That time of year is here when homes and businesses alike are gearing up for another change in seasons and excited for the arrival of spring. This time of year brings on a lot of spring cleaning and company should make sure their trash compactor is up for the task. Maintaining your commercial trash compactor is a critical part of running a business, if your compactor goes down, trash piles up and cleanup costs increase.
There are some things you should do to make sure that your commercial self-contained compactor is maintained well and can support your business even during spring cleaning. Follow these Spring Cleaning and Maintenance for Commercial Trash Compactors.
Preventive Maintenance for Self-Contained Trash Compactors
Maintenance is important for all types of machinery and equipment and that holds true for commercial self-contained compactors. Unmanaged trash compactors can experience faulty operation and have a shorter lifespan. Whether you own your own trash compactor or lease it, companies need to make sure they have a preventive maintenance plan in place. The last thing you want to do is have your trash compactor go down in the middle of a busy week of cleaning and clearing out trash.
Regular maintenance on your trash compactor can prevent a big headache. Here are some of the most important things you can do to make sure your commercial compactor is ready for the job:
- Check all fluids – your trash compactor runs on hydraulic fluid. This fluid should be checked regularly along with oil and any other fluids. Be sure to use the right type of oil in your compactor and make sure there are no leaks. A professional commercial compactor service company can also help you with this type of regular maintenance.
- Inspect all components – hydraulic fluid powers your compactor, but all components play a major role in performance. Trash compactor maintenance should include checking all components including switches, motors, pumps, cylinders and housings as well as oil filters.
- Check electrical components – inspect the condition of all of the wires, switches and relays.
- Check any lighting – make sure any warning lights or emergency stop lights are working.
- Check overall condition – walk around and check the outside of the trash compactor including the doors, door hinges, latches, and rollers.
- Check hydraulic system – while you should always check the fluid level you also need to inspect the hydraulic system regularly including the condition of hoses and quick couplings or fittings. Check the operating pressure and inspect the hydraulic fluid oil level.
Professional Trash Compactor Maintenance Service
Many businesses utilize the services of a professional trash compactor maintenance provider. Anyone servicing a trash compactor should be trained in doing so and exercise caution around hydraulic systems and electrical panels. Even experienced compactor service staff can make mistakes that could put their own safet
y at risk as well as the safety of those around them.
Most businesses may not pay attention to what happens to their compactor when the waste hauler shows up to dump it. Since self-contained compactors are powered by hydraulics, the hydraulic system must be disconnected first, prior to hauling off the full compactor to dump. It can be somewhat alarming to realize just how many times drivers forget to disconnect these hydraulic hoses before driving off.
As detailed in this Free Guide by Stucchi, it was discovered that when evaluated by one commercial waste service company with a large fleet of compactors, this error occurred on average of 13 times for every 100 trash compactors. With an average cost anywhere between $500-$5000, driver errors by waste haulers can end up costing waste management companies tens of thousands of dollars as well as putting a business at risk without reliable waste removal service.
Whether servicing your own trash compactor or using a waste hauler service, make sure that your trash compactor is inspected and maintained regularly, and learn more about protecting your investment with the Compactor Break Away Safety System by Stucchi.
Stucchi is a leading provider of hydraulic solutions for many industries and applications. We customize hydraulic quick connect and release product to meet your needs with reliable and durable protection and leak free quick coupler performance. Contact us to learn more about protecting your compactor with Stucchi’s CBASS Compactor Break Away Safety System.