To hire a compressor for the grape harvest, start from the winery's peak demand, subtract what your own compressor delivers, and hire the difference with a margin. A winery with a 1.1 m³/min compressor and a peak demand of 2 m³/min might, for example, hire a 7.5 kW machine as a top-up, or a 15 kW machine that does everything and keep its own as a backup.
Our page on the compressor for wineries covers a winery's air needs all year round. Here we deal with the few weeks of harvest.
Step 1, list what runs during harvest
Write down every machine that uses air during harvest, with its consumption and pressure from the data sheet:
- pneumatic presses, if they do not have their own compressor;
- pneumatic valves and cylinders on tanks and reception areas;
- blow guns and equipment cleaning;
- the bottling line, if it also runs during this period.
Then identify the machines that work at the same moment. The peak is what counts, not the daily average.
Step 2, work out the peak
Example of a winery in full harvest (figures for guidance only, replace them with those from your data sheets):
- press during a pressure rise: 1,400 l/min
- valves and cylinders: 100 l/min
- two cleaning blow guns: 2 × 150 l/min counted at 50% = 150 l/min
- total: 1,650 l/min, or about 2,060 l/min with a 25% margin
Step 3, subtract what you already have
Your compressor delivers its flow at working pressure, read on its data sheet. Take a K 75: 1,100 l/min at 8 bar. The shortfall is 2,060 - 1,100 = 960 l/min.
Two ways to cover that shortfall:
- A top-up. A 7.5 kW machine such as the S 75, 1.1 m³/min at 8 bar, covers the 960 l/min. Both compressors work together on the same network.
- One machine for everything. A 15 kW machine such as the S 150, 2.2 m³/min at 8 bar, covers the 2,060 l/min on its own. Your compressor then stays as a backup, ready to take over if there is a problem.
If you do not know your peak precisely, our compressed air audit measures the winery's real consumption.
What to prepare before the machine arrives
- Electricity. Screw compressors from 7.5 to 15 kW run on 380 V three-phase. Check that a socket or distribution box of the right rating exists near the planned location, and that your supply can take the machine on top of the harvest pumps and chillers.
- The location. A dry, ventilated room, away from the hosing of the reception area, with space around the machine for cooling air. Our article on the compressor room sets out the rules.
- The connection. A tapping on your network with a valve, and a non-return valve on each compressor when two machines work together. Our guide on connecting a compressor to the air network explains the set-up.
- Pressure settings. With two compressors, set their pressure set points slightly apart: one works as the base load, the other starts when demand rises.
- Air treatment. A standalone S series screw compressor has no tank and no dryer. For presses and bottling, the air must be dry and filtered: ask for the air receiver, dryer and filtration with the machine, or choose a 4-in-1 model from the K series.
What the hire includes
We hire out screw compressors from 5.5 to 132 kW, from the S, K, L and M series. The machine is sized with you from your real air consumption, maintenance is included, and there is no minimum commitment: you return the machine at the end of harvest. If the machine stops, we provide a replacement compressor or a suitable solution. The rent, the duration and the options are set out in the quote.
Pitfalls of hiring for harvest
- Hiring on average flow. A machine sized on the daily average runs short of air at every press rise.
- Forgetting the pressure. Read the hired machine's flow at 8 bar, not at a lower pressure.
- Neglecting your own compressor. Service it before harvest: filters, oil, drain. The service kits group the parts for each model.
Send us the list of your harvest machines and describe your winery in a quote request.
For your trade: Compressor for wineries.