A compressed air receiver stores energy: several hundred litres of air at 8, 10 or 16 bar. That is why it is regulated as pressure equipment, from its manufacture to its use in your workshop.
On delivery: marking and documents
An air receiver sold in Europe carries the CE marking and a nameplate showing its maximum allowable pressure (PS), its volume (V) and its year of manufacture. It is supplied with its instructions and its declaration of conformity.
Keep these documents with the compressor's documents, in a file you can find easily. You will be asked for them during inspections, and if you sell the machine.
In service in France: the order of 20 November 2017
In France, in-service monitoring of pressure equipment is governed by the French order of 20 November 2017 (arrêté du 20 novembre 2017). The obligations depend mainly on two values shown on the nameplate: the maximum pressure and the volume, often combined as the product PS × V, in bar·litres.
For example, a 500-litre air receiver at 11 bar represents 11 × 500 = 5,500 bar·L.
Depending on this product and the type of vessel, the operator (you) may have to arrange:
- periodic inspections, carried out by a competent person;
- periodic requalifications, which are more thorough, at longer intervals;
- for the largest volumes, a declaration and a commissioning inspection.
The exact thresholds and intervals depend on your equipment. The safest approach is to have them checked for your specific air receivers.
Day to day: good practice
- Drain the water: without an automatic condensate drain, open the drain valve regularly. Water standing at the bottom eats away at the receiver from the inside.
- Look at the receiver: rust, impact damage, deformation, leaks at the connections. If in any doubt, do not put it back under pressure.
- Never modify an air receiver: no welding, no drilling, no added connections.
- Leave the safety valve alone: it protects the receiver against overpressure. It is not adjustable and must never be blocked.
- Respect the pressure limit: the compressor's pressure switch must never be set above the receiver's maximum pressure.
Having your air receivers inspected
To find out which obligations apply to your equipment and to have the inspections carried out, we work with our partner VGP Expert France, which operates throughout France on compressors, lifting equipment and spray booths.
You can also contact us from the Maintenance and inspections page: we organise the servicing of your compressors and put you in touch with inspectors.