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Air compressor hard line in shop ?'s

13K views 29 replies 17 participants last post by  Kartracer55 
#1 ·
Hey all

Just looking for info for the future. Just had my pole building built friday. What are you guys doing for running your hard air lines?

I want to run hard line around the shop with plug ins for the soft air lines.

Anybody using pvc? black pipe? I like the idea of the pvc cause it would really quick and simple but not sure how strong it is overall.

I dont use the air as much as most do but want it at each area so I can just plug into it.

Thanks.
 
#2 ·
PVC will work fine for the pressures you are considering.

Make sure you put a short section of line and a valve below in each your drops below the quick connector to provide a means of draining condensation from the system.

Hopefully this sketch shows you what I'm talking about:

|
|
|-=-------air hose quick coupler
|
|
X (valve)
 
#3 ·
I would use PVC because it is cheap and easy. I wouldn't use it because it gets brittle over time. I am dealing with leaks in my shop all the time. Going metal is expensive. Search around here. One guy set up his whole system and still had leaks. It would be a pain in the ass to go around trying to fix each one. Look into hose reels and put those in the places you want air.
 
#4 · (Edited)
#5 ·
another vote for copper. I had limited experience in sweating joints and mine turned out leak free. find some aspestos/fire proof backing to put behind your joints when your are torching near wood. Trust me on that. :)

SeanP
 
#6 ·
A lot of people get away with using PVC, but I would never consider it. I saw the aftermath of a PVC line that had been "bumped" and shattered. Shrapnel everywhere! Luckily nobody was in the line of fire or they would have been in the emergency room or worse. Do it right and use metal lines.
 
#7 ·
i understand your comments on the exploding pieces... what do you feel the reason would be for that to happen? What I was actually thinking is to save money running most of it with PVC and than at the ends where I will be handling the connectors I would run like 1-2 ft of copper or pipe that way It can be strong at where I will be handling it. The pvc would be higher up out of reach.
 
#8 ·
Jerseywheeler said:
i understand your comments on the exploding pieces... what do you feel the reason would be for that to happen? What I was actually thinking is to save money running most of it with PVC and than at the ends where I will be handling the connectors I would run like 1-2 ft of copper or pipe that way It can be strong at where I will be handling it. The pvc would be higher up out of reach.
Compressor oil eats away at the PVC from the inside out... Thats why Polycarbonate bowls usually come with a metyal gaurd... after a while they have atendancy to explode. The danger with PVC is that it doesnt crack open, it explodes and fragments. Its cheaper to begin with, but its your life your screwing around with. There is also alot of variables involved with the stength of the glued joints.

I would NEVER use PVC.

Go with copper lines... easiest to work with. You can sweat them just like waterlines using 95/5 tin antimony solder. Also, do the drops like somebody else posted on here, but t them out of the top and look them bac down.

There was a good thread on air lines a few months back.

Jim
 
#9 ·
Kartracer55 said:
Compressor oil eats away at the PVC from the inside out... Thats why Polycarbonate bowls usually come with a metyal gaurd... after a while they have atendancy to explode. The danger with PVC is that it doesnt crack open, it explodes and fragments. Its cheaper to begin with, but its your life your screwing around with. There is also alot of variables involved with the stength of the glued joints.

I would NEVER use PVC.

Go with copper lines... easiest to work with. You can sweat them just like waterlines using 95/5 tin antimony solder. Also, do the drops like somebody else posted on here, but t them out of the top and look them bac down.

There was a good thread on air lines a few months back.

Jim

x2
 
#10 · (Edited)
I stand corrected.

One thing not discussed is actually how big is your shop? I had intended on hardlining my 24 x 36, but a spool mounted to the wall w/ 50' of hose gave me all the range I needed. I fabbed up a "Y" in case I wanted to have two tools plumbed up at the same time.

Damn, that search button works on the internet, too:

Found this excerpt on the OSHA website...

The Dallas Regional Office has brought to our attention a potential serious hazard existing with the use of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic pipes for transporting compressed gases in above ground installations. An employee in a Texas plant was injured recently by a rupture in a PVC compressed air line. Plastic projectiles from the point of rupture caused lacerations of the employee's hand. This is noteworthy because the Plastic Pipe Institute, in its Recommendation B dated January 19, 1972, recommends against the use of thermoplastic pipe to transport compressed air or other compressed gases in exposed plant piping. (See attachment.)

