How cold can you run a Yong Heng Compressor?

Hmmm I think it's more of a question of how cool can you get it to run. Not will it run in cool temps. The things get hot no matter what.



I'd like to hear someone else chime in, though...

My 12v compressor did not like to run when it was around freezing. The oil in the crank case was pretty thick. I ran it w/o load for5 mins to allow the guts to warm up a bit.

If you push too hard when it the lube is very cold, you risk your start up capacitors.

All machines are machined to tolerances that are optimal for the desired temperature range that the machine will operate in continuous operation. Running a machine outside that temperature may cause harm or premature wear. Usually running colder than recommended will cause more damage than running a little hot because of the tighter tolerances. When you say 40 degrees F, do you mean the ambient conditions or the internal temp of the machine? If it is the latter, then yes that is far too cold for any machine that is not designed for such a low working temp. An engineering degree is not required to understand why it's wrong to assume that heat is the enemy and therefore colder must be better.

Its stupid cold here in Ohio and i just bring my compressor inside a day before i use it that way all the oil and metal is as close to 70 as possible then take it out in the garage to use it. In my mind thinner oil and warmer parts provide more protection and less shock to the system and materials. Less risk of damage. 

40 degrees ambient temp. Concern is that the oil will be a tad thick and not lubricate properly. As for internal temps, it is at ambient when I start, so as Eaglebeak said, tolerences are important and so is the viscosity of the oil. I think I'll just wait till it warms into the 50's before I crank it up. The compressor lives in an unheated shed, so I need to be careful.

Thanks for the responses, just wasn't sure and thought I'd ask the knowledge base we have for advice. I either find a way to warm it up, or I wait till Mother Nature does it for me.

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If you are using a multigrade oil there shouldn't be an issue. The compressor should warm up fairly quickly anyway. If you were talking -40 there might be a problem. You could pre-warm your coolant if you are worried that it might nip up but I don't think that is necessary. Just be careful that you don't leave the water jacket full whilst not in use as if it freezes it could split. 

They run fine cold, just don’t put a load on it until around 40 deg C, I run mine a lot under 20 deg F startup, 3 years, you will be fine, run good oil! Full synthetic= Heat kills motors much more than cold.

Run it for 5min with no load on the output and then run it like normal.

No problem in "running it cold". As several have noted, run it to warm up under no load if necessary and use a quality HP compressor oil. Few have any problems with having one "run too cold". They will heat up quickly once running and even more when under load. Controlling excessive heat is the primary problem most encounter. Mine is run cold quite often and has lasted well over two years.

I store mine in my unheated workshop. It works fine in cold temperatures. Sometimes when the overnight temperature gets down in the teens and it is still at freezing or below the next day, it will hesitate for a split second or so before it starts up. I don't know if it makes any difference but I use Royal Purple air compressor oil in mine. I also mixed in a gallon of automotive antifreeze in a 5-gallon water bucket that I use to cool it. I was using RV Antifreeze but it will still freeze. Not solid, but enough that the water pump won't work.

I live in Northern Michigan and noticed my first year of having one of these units that they don't like starting up in the cold. Sometimes not at all no matter how many time's trying to toggle the switch on and off. This is with my unit's out in my man shed without heat. Anything below 40° I'd advise to warm them up first in the house, then bring them back out for a easy less stressful start to it. All 3 of mine are effected the same way. Don't want to burn any electric components up inside of it. So if I think it's to cold out, I just bring it in to warm up before taking it back out to turn on.