I just purchased my new blower from Air Blower Services. How often should I lubricate it?

Regular lubrication ensures that your blower operate at maximum efficiency for a long period of time. For the Roots Universal RAI® series, the drive end requires grease and the gear end uses oil. Most other Roots blowers require oil to properly lubricate both the drive end and gear end.

• Ambient Temperature above 90˚F (32˚C) use ISO Viscosity No. 320
• Ambient Temperature 32˚F to 90˚F (0˚C to 32˚C) use ISO Viscosity No. 220
• Ambient Temperature 0˚F to 32˚F (-18˚C to 0˚C) use ISO Viscosity No. 150
• Ambient Temperature below 0˚F (-18˚C) use ISO Viscosity No. 100

What do I do if my blower does not turn?

The first step is to examine the driver and see if the driver components such as the motor or engine are in proper working condition. If the driver is operational, you need to turn off, or de-energize, the system and lock out the power supply.

Follow these steps to open up the inside of the blower:

• Turn off the system and lock out the power supply.
• Remove any filters, silencers or fittings that block access to the inlet and discharge.
• Remove belts or coupling guards so you can turn the unit shaft.

Once it is opened up, you can check inside the unit and look for accumulated debris. Plastic, cement, rust and other assorted debris can build up and create an obstruction inside the blower.

Remove any accumulated debris you find. In some cases, you may have to take the unit apart and clean the affected components with solvent.

Rotate the shaft back and forth to determine if there is any motion. If you cannot do a full rotation, you may need to remove the shaft for repairs. Never use a pipe wrench to rotate the shaft under any circumstances. It could bend the shaft and lead to costly repairs. A strap wrench is a much better option.

If the unit is simply rusty, you can apply a PB Penetrating Catalyst to it. Spray a liberal amount over the surface of the headplates, impellers and other internal components. Allow the solution to remain on the components anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours depending on the severity of the rust.

Once the right amount of time has passed, go back and rotate the shaft back and forth again. If you have a Roots unit that features a locknut on the timing gearbox, simply drain the oil out of the gearbox housing and remove the housing cover. Take a socket and a ¾ inch or 1 inch ratchet and use these on the drive motor timing gear nut to rock the unit back and forth in a clockwise direction. Be careful not to loosen the lock nut. Keeping trying to rotate the unit until it turns freely.

Replace the gearbox cover and refill the unit with the amount and type of oil specified in your owner's manual. Then, reassemble the drive and put the piping back into place. Your unit is ready to be energized again. If everything sounds right when it is energized, operate the unit at minimum load for five minutes to ensure proper turning and performance.

If the unit has built up too much internal rust and cannot be made to turn freely with this method, it must be torn down. Each component must be cleaned through sand blasting to remove the rust and then it can be reassembled. If you need to tear down and reassemble the unit, it is a good idea to replace all of your existing bearings, seals and gaskets with newer ones.

Grease is accumulating under the shaft area of my URAI. Should I be worried about it?

It is normal for URAI that uses grease as a drive end lubricant to have grease build up under the shaft area. The drive end contains two bearing cavities and each cavity holds an individual bearing. Each bearing is lubricated through a Zerk fitting. One of the jobs required in blower maintenance is to pump new grease into each of the Zerk fittings on a weekly basis. You should pump enough grease into the fitting until you see a small amount of grease ooze out of the grease vent. This helps the drive end stay properly lubricated through each use. The grease heats up each time you operate the blower and it is expelled through the grease vent. This leads to a pile of grease building up directly under each vent. Make an effort to clean up the vented grease after you are finished using the blower. Since grease is expelled from the blower regularly during use, you need to grease the unit a minimum of once per week to keep it operating properly.

I can't make out anything on my blower nameplate. How do I know what model I have, so I can order replacement parts?

Each blower model contains key dimensions and characteristics. These things make your blower unique from other models manufactured by Roots.

You can determine which model is your blower model by taking the following steps:

• Measure the shaft diameter
• Measure the connection size
• Measure the distance between the shaft centers
• Measure the cylinder length

Once you have taken all of the appropriate measurements, ask questions to determine other key features:

• Does your blower have a threaded or flanged air or gas connection? Or does it require a special adapter?
• Are the feet bolted on or are they cast as part of the headplate?
• Is the gearbox cover made from cast iron or is it composed of aluminum?
• How does air or gas flow through the unit when it is in operation? Does it move side to side or from top to bottom?

Answering these questions, along with the measurements, should give you enough specifications to determine which blower model you own. If you still cannot find out, you can always check out photos of the blowers sold on the Air Blower Services website and browse through pictures of each Roots blower model to see which one most closely matches your own.

When is the right time to clean my filter or change it?

A brand new filter should experience a pressure drop of 2 to 3 inches in the water column. As the filter ages, the pressure drop increases. Once the pressure drops exceeds 10 to 15 inches, it is time to change out the old filter and replace it with a new one.

You can make it easy to track when the filter needs to be replaced by screwing a differential pressure gauge into the top of the filter housing. These gauges are compatible with many filter housings and they offer a visual indicator of when a filter needs to be replaced.

For cleaning the filter, it depends on the material composing the media. Some paper media can be disposed. Felt, polyester and wire media are easier to clean and can be reused.

I just purchased my new blower. Can I install it and just start using it?

No. The blower needs to be properly lubricated prior to initial use or you can do severe damage to vital internal components. Please thoroughly review all of the instructions that pertain to the blower and read the operations and maintenance manual from cover to cover before installation. If you do not have a paper copy of your manual, you can get one from the Air Blower Services website.

If you have questions besides the ones covered here, feel free to contact one of the experts at Air Blower Services day or night. We can help you find replacement parts, troubleshoot problems and help you solve any problems you might encounter with your blower. We are your trusted dealer of Roots products and serving our customers is our no. 1 priority!