Guide for compressed air service companies and compressor dealers · checked 13 November 2026
Compressed air service software, run on running hours, readings and the kit on the truck
A compressed air dealer does not service a customer. It services a compressor room: two rotary screws, a refrigerated dryer, a line of filters and a receiver, each with its own hour meter, kit and history. This guide covers how the published service schedules actually work (hours or calendar, whichever comes first, and shorter when the room is hot or dusty), the readings worth taking on every visit, OSHA receiver rules, UK PSSR, ISO 8573-1 air classes, leak surveys, oil analysis, warranty conditions, and what to ask any software vendor before you move your installed base into it.
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Short answer
Compressed air distributors and service companies usually run on a distributor ERP such as FieldServio, an OEM's own portal and monitoring (Atlas Copco SMARTLINK, Kaeser Sigma Smart Air) for the brand they sell, or an enterprise service platform such as ServiceMax on Salesforce. What matters is a record per machine at each customer site with its running and loaded hours, a service plan that triggers on hours or calendar, readings captured on every visit, kits and truck stock tracked against the job, and an app that works in a plant room with no signal. Fieldproxy is one option: it is set up around your own installed base, service intervals, kits and readings, with an open API and MCP server so your CRM, data warehouse and AI tools can read and create jobs.
20%
Leak rate of a typical plant compressed air system that has not been well maintained; under 10% is achievable with leak detection and repair
10 to 12 psid
Pressure drop across the air/oil separator at which maintenance manuals usually say to change it (new: 2 to 3 psid)
1%
Approximate energy increase for every 2 psi of extra discharge pressure in a 100 psig system at full flow
1,000 hrs
Oil sampling interval POLARIS Laboratories lists for rotary screw compressors on non-PAG oils (2,000 hrs for PAG)
source: POLARIS Laboratories, Industrial oil analysis: sampling intervals (rotary screw compressors)
How a job runs
One compressed air service job, from first call to paid
The order the work really happens in, and what has to be written down at each step so nothing is argued about later.
- 1
Survey the compressor room and build the installed base
The first visit at a new account is a survey, because the customer rarely has a clean list. Every compressor, dryer, filter housing, receiver and drain gets make, model, serial, year, rated pressure, flow and motor size, plus the running hours and loaded hours read off the controller. Photograph each nameplate and the room layout. Add the receiver's ASME data and safety valve setting, the filter element part numbers, and the oil type in the sump: the oil decides the service interval.
- 2
Set each machine's service plan from its manual
Published schedules count running hours and calendar time, whichever comes first. FIAC's plan for its Light Silver range runs A, B, C and D visits at 2,000, 4,000, 6,000 and 12,000 hours, or 1, 2, 3 and 6 years. Atlas Copco's GA 15 to 30 book puts the separator element and air filter at 4,000 hours or yearly, and the oil change at 2,000 to 8,000 hours depending on the fluid and how hot the room runs. The plan per machine is its own; two identical compressors in different rooms can be on different intervals.
- 3
Price the PM contract
Customers buy a parts and labor plan, a labor-only plan with kits billed, or visits on request. The contract lists each covered machine by serial, the visit types included per year, response time for breakdowns, what is excluded (airend rebuilds, motor replacement, receiver inspections by a third party) and the rate for extra work. The contract is per machine, not per site, because a customer adds and retires compressors mid-term.
- 4
Forecast the next visit from the hours
A machine that runs two shifts reaches 4,000 hours long before one that runs a single shift. The office needs the current hours to know when each machine is due, which is why the hour reading on every visit matters as much as the work. The visit type (A, B, C, D, or your own names) follows from the hours, and so does the kit to pick.
- 5
Pick the kit and load the truck
Each visit type maps to a kit: oil filter, air filter, separator element, oil quantity, and at the larger intervals the minimum pressure valve, thermostatic valve, unloader and drain wear kits. The technician's truck or trailer stock is counted against the kits needed this week. A missing separator element found on site means a second trip.
