Compressor Temperature ~ two stage IR compressor

by Wayne Hamlin
(Bonaire, Ga.)

My two stage IR compressor seems very hot after running for extended periods. I know that compressing the air makes it hotter. I just don't know how hot, is too hot?

My old compressor was an oil free unit that got pretty hot also, but I expected the two stage unit to run cooler.

How hot, is to hot?





Bill answers...

Wayne, good question, and I guess without a whole lot more information, we might as well be asking how long is a piece of string? Not enough data.

I can tell you that there's a whole industry growing around reclaiming heat generated by compressors and using that energy saving somewhere else in the plant.

It's not unusual for a compressor head to get too hot to touch comfortably.

In terms of your unit, get a thermometer of some sort on the head so you have some objective numbers as opposed to "it's too hot" and then open the compressor manual and see what it says about compressor head temperature.

If you have no manual, certainly you know the brand, and that company probably has a website full of information about that specific product.

Sorry I can't be more specific.

Have a good one...

Bill




Comments for
Compressor Temperature ~ two stage IR compressor

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Dec 11, 2009
 They run HOT
by: MEP1

It's been my experience that two-stage compressors, particularly IR which are rather cheaply built considering the cost, tend to run very hot. I live in Texas, where it's not uncommon for temps to be in the 100's for months at a time. I've entered a room with a 7 1/2 HP IR compressor stuck on and had been running for two days and hot enough to boil water, but no harm came to the pump. I do use synthetic oil because it won't break down from the heat.

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