FAQ Pistons Compressors

It varies depending on your regions geographical position. Depending on the size and focus products, some customer center hold stock, but to secure your sales we recommend dealers to keep high runner pistons in stock to offer quick delivery.

All available material if you are a distributor can be found at the MBP portal > Marketing > Pistons > model > Instruction books. Here you will also find a lot of sales and marketing material to help you boost sales.

Yes, there are kits available for most of the models. They contain special piston oil, air intake filter, oil filter and gaskets. To order, write down the serial number and check the online spare part tool selector (available for some brands). In other cases, you can search at the MBP under the piston compressor tabs for the part lists.

A DOL starter connects the motor terminals directly to the power supply. Hence, the motor is subjected to the full voltage of the power supply. Consequently, high starting current flows through the motor. This type of starting is more suitable for small motors below 5 hp (3.75 kW). Start delta applies the voltage gradually reducing starting torque and avoiding high voltage. In some countries, using start delta starters is required by law from 5 hp onwards.

Sound level for professional range compressors varies from 77 to 82dB at around 4 meters distance, which is a distance used by many manufacturers to indicate the sound level. There are also silenced versions of pistons available, where the noise levels drop to 64 to 70 dB at 1 meter. For the industrial range the sound levels at 1 meter range from 74 to 78 dB, and from 61 to 67 dB with silencing canopy.

For the most applications you need a vessel. A vessel provides a more consistent and fluent airflow to the applications. It will avoid constant start and stop of your compressor. It also means that your compressor will not have to run all the time, as it will stop when your vessel is filled. All this contributes to less wear and improved service life.

This is something we even recommend. Moist is one of the results of compressing air, so in order to keep the receiver rust free, and to keep your compressed air system efficient, you need to drain the receiver after every use. This can always be done manually, but also with an automatic drain which has to be ordered separately.

It is true that the smallest max capacity filters are 1000 l/min. But it doesn’t matter if the flow is 300, 500 or 700 l/m, the only regulation is the max capacity of 1000 l/min. Depending on the applications, it important to have filters both on a piston and on screw compressors as you will be able to:

• remove dirt particles from compressed air that could damage the final tools/equipment 
• remove the presence of oil in the compressed air that could damage the final product

When you read a piston sales catalogue of most brands you will find piston displacement flow. This is the amount of air that gets sucked in to the compressor before it is compressed. The free air delivery is the compressed air delivered by the compressor element, and this flow is always mentioned at a certain pressure.

The professional range of pistons use both direct or belt driven technology, and these units are designed for applications with occasional and intermittent air requirement, like in many DIY, service and construction applications. These units are often smaller and more easy to move around. The industrial range has a focus on industrial applications where the compressors are used intensively and for longer periods of time.

There is no real general rule applicable for all circumstances and in all conditions. Best is to determine first how much air you need. After that you need to know how often you will use your compressor. As a guideline, we can say that a professional piston compressor is designed to work with a maximum operating duty between 25% for the smallest models, to 75% for the bigger ones. Industrial compressors can run more intensively and in more severe and heavy duty condition. The more often you use your compressor, the more likely a screw compressor will be more efficient and a more suitable solution.