In a factory, compressors are often installed wherever there was space left: a corner of the workshop, a windowless plant room, a lean-to. Yet the room largely determines the machines' service life, the air quality and the electricity bill. This guide sets out what to prepare for an industrial compressor room, whether it houses a single 30 kW machine or several compressors.
Why a dedicated compressor room
Bringing air production together in a dedicated room has four advantages:
- Clean, cool intake air, away from dust, solvent vapours and the heat of production.
- Noise kept away from the workshop and offices.
- Simpler maintenance: all the machines, receivers, dryers and filters in one place, easy to reach.
- An installation run as a whole, with a single header to the network and, if needed, a master controller that shares the work between the compressors.
The layout of a well-designed room
It shows the compressed air chain in order: production (1 to 3), storage (4), treatment (5 and 6), then distribution to the plant. Around it, the room has to handle three flows: fresh air coming in, heat going out and condensate being drained.
Choosing the location
- Close to the main consumers: the shorter the network, the lower the pressure drop and the fewer the leaks.
- On a flat, solid slab, able to carry the machines and full receivers.
- With access for delivery: a high-power machine arrives on a pallet, so you need a door and a route to match, and the means to handle it.
- Protected from frost and high heat: a screw compressor works within an ambient temperature range shown on its data sheet. See compressor, altitude and temperature.
- Away from sources of pollution: the intake air must be as clean as possible. Dusty intake air wears filters and oil much faster.
Removing heat: the most often overlooked point
Almost all the electricity used by a compressor turns into heat. In a closed room the temperature rises fast, the compressor trips on safety and the oil ages faster. Ventilation must be planned at the design stage:
- A fresh air inlet at low level, large enough, protected by a grille and a filter if needed.
- Hot air extraction at high level, ideally through a duct connected directly to the hot air outlet of each compressor.
- No recirculation: the hot air discharged must not be drawn back in by the machines.
- A motorised damper can send this hot air into the workshop in winter and outside in summer.
This heat is free energy. It can heat a workshop, a warehouse or domestic hot water: see our heat recovery guide.
Treating condensate
A compressor produces water, laden with oil, at the receiver, the dryer and the filters. The more powerful the machine and the more humid the air, the larger the volume.
- Automatic drains at every collection point, so that the water does not go back into the network.
- An oil-water separator: oily condensate must not be discharged to the sewer as it is. The separator holds back the oil, which is then sent for treatment.
- A slope and drain pipes that are easy to check.
See also water in compressed air and condensate drains.
Leaving room for maintenance
- Clearance around each machine, at least the distances given by the manufacturer, to open the covers and change the filters, oil and separator.
- Access to the receivers for statutory inspections: see air receiver regulations.
- Isolation valves on each compressor, dryer and filter, to work on one item without shutting down the whole plant.
- Good lighting and a power socket for tools.
Electrical supply and control
- A supply sized for the installed power. The whole AIRSTAHL screw range runs on 380 V three-phase.
- Protection for each machine, so that one can be stopped without cutting the others.
- A master controller when there are several compressors: it starts the machines according to demand and shares out the hours. See compressed air plant.
Connecting the room to the network
- A header that collects the air from all the compressors, then goes through the receiver and the air treatment.
- Pipe diameters calculated for the total flow, not for a single machine.
- Take-offs from the top of the main line, so that residual water does not run down to the points of use.
The details are in our guide connecting a compressor to the air network.
Checklist before installation
- Air consumption measured or estimated (average and peak flow).
- Location chosen, slab and delivery access checked.
- Ventilation sized: low inlet, high extraction, ducts.
- Condensate drainage and oil-water separator planned.
- 380 V three-phase electrical supply and protection for each machine.
- Maintenance clearances respected.
- Header, receiver, dryer and filters placed in the right order.
Planning a new room or reviewing an existing installation? Our technicians can measure your consumption during a compressed air audit, and we offer industrial compressors from 30 to 132 kW on quotation.
For your trade: Compressor for industry and production, Compressor for the food industry, Compressor for plastics processing.