Plumbing shop air

[Fordrevhead 29]

It's about time I run a more permanent line setup with t's, water trap/drains, filters, regulators, etc. It seems like a bunch of work and costs either way. I read arguments against black iron by the plastic guys and vice versa etc. I thought this would make a good thread.

 

Really looking for sources of quality stuff at reasonable prices as well.

 

oh btw, I have a 220v 80 gallon 5 hp upright compressor, a cabinet blaster inside, a pressurized upright I use outside, I oil tools manually so dont need an oiler (and dont wish to have a "friend/helper" plug my primer gun into the oiled line), I have a 50' reel so I dont need disconnects and lines everywhere, but I would like one for running paint guns extra filtered and regulated down etc.

 

thanks.

[jmlay 80]

A very good friend of mine's parents were injured when plastic pile shattered, one seriously. The pipe that shattered was similar to "potato" cannon that was used to shoot candy at parades charged with CO2, they are Shriners. The day of the incident the plastic had been lying in the rear window of locked car in direct sun, very hot. It shattered when it was charged with the C02. A drastic temp difference & boom shrapnel everywhere! Black Pipe is the safest way to go.

 

That said, I used plastic pipe because it was cheaper & easier to work with than black pipe. Also I will not be dealing with the drastic temp change. I am unable to find the example I used when I plumed my garage but the one below is close. Im order to help control moisture I used 2" pipe everywhere, horizontal & vertical, extending below any outlets or inlets with a drain valve at the bottom of any vertical. Make any vertical tap exit from the main trunk, gravity will pull the moisture down while the air goes up. Also slop the main main horizontal trunk to one end, that way gravity send the moisture away from your out lets.

 

Hope my description is not too confusing. This setup seems to keep my air dry.

 

http://www.tptools.com/StaticText/airline-piping-diagram.pdf

 

http://www.devilbiss.com/Portals/2/Repository/I-4057-H%20-%20CLEAN%20AIR%20CATALOG.PDF

Edited January 2, 2012 by jmlay

[69boss408 11]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/RAPID-AIR-GARAGE-SHOP-COMPRESSED-AIR-LINE-KIT-SYSTEM-/270658270687?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f047d75df I have this one it can take pressure and temp and if it ever did blow it is just a hose no flying plastic shards .

[69RavenConv 286]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/RAPID-AIR-GARAGE-SHOP-COMPRESSED-AIR-LINE-KIT-SYSTEM-/270658270687?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f047d75df I have this one it can take pressure and temp and if it ever did blow it is just a hose no flying plastic shards .

 

I also installed a RapidAire system in my shop because I got tired of dragging the 50' hose around the floor. I got it from Eastwood but it's available a lot of places. I didn't have high expectations but it worked out really well. Inexpensive and real easy to install and no leaks. Added some regulators and filters from Lowes. Probably not suitable for a pro shop but fine for a weekend mechanic IMHO. Nylon, too, not pvc.

[BuckeyeDemon 211]

i basically have the setup in the TPtools link below.

 

on the down pipe and filter setup that's far away from the compressor i probably pull out about 10X the amount of water as compared to the drop closest to the compressor.

 

i get about 4X the water out of the down pipe as i do the filter.

 

i can also drop a lot of water out of the main drain pipe.

 

i had a lot of this setup back in my garage from years ago. since it was black pipe i was able to reuse almost everything when moving. i added more length though. it's black pipe. i don't know what the drawback is.

 

 

 

you can't quite see the first drop in this picture. it's just behind the TV on top of the cabinet. it's just like the one at the far end. however this one is way to close to the compressor to be very functional.

 

 

this is the far end. you can see the stain on the wall from draining the pipe. i have that one pointed a little towards the wall at the bottom.

 

[Fordrevhead 29]

Yeah, think I am leaning toward tried and true black iron. Buckeye, u ran a good distance, what size pipe did u use? I have seen the TP Tools schematic before. Anyone find an inexpensive place to buy components?

Edited January 4, 2012 by Fordrevhead

[BuckeyeDemon 211]

1/2" pipe. the garage is 24X32 for reference.

[dzahm 10]

Only disadvantage of black pipe is the eventual rust particles. You can use galvanized pipe if rust would bother you. I did use pvc but eventually changed about 80% of it to galvanized. If you sandblast make sure you have a good sized pipe, with several water traps as mentioned. I was also told that if you had a large enough pipe that it serves as an additional air "tank". (though I haven't tried any math to see if that is significant or not) FWIW-I bought my stuff at Lowes- don't forget the pipe tape. Oh yeah for the flexible connection from the pipe system to the compressor; I used............... a frickin water hose.... yep, I hooked it up to test the system cause it was late at night, and I wanted to test everything. 5 yrs and hundreds of hours later.....its still working. Best part is the hose is prob 20 ft long- so after 5 yrs- if it busts, I might just cut off the bad and hook it up again.

[BuckeyeDemon 211]

Only disadvantage of black pipe is the eventual rust particles. You can use galvanized pipe if rust would bother you. I did use pvc but eventually changed about 80% of it to galvanized. If you sandblast make sure you have a good sized pipe, with several water traps as mentioned. I was also told that if you had a large enough pipe that it serves as an additional air "tank". (though I haven't tried any math to see if that is significant or not) FWIW-I bought my stuff at Lowes- don't forget the pipe tape. Oh yeah for the flexible connection from the pipe system to the compressor; I used............... a frickin water hose.... yep, I hooked it up to test the system cause it was late at night, and I wanted to test everything. 5 yrs and hundreds of hours later.....its still working. Best part is the hose is prob 20 ft long- so after 5 yrs- if it busts, I might just cut off the bad and hook it up again.

 

i feel like i read somewhere, that the potential issue with galvanized was the coating starts separating after time. i'm probably mispoken on that or confused. even if rust or particles are in the pipe, you have a filter.

 

i have the stainless jacketed flex hose on the compressor. i would think a section of specified air hose would be better than water hose.

 

i sometimes dream up that i'll have a hose end burst for some reason and that i'll come home to a melted set of compressor motors due to running non-stop for hours.

[dzahm 10]

I was going to buy a flex hose but I kept forgetting, and then it turned into seeing how long it would last, then I got busy and 2 projects later its still there. I always keep the compressor breaker off when I am not in the shop so it wouldn't really do much if/when the hose bursts. (SWMBO hates having the compressor kick on as it dims the house lights- so I kinda have to keep it off) So in the end I do realize I need a flex hose-still I am amazed at the planning and money that went into my system and a used free water hose in the middle with still excellent results.

[Fordrevhead 29]

I already have a ball valve prior to the first flex piece right off the compressor. If I didnt plan to use the shop for a long time I could shut this for peace of mind. From there I am going through a wall so I want a flex piece here for dual purpose.

 

I will post some pics when I get something finalized. Thanks for the input.