- 6
Do the visit and take the readings
Before shutdown, read the controller: discharge pressure, element outlet temperature, running and loaded hours, load cycles, any warnings. Then lock out per OSHA 1910.147, depressurize and service. After start-up, record pressures again, separator differential, dryer dew point, and where the plan calls for it, vibration on the motor and airend. As one dealer put it about readings, "each time they're there, that might be the only opportunity to grab it."
- 7
Check the receiver and safety devices
OSHA 1910.169 requires a drain at the receiver's lowest point, a visible pressure gauge and spring-loaded safety valves that are tested frequently and at regular intervals. Atlas Copco's schedule tests the safety valve at 8,000 hours or every 2 years and inspects the receiver yearly against minimum wall thickness. Several states also require a periodic inspection certificate on the receiver; Maryland's is every two years.
- 8
Take an oil sample and log the leaks
On oil-injected machines a sample goes to the lab on its own clock, for example every 1,000 hours, and the result can shorten or extend the oil change. Some extended warranties require fluid samples and genuine parts. If the contract includes it, a leak survey with an ultrasonic detector tags each leak with location and size so the customer can fix them.
- 9
Find the next sale
Readings drive the quote: a separator at 9 psid, a dew point drifting up on the dryer, a machine running unloaded half the day, a receiver with a corroded drain. Each finding becomes a recommended repair or an upgrade proposal with the photo and the reading attached, and the next visit date stays on the plan.
- 10
Close, invoice and report per machine
Contract visits close against the plan; extra parts and labor bill at contract rates. The customer gets a service report per machine with hours, readings, parts fitted and findings. The dealer's management needs hours to next service across the whole installed base, contract renewals coming up, and which machine families keep failing on the same part.
What to record
The fields every compressed air service job should capture
Each machine at each customer site
- Site, room, machine tag; type (oil-injected rotary screw, oil-free screw, piston, centrifugal, refrigerated or desiccant dryer, filter housing, receiver, drain)
- Make, model, serial, year, rated pressure (psig or bar), flow (cfm or m³/min), motor kW or hp, fixed speed or VSD
- Running hours and loaded hours, with the date of each reading; hours per week calculated from the last two readings
- Oil type in the sump and the service plan it puts the machine on (e.g. 4,000 h or 1 year)
- Kit part numbers per visit type: oil filter, air filter, separator element, oil volume, valve and drain kits
- Warranty start, terms and conditions (registration, fluid samples, genuine parts), and the contract that covers it
- Receivers: ASME stamp, MAWP, volume, safety valve set pressure, jurisdiction inspection certificate number and expiry
Each service visit
- Visit type (A, B, C, D or your own), hours at the visit, kit used and any extra parts
- Before shutdown: discharge pressure, element outlet temperature, loaded and running hours, controller warnings
- After service: separator differential (psid), dryer pressure dew point, filter differentials, motor amps
- Vibration readings at named points (motor drive end, motor non-drive end, airend) where the plan calls for them
- Safety valve test result and date; condensate drain checked; receiver condition and photos
- Oil sample ID and bottle label; lab result attached when it comes back
- Photos: nameplate, controller screen with hours, anything worn, leaking or corroded
Contract, findings and system checks
- Contract: machines covered by serial, plan type (parts and labor, labor only, on request), visits per year, response time, exclusions, renewal date
- Findings: machine, component, reading that triggered it, severity, photo, quote number and status
- Leak survey: tag number, location, estimated size, repaired yes or no, re-check date
- Air quality requirement where the customer specified one, written as ISO 8573-1 classes (particles, water, oil)
Rules and standards
The rules that shape the work, with their sources
| Rule | What it means on the job |
|---|---|
| Service schedules count hours or calendar, whichever comes first | Atlas Copco's GA 15 to 30 schedule marks its 4,000 hour tasks 'or yearly, whichever comes first' and its 8,000 hour tasks 'or every 2 years'. It also says the longer interval checks must include the shorter ones, and that the local customer center may overrule the intervals depending on environmental and working conditions. source: Atlas Copco, Instruction book GA 15 to GA 30 oil-injected screw compressors, section 12.1 Preventive maintenance schedule |
| Oil change interval depends on the fluid and how hot the room runs | In the same book, Roto-Inject Fluid Ndurance is changed every 4,000 hours up to 25 °C ambient, 3,000 hours from 25 to 35 °C and 2,000 hours above 35 °C, with a 1 year maximum. Roto Synthetic Fluid Xtend Duty runs 8,000 hours up to 40 °C ambient and 6,000 above, with a 2 year maximum. One machine's oil record decides its interval. source: Atlas Copco, Instruction book GA 15 to GA 30 oil-injected screw compressors, section 12.1 Preventive maintenance schedule |
| Dusty rooms get double the checks | FIAC's maintenance plan says its intervals assume a well ventilated room that is not dusty, with standard mineral oil and non-intensive use, and that the frequency of controls should be doubled in particularly dusty environments. It also says non-original spare parts annul the guarantee. source: FIAC, Rotary screw air compressors maintenance plan (A, B, C and D visits by running hours, kits and labor time) |
| OSHA 1910.169: air receivers | Every air receiver needs a drain pipe and valve at its lowest point, an indicating pressure gauge that is readily visible, and one or more spring-loaded safety valves that keep pressure from exceeding the rated limit. All safety valves are to be tested frequently and at regular intervals. New receivers are built to ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code Section VIII. source: OSHA 29 CFR 1910.169, Air receivers (drain at lowest point, gauge, safety valves tested frequently, ASME Section VIII) |
| State receiver inspections | Receiver inspection intervals are set by the state or city, not by OSHA. Maryland, for example, requires air receivers to be inspected biennially under state law, a valid inspection certificate to operate, 30 days' written notice to the chief boiler inspector before installing a pressure vessel, and weld repairs only by an R stamp holder. source: Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Labor and Industry: boiler and pressure vessel safety brochure (air receivers inspected biennially) |
| UK: Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000 | Before qualifying pressure equipment is used, a written scheme of examination must be in place and an examination carried out. A competent person draws up or certifies the scheme and carries out the examinations, and an in-house competent person must have authority to stop use of the equipment. The dealer's service visits and the competent person's examinations are separate records. source: UK Health and Safety Executive, Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000 (written scheme of examination, competent person) |
| OSHA 1910.242(b): air for cleaning | Compressed air must not be used for cleaning unless reduced to less than 30 psi, and then only with effective chip guarding and personal protective equipment. Worth a line on the technician's checklist when blowing down coolers. source: OSHA 29 CFR 1910.242(b), Compressed air used for cleaning (under 30 psi, chip guarding, PPE) |
| ISO 8573-1 air purity classes | Air quality is written as three classes: particles, water and oil, lower numbers cleaner. A requirement of 2.4.1 means class 2 particles, class 4 water and class 1 oil. Oil class 1 allows a maximum of 0.01 mg/m³. Class 0 refers to air from an oil-free compressor, not to reaching a lower oil content by adding filters. source: Atlas Copco, Understanding ISO 8573-1 classes for compressed air quality |
| Leak measurement and target | On start/stop machines, leakage % = (on-load time x 100) / (on-load time + off-load time), measured with all end uses off. Under 10% is a well-maintained system; poorly maintained systems lose 20 to 30%. The fact sheet says these tests should be carried out quarterly as part of a leak detection and repair program, and that an ultrasonic detector is the best way to find leaks. source: Compressed Air Challenge and US DOE, Fact Sheet 7: Compressed air system leaks (May 2026, Rev. 1) |
| Record every reading and every part | DOE's maintenance fact sheet says all observations and meter readings should be recorded for compressors, dryers, filters and other components, that the dates of all maintenance and repairs and a list of all parts replaced should be kept, and that baselining power, pressure, flow and temperature shows when efficiency is degrading. source: US DOE and Compressed Air Challenge, Improving Compressed Air System Performance: A Sourcebook for Industry, 3rd ed. (incl. Fact Sheet 8, Maintenance) |
| Separator differential and pressure set points | A new air/oil separator starts at about 2 to 3 psid at full load; manuals usually call for a change at 10 to 12 psid, and an earlier change can pay where electricity is expensive. For systems around 100 psig, every 2 psi of extra discharge pressure adds about 1% to energy use at full flow. source: US DOE and Compressed Air Challenge, Improving Compressed Air System Performance: A Sourcebook for Industry, 3rd ed. (incl. Fact Sheet 8, Maintenance) |
| Specific power on CAGI data sheets | CAGI's Performance Verification Program checks the figures manufacturers publish on CAGI data sheets for rotary compressors (5 to 200 hp) and refrigerated dryers. Specific power is the electrical input needed to deliver 100 cfm at a given discharge pressure: the number to compare when quoting a replacement. source: Compressed Air and Gas Institute (CAGI), Performance Verification Program and data sheets (specific power) |
| Warranty conditions need records | Quincy's extended warranties illustrate the pattern: True Blue requires registering the unit at start-up, taking fluid samples, using only genuine parts and an authorized start-up; Blue Shield requires genuine parts and Quincy fluids. A dealer that cannot show the service and sample history per serial puts the claim at risk. source: Quincy Compressor, Air compressor warranty: what you need to know (registration, fluid samples, genuine parts) |
| Oil analysis sampling interval | POLARIS Laboratories lists rotary screw compressor sampling every 2,000 hours for PAG oils and every 1,000 hours for all other lubricant types. The sample is a scheduled task with its own clock, separate from the oil change. source: POLARIS Laboratories, Industrial oil analysis: sampling intervals (rotary screw compressors) |
Rules vary by state, council and contract. Checked 13 November 2026; confirm against the source for your area before relying on it.
Numbers
Two published service schedules, side by side
Each row quotes one manufacturer's document for one range of machines. They are not universal intervals: use the manual for the exact model, oil and duty, and shorten them for hot, humid or dusty rooms.
| Task | Interval | Source |
|---|---|---|
| A visit, 4 to 10 hp (labor 1 hr) | 2,000 hrs or 1 year | FIAC Light Silver plan |
| B visit (labor 2 hrs) | 4,000 hrs or 2 years | FIAC Light Silver plan |
| C visit (labor 4 hrs) | 6,000 hrs or 3 years | FIAC Light Silver plan |
| D visit (labor 12 hrs) | 12,000 hrs or 6 years | FIAC Light Silver plan |
| Drain condensate, check oil level and display readings | Daily | Atlas Copco GA 15 to 30 |
| Clean air filter element, check coolers | Every 3 months (more often if dusty) | Atlas Copco GA 15 to 30 |
| Separator element, air filter, leak check, readings | 4,000 hrs or yearly | Atlas Copco GA 15 to 30 |
| Oil and oil filter, Roto-Inject Ndurance, up to 25 °C ambient | 4,000 hrs, 1 year max | Atlas Copco GA 15 to 30 |
| Same oil, above 35 °C ambient | 2,000 hrs, 1 year max | Atlas Copco GA 15 to 30 |
| Oil and filter, Roto Synthetic Xtend Duty, up to 40 °C | 8,000 hrs, 2 years max | Atlas Copco GA 15 to 30 |
| Valve kits, unloader kit, safety valve test | 8,000 hrs or 2 years | Atlas Copco GA 15 to 30 |
| Inspect air receiver against minimum wall thickness | Yearly | Atlas Copco GA 15 to 30 |
source: FIAC, Rotary screw air compressors maintenance plan (A, B, C and D visits by running hours, kits and labor time)source: Atlas Copco, Instruction book GA 15 to GA 30 oil-injected screw compressors, section 12.1 Preventive maintenance schedule
Where it breaks
Where spreadsheets and generic software fall over
The customer is the record. A plant with three compressors and a dryer has one service history, so nobody can say which machine had its separator changed or which one is on 2,000 hour oil because the room runs hot.
