Safety Reminder Disconnect your air tools at the end of the day......

[gnlman]

Hi all. Thought I would post this in hopes it saves anyone from the potential disaster I could have had in my shop!

Was working on a project when my wife came home and reminded me we were going out for dinner in an hour with friends....
I quickly finished what I was doing (glue up ) and hit the shower to get cleaned up to go out. ( I left the stapler on the bench still attached to the air hose and compressor on)

The next morning I returned to the shop to find my compressor running and air leaking out of the trigger valve of the stapler I was using........( an o-ring had split )
Not sure how long the compressor had been running, but it was very hot (so was the room) and had filled the air hose and stapler with water, so I'm assuming it had been running most of the night..
Good thing I didn't have to work the next morning or I may not have found this in time. The compressor is a Mac2400, so it's pretty quiet to begin with and I did not hear it running until I opened the overhead door in the garage (detached).
I don't know how many times I've forgotten to disconnect the air tool from the compressor over the years but will not do that again. I'm not in the habit of unplugging the compressor either, but it will be my newly adopted practice when I am finished puttering for the day. I do not have a dedicated circuit for the compressor as it sits under my MFT with my vacuum, but they are now plugged into a duplex receptacle on the end of a short extension cord that I will unplug when I'm done for the day......
Still not sure if the compressor is fried, but it was hot enough to start leaking oil........I drained the oil and will pick up some fresh oil today and see if it is ok, but not too worried as it can be replaced, burning down my shop and trying to replace everything would be very heartbreaking.......
I will be pulling a dedicated circuit beside my MFT shortly, and will make it a habit to throw the breaker when leaving the shop. I had this setup in my old place, and I believe it was good practice. For now I just have a sign on the door reminding me to unplug the compressor!! 
While I'm sure most of you already do these things, I'm hoping by sending this it might make a few more of us "hobby" guys think about safety when the shop is empty.
take care,
Greg

 

[Slappy]

ThanX
that's a story everyone can learn from .
When I do my remodel on my garage to turn it into a working shop I now will have a main shutoff single switch that cuts power to everything in the garage . I plan on installing  a breaker sub panel anyway so putting a single throw HD switch on the in coming power to the sub panel & have it right by the exit is a real good idea .
But as my work with heavy equipment  & large vehicles the only times I really messed up was when I was interrupted by a outside source , breaks the mental flow we all have , mistakes soon follow .
Mike 

 

[Deansocial]

I always drop the pressure on mine, just in case

 

[mouppe]

ThanX
that's a story everyone can learn from .
When I do my remodel on my garage to turn it into a working shop I now will have a main shutoff single switch that cuts power to everything in the garage . I plan on installing  a breaker sub panel anyway so putting a single throw HD switch on the in coming power to the sub panel & have it right by the exit is a real good idea .
But as my work with heavy equipment  & large vehicles the only times I really messed up was when I was interrupted by a outside source , breaks the mental flow we all have , mistakes soon follow .
Mike 

Just bear in mind that there are some machines that need constant power such as a vacuum press or an air purifier.

 

[Tinker]

I haven't had that sort of problem in the shop, but I once got sidetracked by a phone call as I was unhitching my equipment trailer.
I had the trailer and safety chains all disconnected when i was called to the phone.

After the call, I came back to the truck and just drove away.  I looked in the mirror, as was my habit when pulling out WITH trailer hitched.  I was surprised to notice the trailer had moved forward and the support foot that should have been on a support block of wood was sitting on the ground.  When i stopped to determine the problem, all of the wireing harness had pulled out of the plug that was still connected to the truck.  there went a half day wasted.  I now ALWAYS unplug the wireing plug first whenever i disconnect and plug in last when hooking up.
Tinker

 

[leakyroof]

This happens on an industrial level more than you know... [embarassed]  Very typical to leave the Air Compressors on in a large scale operation, since many users don't want to track down all the tiny leaks in an older plumbed system. So, to prevent a fully empty air system on Monday's return of everyone, the compressors are allowed to run as needed overnight or over the weekend. Sometimes, due to line breaks or large leaks during a weekend, that means you have a melted or ruined compressor on Monday to greet you.... [eek]
  For my own shop, I turn off the power to the compressor when not in use. I'd rather be greeted by an empty system than a damaged unit when I get back to needing my compressor turned on.  It's easier to break out the soapy water bottle to check for air leaks than the money for a new pump or motor on a 2 stage compressor... [wink]