24/7 Emergency Air Compressor Repair
Compressed Air Down? Call (540) 728-1134 Now.
We answer around the clock, every day of the year, for all makes and models across Central and Southwest Virginia and Southern West Virginia.
Call (540) 728-1134
While You Wait for Our Technician
A few checks are safe to perform yourself and occasionally resolve the problem before we arrive. If any of these identify the issue, call us back and cancel — we would rather lose the service call than charge you for a tripped breaker.
Check the disconnect and breaker. Compressors trip breakers for real reasons, but a nuisance trip after a power event is common. If it trips again immediately after reset, stop and leave it off.
Check the emergency stop. E-stops get bumped, and a compressor that appears dead is sometimes just latched out.
Read the controller. Most modern compressors display a fault code before shutting down. Write it down and have it ready when you call — it often tells us which parts to bring.
Check the oil level and look for obvious leaks. A visibly low sight glass or a puddle under the machine is useful diagnostic information.
Note what changed. Did it get louder, hotter, or slower before it stopped? Did the plant add equipment recently? Was there a storm or a power interruption? These details shorten diagnosis considerably.
What not to do: do not open, disassemble, or attempt repairs on a pressurized system, and do not bypass a safety device to get the machine running. Compressed air systems store significant energy, and a shortcut taken under production pressure is how people get hurt.
Common Emergency Failures and What They Usually Mean
The Compressor Will Not Start
Most no-start conditions trace to power supply, control circuit, or a safety device doing its job. Blown fuses, failed contactors, faulty pressure switches, tripped overloads, and motor starter problems account for the majority. If a safety shut the machine down, forcing it to run without finding out why usually converts a repair into a replacement.
The Compressor Is Overheating or Shutting Down on High Temperature
High-temperature shutdowns commonly come from restricted airflow, a fouled cooler, low or degraded fluid, a failed thermal valve, or ambient conditions the installation was never designed for. Summer is our busiest season for exactly this reason — a machine that ran fine all winter in a hot room finds its margin gone in July.
The Compressor Runs but Pressure Is Low
Low delivered pressure often has nothing to do with the compressor. Loaded filters, a failing dryer, a stuck open condensate drain, undersized or leaking piping, and accumulated leak load all reduce pressure at the point of use while the compressor itself operates normally. Diagnosing this correctly is the difference between a filter change and an unnecessary equipment purchase.
The Compressor Is Tripping Its Breaker
Repeated breaker trips indicate a genuine electrical or mechanical fault — motor winding problems, a seizing airend, failing bearings, or a starter issue. This is not a condition to reset repeatedly. Each attempt risks further damage to the motor.
There Is Oil in the Air Lines
Lubricant carryover usually points to a failed or saturated separator element, overfilled fluid, or a plugged scavenge line. Beyond the mess, oil carryover contaminates downstream equipment and product, and in some applications it constitutes a quality event that has to be documented.
Water Is Coming Through the System
Water at the point of use means the drying and condensate removal system is not doing its job — a failed dryer, a stuck drain, or a system running past the capacity it was sized for. In freezing weather this escalates quickly, because water in outdoor or unheated lines will eventually freeze and block them.
What Our Emergency Response Includes
We answer the phone. Nights, weekends, and holidays. A person, not a queue.
We arrive equipped. Our service vehicles carry common wear parts, fluids, filters, and diagnostic equipment so that most failures are resolved on the first visit rather than after a parts order.
We diagnose the system, not just the machine. The most expensive service call is the one that fixes the wrong thing. Our technicians check pressure at the point of use, evaluate treatment and storage, and confirm the fault before replacing components.
We tell you what we found. You receive documentation of the failure, the repair performed, and anything else identified that needs attention — with quotes, so nothing surprises you later.
We can keep you running while we repair. If the machine needs shop time or a long-lead part, we supply rental compressors and vacuum pumps so production continues.
All Makes, All Models
Our technicians are factory trained and hold current CAGI certification through the Compressed Air & Gas Institute. We service rotary screw and reciprocating compressors, oil-free and oil-lubricated systems, variable speed drives, vacuum pumps, blowers, process chillers, refrigeration systems, air dryers, and compressed air treatment equipment.
You do not need to be an existing customer, and you do not need to have purchased the equipment from us.
Bill Rimer, President of Atlantic Compressors, is a Department of Energy Qualified AirMaster+ Specialist and a CAGI Certified Specialist — one of a small number of professionals holding both credentials in Southwest Virginia.
Service Area
Atlantic Compressors provides emergency service throughout Central and Southwest Virginia and Southern West Virginia, dispatched from our facility at 1175 Intervale Drive in Salem, Virginia — including the Roanoke Valley, the New River Valley, Lynchburg, and surrounding communities.
The Emergency You Do Not Have Is the Cheapest One
Emergency repair costs more than scheduled maintenance in every direction: after-hours labor, expedited parts, rental equipment, and lost production for every hour the line is down. A single failure during a production shift can exceed a full year of preventive maintenance.
Most of the failures described on this page announce themselves weeks in advance — in fluid analysis, in rising temperatures, in pressure that has been slowly drifting down. Scheduled service is how they get caught while they are still inexpensive.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you really answer 24 hours a day?
Yes. We provide emergency service nights, weekends, and holidays throughout our service area.
Do you service compressors you did not sell?
Yes. Our technicians are factory trained across all major manufacturers and service every make and model regardless of where the equipment was purchased.
Can you get me running today if the part has to be ordered?
In most cases, yes. We supply short-term rental compressors and vacuum pumps to keep production moving while repairs are completed.
What information should I have ready when I call?
The equipment make and model, any fault code on the controller, what the machine was doing before it stopped, and your location. That lets us bring the right parts on the first trip.
Should I keep resetting a compressor that keeps tripping?
No. Repeated trips indicate a genuine fault, and each reset attempt risks further damage to the motor or airend. Leave it off and call.
Do you handle vacuum pumps and chillers on emergency calls as well?
Yes. We provide emergency service for vacuum pumps, regenerative blowers, process chillers, refrigeration systems, and air treatment equipment in addition to air compressors.
Call Now
Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.