH6 is continuous duty, and has a decent service interval, for instance - 50 hour oil change interval and 500 hour valve/piston rebuild interval. A W31 has a 100 hour oil change interval and a 1000 hour valve/piston rebuild interval. Larger compressors might have even longer intervals and also much higher rates of fill.
Click to expand...

OK. That is interesting. Do you know who determines the rating (hopefully not the builder). Can any assumptions be made fairly about the build quality say between the MCH6 and the Alkin based on the suggested oil change and rebuild times. And I guess as well how significant. I can't see me likely every reaching 100 hours let alone 1000 on my Alkin.
 
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Perhaps this one does. You know the Russian gun company who makes the IZH?

Screenshot_2020-12-04-16-54-212.1607137047.png


Anyhooo here's an answer to the main question-

Screenshot_2020-12-04-16-44-012.1607137132.png



 
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