1/2" vs 3/4" air lines. Any regrets?

[FowlShot76]

My current 30 yr old 11.5 cfm 60 gallon air compressor is well past its servicable life and being replaced. It's served me well except for sanding and painting and I've been running it off a hose straight from the tank (not ideal). My new compressor is a 16.5 cfm 80 gallon single stage. I'll have 25-50 ft of copper line for cooling, water separation/reguator, then 100 ft of looped Pex-AL to drops. A DA sander and painting will be the biggest air draws but I'll be runing them individually. My biggest concern is air quality/heat/moisture for painting, but I also want to ensure that the set up is reasonably suffiecient for the sander. I'm debating 1/2" vs 3/4" air lines, and most of what I see is theoretical. Has anyone actually regretted 1/2 lines? The 1/2" will fit much better into my space, be easier to work with and cheaper. 3/4' won't fit nearly as clean and I want be able to conceal them inside my access panels. Will I regret going with the 1/2" or notice a real world drop in performance given the use case and setup?

 

[IndyGarage]

I used 1/2 inch Pex for my air lines. No problems in 10 years.

 

[sparky 1971]

I have about 50' of 1/2" black iron gas pipe run through my shop with 50' of 3/8 hose at each end and have never wished I had larger lines but have never run a sander. The 3/4 impact has a dedicated 50' 1/2" hose tapped into the iron pipe about 6' from the compressor and it does fine as well.

 

[dr_clyde]

For a home shop you probably will never notice a difference.

Line diameter really comes into play when you need to deliver large VOLUMES of air to tool. This is most noticeable with a sandblasting setup or some huge air hog like big air grinders.

 

[imagineer]

Whereas the 1/2" loop I have in my workshop is fine, I could have installed 3/4" for about the same price and gained the extra volume.

 

[welder4956]

My current 30 yr old 11.5 cfm 60 gallon air compressor is well past its servicable life and being replaced. It's served me well except for sanding and painting and I've been running it off a hose straight from the tank (not ideal). My new compressor is a 16.5 cfm 80 gallon single stage. I'll have 25-50 ft of copper line for cooling, water separation/reguator, then 100 ft of looped Pex-AL to drops. A DA sander and painting will be the biggest air draws but I'll be runing them individually. My biggest concern is air quality/heat/moisture for painting, but I also want to ensure that the set up is reasonably suffiecient for the sander. I'm debating 1/2" vs 3/4" air lines, and most of what I see is theoretical. Has anyone actually regretted 1/2 lines? The 1/2" will fit much better into my space, be easier to work with and cheaper. 3/4' won't fit nearly as clean and I want be able to conceal them inside my access panels. Will I regret going with the 1/2" or notice a real world drop in performance given the use case and setup?

I think you'll be happy with either size. Going with 3/4" will provide more surface area for heat dissipation, so you might go with that if the additional cost is not an issue. I used 3/4" copper run around the shop with 1/2" drops and have been pleased with it.

 

[Lwel9226]

If you are a one man shop, then 1/2" will be fine.... If you have 3 or 4 guys working, then you would want more air flow, 3/4" or maybe 1"....

LynnW

 

[Citation]

FS76, you say you have copper line for cooling. Is that between the pump and receiver/tank or after the tank? If keeping water out is the goal, you want some type of cooler + water trap between the pump and tank. A lot of people, my brother included, use an oil cooler between the two. The air going into the cooler is burn you hot. The air coming out is cool enough you can hold the outlet. Once you cool the air, you need to trap the water before it goes into the tank. Hence, a water trap just after the cooler. With that setup my brother has been quite happy with using his compressor for painting.

 

[mike93lx]

Whereas the 1/2" loop I have in my workshop is fine, I could have installed 3/4" for about the same price and gained the extra volume.

Unless your shop is huge, the extra volume is completely immaterial

 

[M.Brane]

I used 3/4 from the comp up to the ridge. There it reduces to 1/2 with a sharp down turn for the 2 drops one in the middle for my reel, and another on the wall by the bench. I've yet to get any moisture at the drip legs.

 

[OldCarGuy]

My home retirement complex consists of my house and seven garages.Totally about 9,000 square feet. Two that are attached to my home, the rest are detached.

Bird's-eys view...


