Page 3 of 4 FirstFirst 1234 LastLast
Results 31 to 45 of 52

Thread: Shop Air Compressor Piping?

  1. #31
    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Becker View Post
    Answering my own curiosity. From the FAQ at the SharkBite web site:

    Q: Can I use PEX pipe for compressed air applications?
    A: No, PEX pipe is not intended for compressed air applications.
    It's what I have in my shop for air lines. It's ugly and does nothing to cool the air. It is cheap, is very easy to modify, and takes very little skill to install. I had all the air lines and drops installed in two days. Maybe 400' of pipe.

    I'm torn whether to do copper or aluminum pipe in my new shop. It depends which will be cheaper. The aluminum is pretty easy to install, the pipe is significantly cheaper, but the fittings are spendy. Prevost is the brand of aluminum pipe I've been looking at.

  2. #32
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Griswold Connecticut
    Posts
    6,927
    Quote Originally Posted by Bruce Wrenn View Post
    What do you mean "changed the core?" Here in NC, you can only buy lead free for plumbing. The stained glass people still use 50/50, but not from plumbing supply sources.
    Bruce
    Same here in CT. 95/5 is used in plumbing. The core changed from acid to rosin. Corrosive, versus non corrosive.
    If you go to the Home Depots up here they have the rolls of solder all together. Most of it is labeled pretty poorly. If a person doesn't work with solder a lot, they'll usually just grab the cheapest roll which will be 50/50. The plumbers don't buy it, but I doubt someone in that business is buying many products at Home Depot.

    I have all kinds of solder, as I also used to do electronic board repair, for the day job. I don't normally buy solder at a Home Depot either.

    PS
    I installed a lot of tubing and airline at Catawba Nuclear Station when it was under construction. I lived in Charlotte at at the time. I've always missed living in NC. It's very pretty down there. Lot's of good memories from that time.
    Last edited by Mike Cutler; 01-22-2017 at 9:23 AM.
    "The first thing you need to know, will likely be the last thing you learn." (Unknown)

  3. #33
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,691
    Martin, I was hoping that "officially" PEX might be supported as I have some changes I want to make to my system. But no matter, I can stick with copper for these modifications. I already have the pipe I need, so it's just a matter of fittings.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  4. #34
    Quote Originally Posted by Martin Wasner View Post
    It's what I have in my shop for air lines. It's ugly and does nothing to cool the air. It is cheap, is very easy to modify, and takes very little skill to install. I had all the air lines and drops installed in two days. Maybe 400' of pipe.

    I'm torn whether to do copper or aluminum pipe in my new shop. It depends which will be cheaper. The aluminum is pretty easy to install, the pipe is significantly cheaper, but the fittings are spendy. Prevost is the brand of aluminum pipe I've been looking at.
    Both Prevost and RapidAir systems are tempting but I haven't found a way of getting the rigid pipe in full lengths without paying a lot for shipping. Copper is fortunately readily available and only requires a little more effort to install.

  5. #35
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    E TN, near Knoxville
    Posts
    12,298
    Quote Originally Posted by Steve Mathews View Post
    Both Prevost and RapidAir systems are tempting but I haven't found a way of getting the rigid pipe in full lengths without paying a lot for shipping. Copper is fortunately readily available and only requires a little more effort to install.
    If you use plastic consider running a length of copper from the compressor itself and before the water separator, trap, and dryer. This will let the air cool far better than the plastic pipe. If the water separator is too close to to the compressor the hot, moist air will pass right through. From my research a typical recommendation is 25' of cool-down pipe. It should be sloped so water that condenses inside drains to a trap and doesn't pool anywhere in the pipe. I made traps from brass tubing. The compressor is in a closet for sound control so I brought all the controls, valves, and shutoff switch out into the main shop.

    air_comp_ctrls1_IMG_2015012.jpg

    JKJ

  6. #36
    The cored soldiers are for electrical stuff. Plumbing soldier is solid, you have to add flux to joint before soldiering.

  7. #37
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Washington, NC
    Posts
    2,387
    and if you use the flux with powdered solder in it (if you can find it), the joint almost sweats itself and you hardly need to add any solid solder.

  8. #38
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Loudonville, NY
    Posts
    517
    I have run 3/4" pex for air in my shop. It is in the ceiling and in the walls. I think there are a couple of important factors to consider here - 1) when compared to metal, pex can be physically damage easier if it is exposed, 2) UV can degrade pex, so you probably do not want it run on the outside of walls, 3) pex manufactures are in the business of making pex for water (liquid) use, therefore, will not 'certify' it for a gas (or air), and 4) check to make sure the pex has an oxygen barrier.