Each machine is its own record under the site, with its own hours, oil type, plan and kit list. The visit lists the machines due and only closes when each has a result.
Next service is a date in a spreadsheet. A machine on two shifts hits 4,000 hours months before the date, the separator clogs, and the customer calls a competitor.
Every visit records running and loaded hours. Hours per week are calculated from the last two readings, and the due date is forecast from hours or calendar, whichever comes first.
The technician arrives for a C visit with a B kit. The thermostatic valve and minimum pressure valve are not on the truck, so it is a second trip.
Visit type maps to a kit per model, the week's kits are picked against the truck's stock count, and a shortfall is flagged before the visit is released.
Readings are 'OK' ticks on paper. When the airend fails, there is no separator differential, temperature or vibration trend to show it was coming, and no evidence for the warranty claim.
Readings are required number fields, compared with the last visit. A separator over the change threshold or an outlet temperature climbing opens a finding with the reading attached.
The plant room is in a basement with no signal. The app spins, the technician writes it on a glove box pad, and half of it never makes it into the system.
An app that saves the whole visit offline, readings, photos, parts and signature, and syncs when the truck is back in coverage.
The ERP, the CRM and the data warehouse each hold a piece. Sales cannot see that a customer's oldest machine is at 60,000 hours, and the company's own AI tools cannot read the service data at all.
Service data behind an open API and an MCP server, so the CRM, the warehouse and AI assistants can read hours, findings and contracts, and create jobs, with a person confirming any change.
Checklist
The compressed air service operations checklist
Print it, or hand it to whoever runs the office side.
- Every compressor, dryer, filter housing and receiver recorded per site with make, model, serial and nameplate photo
- Running and loaded hours recorded on every visit, with hours per week calculated
- Oil type per machine and the service plan it sets (hours or calendar, whichever first)
- Kit part numbers per visit type per model, and truck stock counted against next week's kits
- Readings required before and after service: pressure, outlet temperature, separator psid, dew point, amps
- Vibration readings at named points where the plan calls for them, trended per machine
- Safety valve test date per receiver, and the state inspection certificate or UK written scheme on file
- Oil samples scheduled on their own clock and lab results filed against the serial
- Warranty conditions per machine (registration, samples, genuine parts) with proof kept
- Contracts list covered machines by serial, with exclusions and renewal dates
- Findings with readings and photos turned into quotes, and declined quotes followed up
- Leak survey tags tracked to repaired, where the contract includes it
- App works offline in plant rooms
- Hours to next service visible across the whole installed base
Software options
What software compressed air service companies and compressor dealers actually use
Judge each one on whether it fits the way your jobs run, not on the feature list. Bring a real job to every demo.
FieldServio
Industrial distributors that want one ERP for sales, service, inventory, rentals and accounting
Lists air compressor distributors as a core industry, covering rotary screw, reciprocating, oil-free and centrifugal units. Modules include service, inventory, accounting, contracts, CRM and rental fleet, with a technician app that the vendor says works with no internet. A good fit if you want the general ledger in the same system.
Atlas Copco SMARTLINK
Customers and dealers of Atlas Copco machines
OEM monitoring and service portal: health tracking, a service timeline, documents, alerts in the Uptime tier and energy reporting. It covers the brand's own connected machines, not a dealer's mixed installed base or its jobs and invoices.
Kaeser Sigma Smart Air
Kaeser customers on the Sigma Air Manager 4.0 controller
Kaeser's predictive maintenance service, built on the Sigma Air Manager 4.0 and a digital twin of the station, with monitoring of costs, reserves and energy figures. Like SMARTLINK, it is the manufacturer's service for its own systems rather than a dealer's field service tool.
ServiceMax (Asset 360 for Salesforce)
Larger equipment service organizations already on Salesforce
Asset-centric field service on Salesforce Field Service, with installed base, service contracts, warranty and entitlement, and returns. Strong for manufacturers; expect a Salesforce project and licenses for both.
General field service tools (Jobber, Housecall Pro, ServiceTitan)
Small service shops where compressors are one line among many
Good at scheduling, quotes and invoices. Check whether they hold a record per machine with running hours, hour-based intervals and kits, or only a customer address and a recurring date.
Questions to ask any vendor
- Is every compressor, dryer and receiver its own record under the customer site, with its own service history?
- Can a service plan trigger on running hours or calendar, whichever comes first, and forecast the due date from hours per week?
- Does each visit type pick the right kit for that model, and check it against the technician's truck stock before the visit?
- Can readings (pressure, temperature, separator differential, dew point, vibration) be required fields and trended per machine?
- Does the technician app save a full visit with photos and signature with no signal in the plant room?
- Is there an open API and an MCP server, so our CRM, data warehouse and AI tools can read service data and create jobs?
Bring one real compressed air service job. We show it running in Fieldproxy.
Get DemoHow Fieldproxy is set up for this
Compressed air service on Fieldproxy: built around how you already work
A Fieldproxy setup for a compressed air dealer is built around the machine in the compressor room: its hours, its oil, its kit and its readings. The office sees hours to next service across every customer site, technicians get an offline app that will not close a visit without the readings, and the dealer's own CRM and AI tools reach the same data through the open API and MCP server. It is set up around your installed base and service plans and live within a day, with one price per company and unlimited users.
Module 1
Installed base by site
Contracts, warranties and visits all attach to the machine, and the same customer can have five of them in three rooms.
- Records: Customer > Site > Room > Machine; types compressor, dryer, filter housing, receiver, drain, with your own fields per type
- Fields: make, model, serial, year, rated pressure, flow, motor, VSD yes or no, oil type, warranty terms, covering contract
- Survey form for a new account: nameplate photo, controller screen with hours, room layout photo, receiver ASME data
- QR code per machine and per site opens the history on the technician's phone
Module 2
Hour-based service plans
The interval is in hours, but customers run one shift or three.
- Plan per machine: visit types (e.g. A 2,000, B 4,000, C 6,000, D 12,000 hours) or your own, each with a calendar maximum
- Hours recorded on every visit; hours per week calculated; next due date forecast from hours or calendar, whichever first
- Oil type drives the oil change interval (e.g. shorter for hot rooms), set per machine
- Separate clocks for oil samples, safety valve tests and receiver inspections
Module 3
PM contracts and agreements
The contract says what is included per serial, and renewals are where the money is.
- Agreement types e.g. parts and labor, labor only with kits billed, on request
- Covered machines by serial, visits per year, response time, exclusions (airend, motor, third-party receiver inspection), extra work rates
- Recurring visits generated from the agreement; status Proposed, Active, Renewal due, Lapsed
- Not-to-exceed amount on a breakdown job where the customer sets a limit
Module 4
Kits, truck and warehouse stock
The wrong kit on the truck is a second trip.
- Kit per model per visit type: oil filter, air filter, separator element, oil volume, valve, unloader and drain kits
- Weekly pick list from visits due; checked against each truck or trailer's stock count
- Parts used on the job deducted from the truck; purchase orders raised when warehouse stock runs low
- Parts used recorded per serial, so recurring failures show per model
Module 5
Technician app with required readings
"Our technicians are our bread and butter": the visit has to be quick for them and complete for the office.
- Scan the machine QR; the checklist shows only that machine's tasks for this visit type
- Required fields: discharge pressure, element outlet temperature, running and loaded hours, separator psid, dew point, amps; vibration where the plan calls for it
- Safety valve test result, condensate drain check, receiver photos; oil sample bottle ID
- Voice notes and photos, customer signature on the report
- Works offline in plant rooms and syncs when back in coverage; GPS check-in on arrival
Module 6
Findings and quotes
Readings are where the next sale comes from, and a declined recommendation should be on record.