The heart of my compressed air system consists of two 80 gallon vertical five HP compressors that are piped together. Devair and Benpak. I run the Devair compressor 24 hours a day year round. Except when I leave town. When the first compressor cannot keep up, the Bendpak compressor kicks in. Delivering twice the CFM output. That only happens when I'm sandblasting or using air grinders.. The compressors are located in the large detached garage that's in the top-middle of the photo.



Moisture, oil, and dirt are the enemy in any compressed air system. Each tank has an auto drain valve at the bottom that's timed at 30 minute intervals to drain off any water in the tank. The compressed air first passes through a coalescing filter that removes water and oil contaminants. Before entering the refrigerated air dryer to remove any moisture. A second filter before exiting to the shops in a 1” black pipes to each of my seven garages. Braided rubber hose run under ground through 2” PVC pipes to the other buildings. Two main 1” runs are routed on top of the ceiling joists of the longer walls. Most of the 1/2” steel drops are hidden in the walls, between the siding and drywall. Several locations where that's not practical. Copper pipes with soldered fittings run down the walls,, Just for appearance.

There are eight retractable hoses reels located throughout my shops. Either ceiling mounted or surface mounted few feet off the floor... In addition there are a dozen air hoses simply mounted at working level on the walls.





Ceiling air hose reel in background along with retractable trouble light


Reelcraft are my first choice in retractable reels. I voiced my displeasure to Reelcraft when they shipped one make with plastic reels. Pictured above my Avalanche. They called it corrosion resistant. I call them Cheep!

The left reel is for the pressure washer. The right is air..









There's no noticeable water, dirt, or oil in air lines throughout the garages. But the paint booth has a Devilbiss Camair filtration system that'll remove any missed contaminants.

 

[mrjaw14]

one house and seven garages...this man has his priorities sorted! that setup is fantastic!

 

[1Bad55Chevy]

My home retirement complex consists of my house and seven garages.Totally about 9,000 square feet. Two that are attached to my home, the rest are detached.

Bird's-eys view...


The heart of my compressed air system consists of two 80 gallon vertical five HP compressors that are piped together. Devair and Benpak. I run the Devair compressor 24 hours a day year round. Except when I leave town. When the first compressor cannot keep up, the Bendpak compressor kicks in. Delivering twice the CFM output. That only happens when I'm sandblasting or using air grinders.. The compressors are located in the large detached garage that's in the top-middle of the photo.



Moisture, oil, and dirt are the enemy in any compressed air system. Each tank has an auto drain valve at the bottom that's timed at 30 minute intervals to drain off any water in the tank. The compressed air first passes through a coalescing filter that removes water and oil contaminants. Before entering the refrigerated air dryer to remove any moisture. A second filter before exiting to the shops in a 1” black pipes to each of my seven garages. Braided rubber hose run under ground through 2” PVC pipes to the other buildings. Two main 1” runs are routed on top of the ceiling joists of the longer walls. Most of the 1/2” steel drops are hidden in the walls, between the siding and drywall. Several locations where that's not practical. Copper pipes with soldered fittings run down the walls,, Just for appearance.

There are eight retractable hoses reels located throughout my shops. Either ceiling mounted or surface mounted few feet off the floor... In addition there are a dozen air hoses simply mounted at working level on the walls.





Ceiling air hose reel in background along with retractable trouble light


Reelcraft are my first choice in retractable reels. I voiced my displeasure to Reelcraft when they shipped one make with plastic reels. Pictured above my Avalanche. They called it corrosion resistant. I call them Cheep!

The left reel is for the pressure washer. The right is air..









There's no noticeable water, dirt, or oil in air lines throughout the garages. But the paint booth has a Devilbiss Camair filtration system that'll remove any missed contaminants.

Idk how you got to this point but what i do know is that my current career path isnt coming close.....

 

[SilverJimmy]

https://cached.tptools.com/Images/airline-piping-diagram.pdf

I have found this to be very good info for an compressed air system. You might find some things here that will benefit your shop.

 

[OldCarGuy]

Idk how you got to this point but what i do know is that my current career path isnt coming close.....

I'm proud of the lifelong passion and care I've put into building my home workshops of the past seven decades. My treasure chest is more than collecting tools and machinery. It's a living record of how hard work, skills, organizing, and problem solving.. This started with a paper route. Graduating to my first paid job of cleaning restrooms. Today,, I get a warm fuzzy feelings every time I enter them..