How hot should a 3hp air compressor head get

by Steve
(San Diego Ca)

top of the head gets around 250 degrees. Its a Montgomery Wards 3hp twin cylinder compressor.

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Steve, that's a tough one to answer. No manual I've seen give you the expected pump head temperature, as I expect that is a moving target.

All pump heads will get so hot, particularly under heavy compressor use, that they will burn skin quite badly.

The high temp of the compressor head is why the air line from the pump to the tank is made of fire resistant material.

Are you asking the question because you've notice it getting hotter? Or, did you just note if for the first time?

I don't have the specs, but if you do, make sure you know what the duty cycle of the compressor is, and do not exceed that. If you are not sure, run the compressor for 15 minutes max at a time, and allow it at least that length of time to cool down.

Cheers,

Bill




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How hot should a 3hp air compressor head get

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Feb 08, 2012
 Just wondering
by: Steve

Well it has been that way for a long time, I just put a laser thermometer on it for the 1st time and was kinda surprised at how hot it does get. So i thought i might find something on the Internet. Thanks Steve.

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That it gets hot is normal. That it gets hotter after prolonged use is normal. Without a baseline, it is hard to know if conditions in your air compressor have changed, leading to hotter than normal operation. I have not ever seen published numbers on a DIY air compressor as to how hot is hot. Good luck.

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