Furthermore, sections 842.32, 842.43 and 849.52(b) of the American National Standards Institute/American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ANSI/ASME) B31.8-1986, Gas Transmission and Distribution Piping Systems Standard, limit the operating pressure of plastic piping distribution systems to 100 pounds per inch (psi) and prohibit the installation of such systems above ground except where ". . . the above ground portion of the plastic service line is completely enclosed in a conduit or casing of sufficient strength to provide protection from external damage and deterioration." (Excerpts attached.)

<Insert foot in mouth here>
 
#14 ·
trainrech said:
One thing not discussed is actually how big is your shop? I had intended on hardlining my 24 x 36, but a spool mounted to the wall w/ 50' of hose gave me all the range I needed. I fabbed up a "Y" in case I wanted to have two tools plumbed up at the same time.
The other thing that metal piping will do is condense water vapor out of the compressed air supply. Actually, iron pipe is best for this because of thermal mass, but the copper will do a decent job as well. PVC and hose really don't do anything to condense the water vapor.

I know several people that won't listen about going to metal piping (using either hose or PVC) but have a heck of a lot more problems with their tools than I do.
 
#15 · (Edited)
PAToyota said:
The other thing that metal piping will do is condense water vapor out of the compressed air supply. Actually, iron pipe is best for this because of thermal mass, but the copper will do a decent job as well. PVC and hose really don't do anything to condense the water vapor.

I know several people that won't listen about going to metal piping (using either hose or PVC) but have a heck of a lot more problems with their tools than I do.

Yes black pipe or galvanized piping will condense water a bit better than copper will BUT With copper you only need one filter for the whole set up, because nothing will flake off inside a copper pipe. The moisture from the air will cause Black pipe to rust and galvanized to have the zinc flake off then rust, and all that crap goes into you air tools, so you would need one filter for every drop directly before your hose connection. This can get very expensive if you pln on having multiple drops.

Jim
 
#20 ·
Jerseywheeler said:
My shop is 24x32. And I don't want the spool with the hose.
You may wish to rethink the hose reel issue. I have two mounted adjacent to each other.It is VERY handy to be able to reel up the hoses when I'm finished and have them instantly available when I need them. They are out of the way, available and always rolled up rather than tangled up :flipoff2: Oh yeah, the shop is 75 X 60.

As for the PVC vs. copper/iron issue, I've used PVC for quite some time, but, I also consider myself to be on borrowed time. If business ever slows down enough with $ left in the account, the air lines are being replaced with copper!!!
 
#22 ·
How is air in a PVC pipe worse than water at the same PSI? :confused:

I worked at one shop where every air line ran in the last 5 years (nearly half of the installation) was done in white PVC. Most of it was exposed to freezing temperatures. The only mishap we had was knocking off one quick-connect fitting with the forklift.
 
#23 · (Edited)
OliveToy said:
If you use copper you must use the thicker stuff! I cant remember what type they call it but the thinner stuff is only rated to 90 psi! :eek:
In order from thickest to thinnest wall:

Type K, Colour: Green
Type L, Colour: Blue
Type M, Colour: Red
Type DWV, Colour: Yellow (Not recommended for pressure applications)

I don’t know where you got 90psi from as 1” Type M Drawn copper has a RATED working pressure of 580psi @ 100F. With 95-5 Solder 1” fittings have a RATED working pressure of 1090psi @ 100F. Just for an illustration purposes here is a chart with BURST pressures:
 
#24 ·
u2slow said:
How is air in a PVC pipe worse than water at the same PSI? :confused:
Air compresses in the pipe. Water does not. Much more energy potential if it ruptures.

I've seen the result of a 4" underground PVC irrigation pipe explode while being purged with air. It blew a 5 foot diameter hole in the ground 3 feet deep. A shrub bush planted above the pipe landed on the trunk of a car about 15 feet away. :eek:
 
#25 ·
u2slow said:
How is air in a PVC pipe worse than water at the same PSI? :confused:
A liquid is not compressible. It does not expand when suddenly released. A gas, however, is compressible. When it is suddenly released, it's volume can suddenly expand to many times it's compressed volume with explosive force. That is the reason pressure vessels are hydrostatically tested instead of tested with air or some other gas.
 
#26 ·
I used 3/4 for my main lines, and 1/2 for drops. My compressor puts out 20 cfm, but it was onyl a 40 foot main run. hose reels are good if you have the space. All my drops are up High, with 3/8 body quick couplers. I just grab a hose (sometimes a coil hose, sometimes a regular hose) and bring it to the area I need. I just hang it up on a wall when Im done. This eleminates having to store air hose all over the place.

Jim

Jim
 
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