- Finding: machine, component, reading that triggered it, severity (e.g. replace now, next visit, monitor), photo
- Quote from findings with good, better and best options, for example repair the dryer, replace it, or replace and add a second filter stage
- Status: Found, Quoted, Approved, Scheduled, Done, Declined (with reason)
Module 7
Compliance and warranty records
Receiver certificates, PSSR examinations and warranty conditions are dates someone will ask for.
- Receiver: state inspection certificate number and expiry, or UK written scheme of examination and last examination date
- Warranty per machine: registration date, conditions (fluid samples, genuine parts), proof attached from each visit
- Oil analysis results filed against the serial; a result flagged by the lab opens a finding
Module 8
Customer portal and service reports
The plant engineer wants to see their machines, not call to ask.
- Service report per machine per visit: hours, readings, parts, findings, photos, signature, in your own template
- Portal per customer: machines by site, last visit, next due, open quotes to approve, invoices with payment links
- Report in the customer's language; the app and portal run in 27 languages
Module 9
Invoicing, accounting sync and open data
Fieldproxy is not a general ledger, so the money has to land in the accounting system, and the data has to reach the rest of the stack.
- Invoices from contract visits and extra work; payment links, Stripe and Tap to Pay
- Two-way sync with QuickBooks Online, Desktop or Enterprise, Xero or Sage, including bills
- Open API and Zapier to the CRM (for example HubSpot) and the data warehouse; MCP server so Claude, ChatGPT or Copilot can read and create jobs, with a confirm step
The AI agents, set up for compressed air service companies and compressor dealers
| Agent | When | What it does | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Watcher agent | A visit is saved with a separator differential above the change threshold (e.g. 10 psid), an outlet temperature higher than the last three visits, or a machine forecast to pass its service hours before its booked visit | Compares the reading or forecast with the machine's history and plan | A finding or a pulled-forward visit for the service manager to approve |
| Vision agent | A technician photographs a nameplate or the controller screen during a survey or visit | Reads model, serial, rated pressure and the running and loaded hours | The machine record and hour reading filled for the technician to confirm |
| Knowledge agent | A technician on site asks about a controller warning or a fault on a model | Searches your manuals, service bulletins and past jobs on the same model | An answer with the steps and the past jobs it came from |
| Scheduler agent | Every Friday at e.g. 2 pm | Lists next week's visits by technician, the kits each needs, and what is missing from each truck | A pick list and shortfall report to the parts desk |
| Autopilot | A quote from a visit finding is unanswered for e.g. 7 days, or a contract is 60 days from renewal | Drafts a follow-up naming the machine, the reading or hours, and the photo | A draft email a person approves before it sends |
| MCP server | Someone asks Claude, ChatGPT or Copilot, for example: which customers have machines over 40,000 hours with no contract? | Reads the installed base, hours and contracts through Fieldproxy's MCP server, and can create a job or quote | The answer, or a drafted job that waits for a person to confirm |
Straight answers
Compressed air service: FAQ
What software do compressed air service companies use?
Distributors often run an industry ERP such as FieldServio, OEM portals and monitoring such as Atlas Copco SMARTLINK or Kaeser Sigma Smart Air for their brand, or ServiceMax on Salesforce at enterprise scale. What matters is a record per machine with running hours, hour-based service plans, kits checked against truck stock, required readings and an offline app. Fieldproxy is set up around your own installed base and plans, with an open API and MCP server.
How often should a rotary screw compressor be serviced?
Follow the manual for the model and oil. As published examples: FIAC's Light Silver plan runs visits at 2,000, 4,000, 6,000 and 12,000 hours or 1, 2, 3 and 6 years, and Atlas Copco's GA 15 to 30 book changes the separator element and air filter at 4,000 hours or yearly. Hot, humid or dusty rooms shorten the intervals.
What is the difference between running hours and loaded hours?
Running hours count the time the motor is turning; loaded hours count the time the compressor is actually producing air. A machine with many unloaded hours may be oversized or poorly controlled, which is worth a finding. Service intervals in most manuals count running hours.
When should the air/oil separator be changed?