    I'm not surprised Sharkbite generically says "no" to compressed air. The standard pex is thinner and does not have the barrier. It is easier and less liability for them to simply say "no" because all pex is not make equally. In my case compared to copper and BI, the price was right and ease of installation was there. And, if it breaks, I'll just fix it... So far so good. Ironically, pex instructions do say to use air for a pressure test prior to putting it into service.

    Note, the good thing about pex is that if it does fail, it is a very ductile material and will not shatter. It would be an elastic failure. This does not, however, prevent all of the pressurized air from blowing out.

    Good luck in your decision.

  9. #39
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Helensburgh, Australia
    Posts
    2,700
    Quote Originally Posted by Steve Mathews View Post
    The use of a hose reel is also being considered.
    There are hose reels and there are hose reels. I bought two cheapish hose reels with 3/8th hose which is the absolute minimum to run air tools with and it really should be bigger but I am not using them professionally so I live with it. When I got them I did not notice for a while but the power of the tools seemed to have dropped but I put it down to the hose diameter and lived with it. Then i got curious one day and pulled the reel aprt to have a look and found that the air inlet in both reels was only a 1/4" which is as useless as an ice cream in hell. So the lesson is check the specs for any hose reel and make sure you get what you pay for.

    The vertical drops do not need to have a goose neck on them, put the air connection above the end of the drop and have a drain valve under it so the condensate collects below the air connection. The bigger the pipe size used the slower the air speed, the slower the air speed the less condensate carried in the air stream.
    Chris

    Everything I like is either illegal, immoral or fattening

  10. #40
    Join Date
    Sep 2015
    Location
    San Diego, Ca
    Posts
    1,647
    I'm surprised that you didn't consider schedule 80 PVC pipe. It has a burst rating of around 600 PSI. I run around 100 psi in my shop and use irrigation ball valves at each station. The valves are perhaps the weak point (rated around 150psi but tested to 220 psi) but don't seem to leak at all after 10 years of use. When I assembled I used purple primer and a good quality PVC glue.

    I bought the white PVC at the "big box" store. It is very inexpensive.

  11. #41
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    San Francisco Bay Area
    Posts
    271
    Quote Originally Posted by Brice Rogers View Post
    I'm surprised that you didn't consider schedule 80 PVC pipe. It has a burst rating of around 600 PSI. I run around 100 psi in my shop and use irrigation ball valves at each station. The valves are perhaps the weak point (rated around 150psi but tested to 220 psi) but don't seem to leak at all after 10 years of use. When I assembled I used purple primer and a good quality PVC glue.

    I bought the white PVC at the "big box" store. It is very inexpensive.

    someone should put their flame suit on now.....

    Its not burst rating PSI that people worry about. As PVC is exposed to UV and as it ages, it gets very brittle. PVC is not rated to handle compressed gases. It is rated to handle no pressure or non-compressible things like water. One accidental hit with a piece of wood, a clamp, etc or just old age and its going to explode and send shrapnel everywhere.

  12. #42
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,691
    Yes, there have been lots of "PVC for air" threads over the years and while some folks have successfully used it, its properties can be somewhat dangerous in certain circumstances which is why it's not permitted by OSHA and other jurisdictions for compressed air.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  13. #43
    If anyone wants to feel better about their choices, I just dropped about $4200 on air line pipe and parts. I ended up going with Prevost aluminium pipe. That includes almost $900 for filters at the compressor too.

  14. #44
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Southeast MI.
    Posts
    374
    Quote Originally Posted by Steve Mathews View Post
    My thought was to run a loop around the entire inside exterior walls, which amounts to a little over 200 ft.
    Quote Originally Posted by Malcolm McLeod View Post
    A loop or ring is very common in industrial settings, but of course will use more material.
    I use to work in a shop that used a 2-1/2" black pipe loop through out the whole shop, Probably close to 800 feet or more in total length. It's surprising how much air that loop system held! We had to drain the loop system once to add a larger dia. section to one of the drops & it took quite a while to get all the air out.

    Doug

  15. #45
    I used 1/2" copper in my last 2 shops. Love it. 3/4" is not needed for the use cases you have.

    Dan

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •