Proper Intervals for Maintaining Your Industrial Trash Compactor

Every production facility needs an adequate commercial waste disposal system to provide and maintain a clean, safe working environment. The primary piece of equipment for proper waste management is the industrial trash compactor. These necessary machines are able to compress all manner of facility waste into smaller sizes for easy hauling to landfills or are able to compact the trash into easy-to-manage trash compactor bags for disposal. All of this necessitates a properly functioning industrial trash compactor. To keep your industrial trash compactor running at A-1 shape, routine maintenance is necessary.

Proper Industrial Trash Compactor Maintenance

Proper trash compactor maintenance is a typical concern for any facility/warehouse/manufacturing center—where time, money, and safety are at a premium. An adequately maintained trash compactor maintenance program will keep a facility’s compactor running like new for years.

If any manufacturing center is hoping to avoid extended downtime periods due to replacement part procurement or for repair time, a weekly, monthly and even annual maintenance program is beneficial. Periodic maintenance is also essential in extending the lifetime of any industrial waste compactor. When facilities perform planned maintenance during non-production hours, the benefits are apparent.

Preventative Maintenance

Performed scheduled preventative maintenance saves money in the following ways:

1. Reduces compacting waste down time
2. Frequently reduces production down time
3. Minimizes spare parts inventory for compaction equipment

Since it saves money for your company, why not schedule and perform maintenance on your industrial trash compactor at proper intervals?

The Maintenance Value to a Production Facility

Many companies consider their waste disposal to be integral to their production process. Therefore, when the industrial trash compactor is not functioning properly, it can affect production. How can a company be assured that the trash compactor will not negatively affect production? The answer of course is preventative maintenance. Preventative maintenance only comes about by making someone responsible for it who knows the equipment to be maintained and is disciplined in executing a plan for when and how to perform preventative maintenance on your company trash compactors.

The most effective maintenance schedule is to do it in the following intervals: weekly, monthly and annually. As the interval increases, the depth of the maintenance effort is increased. Always start any preventative maintenance program by first reading the maintenance recommended in the manufacturer’s manual. Briefly, these are planned intervals where the time spent on each maintenance session is proportional to the complexity of the equipment:

1. Weekly
   a. Make sure all safety labels are visible
   b. Check safety switches
   c. Observe area for dust
   d. Remove dust and any fluid spots
   e. Grease elements if any are identified in the manual
   f. Check fluid levels and add if needed
2. Monthly
   a. Same as weekly
   b. Run compactor for several minutes and observe
   c. Make sure compactor is secure to floor
   d. Check safety alarms and emergency stop button
   e. Change fluid filter every 6 months
3. Annually
   a. Ask users of equipment about problems they might be experiencing
   b. Same as monthly
   c. Check all hoses and connections
   d. Check oil pressure on all hydraulic circuits
   e. Drain, flush and refill fluid reservoir

The Advantages to Using a RotoPac

Although unique, KenBay’s RotoPac Industrial Trash Compactor requires little maintenance, there are certain items to be aware of to continue to operate the industrial machinery at peak efficiency. Minimal periodic maintenance, such as observing the reservoir hydraulic fluid, making sure the safety labels are visible, and cleaning any traces of grease or dust, are prudent and straightforward tasks to perform.

The maintenance processes are so easy that any facility’s staff maintenance personnel can perform them in several hours. If your company subcontracts the equipment maintenance, have them call KenBay at 843-388-5023 for a copy of the manual and any help they may require.