On the schedule in the manual, or earlier on pressure drop. DOE's sourcebook says a new separator starts at about 2 to 3 psid at full load and manuals usually call for a change at 10 to 12 psid, which is why separator differential is a reading worth recording at every visit.
What readings should a technician take on a compressor service visit?
At minimum: running and loaded hours, discharge pressure, element outlet temperature and controller warnings before shutdown, then separator differential, dryer pressure dew point, filter differentials and motor amps after start-up. DOE also lists recording vibration signatures (optional) on oil-free screw machines. Comparing each with the last visit is what shows a problem coming.
How often should air receivers be inspected?
OSHA 1910.169 requires safety valves to be tested frequently and at regular intervals but leaves inspection intervals to the jurisdiction. Some states set them: Maryland requires a biennial inspection and a valid certificate. In the UK, PSSR 2000 requires a written scheme of examination and examinations by a competent person.
How do you measure compressed air leakage?
On a start/stop compressor with all end uses off, leakage % = (on-load time x 100) / (on-load time + off-load time). Under 10% is a well-maintained system; a typical unmaintained plant loses about 20%. The Compressed Air Challenge suggests testing quarterly and finding leaks with an ultrasonic detector.
What does ISO 8573-1 class 1.4.1 mean?
The three numbers are classes for particles, water and oil, lower is cleaner. 1.4.1 means class 1 particles, class 4 water and class 1 oil. Oil class 1 allows at most 0.01 mg/m³. Class 0 refers to air from an oil-free compressor.
How often should compressor oil be sampled?
POLARIS Laboratories lists rotary screw compressors at every 1,000 hours for most oils and every 2,000 hours for PAG oils. Some extended warranties also require fluid samples, so file the results against the serial.
Does the technician app work without signal in a plant room?
In Fieldproxy, yes: the visit, readings, photos, parts and signature save offline and sync when the device is back in coverage. AI features such as the knowledge agent need a connection.
Can our own AI tools and CRM use the service data?
Yes. Fieldproxy has an open API and its own MCP server, so Claude, ChatGPT or Copilot can read the installed base, hours, findings and contracts and create jobs or invoices with a confirm step. A CRM such as HubSpot or a data warehouse connects through the API or Zapier.
Does Fieldproxy replace our accounting system?
No. Fieldproxy runs service, contracts, stock, quotes and invoices, and syncs two-way with QuickBooks Online, Desktop or Enterprise, Xero or Sage, including bills. If your current system is an ERP with its own general ledger, the ledger stays there and the field side moves to Fieldproxy.
Related guides
All sources on this page (20)
- source: Compressed Air Challenge and US DOE, Fact Sheet 7: Compressed air system leaks (May 2026, Rev. 1)
- source: US DOE and Compressed Air Challenge, Improving Compressed Air System Performance: A Sourcebook for Industry, 3rd ed. (incl. Fact Sheet 8, Maintenance)
- source: POLARIS Laboratories, Industrial oil analysis: sampling intervals (rotary screw compressors)
- source: Atlas Copco, Instruction book GA 15 to GA 30 oil-injected screw compressors, section 12.1 Preventive maintenance schedule
- source: FIAC, Rotary screw air compressors maintenance plan (A, B, C and D visits by running hours, kits and labor time)
- source: OSHA 29 CFR 1910.169, Air receivers (drain at lowest point, gauge, safety valves tested frequently, ASME Section VIII)
- source: Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Labor and Industry: boiler and pressure vessel safety brochure (air receivers inspected biennially)
- source: UK Health and Safety Executive, Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000 (written scheme of examination, competent person)
- source: OSHA 29 CFR 1910.242(b), Compressed air used for cleaning (under 30 psi, chip guarding, PPE)
- source: Atlas Copco, Understanding ISO 8573-1 classes for compressed air quality
- source: Compressed Air and Gas Institute (CAGI), Performance Verification Program and data sheets (specific power)
- source: Quincy Compressor, Air compressor warranty: what you need to know (registration, fluid samples, genuine parts)
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