Compressor Failure — Emergency Diagnosis & Repair

Recognising these signs early can prevent total product loss:

• Compressor won't start, or starts and trips immediately
• Loud knocking, grinding, or humming from the compressor
• Burnt electrical smell or tripped breaker at the unit
• No pressure differential across the compressor

Take these steps now, before our technician arrives:

• Isolate power to the compressor at the isolator — do not keep resetting a tripping breaker.
• Do not attempt to restart; a seized compressor can fail catastrophically.
• Note any burning smell — this indicates a possible burnout requiring system flushing.
• Call REYDS; compressor replacement is a same-day priority repair.

Our technicians check each of these in turn to pinpoint the fault:

• Electrical burnout — Winding insulation fails, often from overheating or liquid flood-back, contaminating the system with acid.
• Mechanical seizure — Lack of lubrication or liquid slugging damages bearings and pistons until the compressor seizes.
• Valve failure — Broken discharge or suction valves stop the compressor pumping, with no pressure differential.
• Control or capacitor failure — A failed run/start capacitor or contactor prevents the compressor starting, mimicking a mechanical failure.

REYDS diagnoses whether the failure is electrical or mechanical. For a burnout we flush the system, install a liquid-line drier, and replace the compressor with a correctly matched unit. For mechanical failure we replace and re-commission. We vacuum, charge, and run the plant to full spec before handover.

Annual compressor health checks — oil acidity, superheat, and motor insulation — catch the slow killers before a catastrophic failure.