How to know when to fix your compressor vs. get a new one?

Understanding Your Options

If your daily business operations depend heavily on having compressed air, this question is extremely important. Should you repair your broken compressor or get a new one?

Let’s talk:

The biggest consideration that comes to mind is cost; the immediate cost vs. the long-term sunk cost of repairing. Besides paying for the new machine or the expense to repair, make sure you take into consideration the energy efficiency of your air compressor. Newer machines usually offer more efficiency, which will help lower your electricity bills.

When to Repair your Air Compressor:

Everyone fears repairing your compressor and then having another issue arise a week later. Here are a few situations in which your best choice may be to repair your compressor. β€’ The compressor is routinely reliable and the repair is not symptomatic of a larger problem β€’ The compressor is still covered by the factory warranty β€’ The compressor is fairly new with minimal operation hours logged β€’ The compressor can be repaired in a timely manner with easily accessible parts

When to Replace your Air Compressor:

β€’ The compressor is an old machine with obsolete parts or difficult to access parts β€’ The compressor is down and not energy efficient. The payoff of saving energy would make up for the cost of a new compressor β€’ When the compressor repairs outweigh 50% or more of the cost of a replacement unit β€’ Your old compressor may be too small for your company’s current needs, so replacing it with a larger unit could be an ideal opportunity

Unsure on what to do next?

Still not sure if you should repair or replace your air compressor? Ash Air is here to help guide you on making that hard decision or troubleshoot.


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Who we are and how Ash Air can help your business!

Ash Air has been around in New Zealand since 1979, and we’ve grown into a nationwide company with international support and a reputation for quality and reliability.We look after all things compressed air for your business!

  • Reciprocating, Screw, air compressors
  • Vacuum pumps
  • Nitrogen
  • An extensive line of air treatment components

Ash Air's range of Chicago Pneumatic, Alup, Pneumatech, and Quincy compressors are used extensively around the world in industries ranging from oil and gas to food, automotive and farming, and we bring you these world class compressors here in the land of the long white cloud.Our technicians are compressed air equipment experts and are dedicated to addressing customer needs. Supported by a 13 locations nationwide, Ash Air offers one of the widest selections of compressed air equipment and parts available today in New Zealand.

Reliability and Efficiency

With Ash Air compressors, you can count on reliability and high performance for even the most demanding applications. We focus our efforts on the following:

  • Increasing uptime
  • Reducing unexpected repairs
  • Reducing energy consumption
  • Improving the cleanliness of compressed air


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