?? About air lines in shop

[Ran58]

I was watching a you tube video and the guy was talking about how he ran his air lines for his compressor. The product he was using was call Max-Air and it was run kind of like pex and he bought it off Amazon. He said it was easy to install and obviously much cheaper than running a hard pipe

Has anyone here used this product? Do you run your air lines inside the studs or surface mount?

thanks

 

[Maxcustody]

I used Rapidair and ordered everything directly from them. It’s awesome. I ran it in our 40x60 shop. They sell kits with everything you need.

Surface mount.

 

[drmarkr]

Copper. Some surface, but most behind the steel panels I have for wall covering.

 

[mogandave]

Last shop was galvanized pipe. If you have access to a decent pipe-machine it's great.

Next shop probably copper as no longer have the tools for GA

 

[LB-1911]

I was watching a you tube video and the guy was talking about how he ran his air lines for his compressor. The product he was using was call Max-Air and it was run kind of like pex and he bought it off Amazon. He said it was easy to install and obviously much cheaper than running a hard pipe

Has anyone here used this product? Do you run your air lines inside the studs or surface mount?

"Max-Air" or As mentioned previously MaxLine RapidaIr?

Ask Rapidair!

Hi Guys, My name is Mitch and I am the lead Engineer/Estimator for Rapidair. If you guys have any questions about compressed air systems. Feel free to contact me or post some questions in here. I have been recommended to this site form past customers with questions so figured I'd make a post...

www.garagejournal.com

FYI; Op hasn't logged in since Feb.

• Underground direct burial of the piping
• Installing in wall or on wall

https://www.rapidairproducts.com/maxline

 

[racecougar]

You'll find that many of us here have the MaxLine product. I run mine surface mounted, with a shutoff and drain at each drop.

 

[brownbagg]

black iron pipe not cheap right now, running about five dollar a foot, two foot ****** $14

 

[thammel]

I love my copper lines I did earlier this year. Lots of soldering, but I did get better as I went along. No need to do any threading of black iron pipe and easy to configure it just as I wanted. Plus they are really pretty!!

 

[Imatk]

Looked at all of the different options, decided with copper. Very happy with my decision. Was initially worried about the soldering... peace o' cake though.

The bending... that was what got annoying. Make sure (if you're going to bend) you get the correct bender OD for your pipe.

 

[Schurkey]

Plastic tubing does not shed heat like metal tubing. Getting rid of the heat allows the moisture to condense and get drained-out instead of going through the air-tool or spray gun. The plastic tubing I've seen also tends to be smaller-diameter than what I want. [EDIT] Apparently they make genuinely huge tubing, but it's not stocked around here. "1/2 inch" (Actual 3/8 ID in "Rapidair") is what they have on hand. [/EDIT]

My former garage had black-iron pipe, 3/4" ID. My "new" shop has no permanent air plumbing; it's just a bigass coil of 1/2" air hose that I drag out when I need it. But then the entire "new" shop is totally sub-optimal. IF (big IF) I ever add air plumbing, it's likely to be soldered copper.

 

[racecougar]

Plastic tubing does not shed heat like metal tubing. Getting rid of the heat allows the moisture to condense and get drained-out instead of going through the air-tool or spray gun. The plastic tubing I've seen also tends to be smaller-diameter than what I want. [EDIT] Apparently they make genuinely huge tubing, but it's not stocked around here. "1/2 inch" (Actual 3/8 ID in "Rapidair") is what they have on hand. [/EDIT]

There's a notable difference between "Rapidair" and "Rapidair Maxline". The Maxline tubing (which is HDPE-coated Aluminum) is sized by the ID. RapidAir "Home Garage" tubing is sized by the OD, and it's just a single layer of nylon.

 

[iagsxr]

Not at all what you asked but this is the GJ, I'd put a 100 Amp service to your shed if you can

I'd also put the money you're going to spend on air line towards a second compressor and keep at least one of them mobile. It's nice to have a compressor you can take to the job if the job can't come to the compressor.

 

[mike93lx]

Not at all what you asked but this is the GJ, I'd put a 100 Amp service to your shed if you can

I'd also put the money you're going to spend on air line towards a second compressor and keep at least one of them mobile. It's nice to have a compressor you can take to the job if the job can't come to the compressor.

Who is talking about a shed?

 

[iagsxr]

Who is talking about a shed?

That guy who was talking about burying air lines in his electrical trench.

Somehow I fat fingered my way to a completely different thread.

In true GJ tradition I will stand by my advice even if it is completely irrelevant to the topic at hand.

 

[mike93lx]

That guy who was talking about burying air lines in his electrical trench.

Somehow I fat fingered my way to a completely different thread.

In true GJ tradition I will stand by my advice even if it is completely irrelevant to the topic at hand.

Oh, I'm with you. 100a all the things! Telehandler and 1 ton pickups for everyone!

 

[John McA]

May all your old compressed air lines be PVC...

 

[vwpieces]

I am not afraid to admit I used PEX B and SS crimped clamps. About 350 feet of it, 12 drops with drip legs and ball valves, for air in my 25x50ft shop. Was under $300 to install. 3/4in around the entire ceiling perimeter and used 1/2in for the drops.
Over a year in and no regrets with 150psi year round, 24/7/365 under pressure. Zero pressure loss over a month without turning on compressor and zero leaks.

 

[mike93lx]

I am not afraid to admit I used PEX B and SS crimped clamps. About 350 feet of it, 12 drops with drip legs and ball valves, for air in my 25x50ft shop. Was under $300 to install. 3/4in around the entire ceiling perimeter and used 1/2in for the drops.
Over a year in and no regrets with 150psi year round, 24/7/365 under pressure. Zero pressure loss over a month without turning on compressor and zero leaks.

Pex works fine but is extremely sensitive to UV light. keep.it away from windows and light fixtures.

 

[DocsMachine]

I've mentioned this before a time or two, but back in '18, I plumbed my shop with Maxline and Rapidair. Eight drops, eleven outlets, two of the trickier connections (one inside a bench) done with the "1/2" stuff, the rest with 3/4". Hooked to a 60 gallon Campbell Hausfeld upright, and all regulated to 90 psi.

It's been pressured up 24/7 since September of 2018, with zero problems. If I don't actually use the air, I might hear the compressor run on its own once a month.

Took two 3/4" kits, one 1/2" kit, and some separately bought extras. If I had to do it all again, I would make zero changes, unless maybe it's to ad a couple additional drops.

Doc.

 

[Samh]

Here's a question, When doing a loop, does it matter how your loop is done, other than it's a loop? Was thinking about having the loop sit flush/vertical on the back wall, and then drops come down off of it. Would be a whole lot easier than trying to run a loop around the perimeter of the shop

 

[Bill T]

I ran a loop around my shop with soldered copper. I configured the piping so that the low point of the loop was 180 degrees (opposite corner from the inlet. All of my branch connections came off of the loop on thee top of the loop. Each branch connection has a drip leg and is valved. On the low point of the loop, I installed a drain line coming off the bottom of the piping. This allowed me to drain the condensate from the line. As you know, as the air is compressed, the air is heated. As it cools more and more water drops out of the air as condensate.
If your application is small (small shop, small compressor, etc...) the configuration of your piping is not as important. In my case, I have two 120 gallon two-stage compressors.Each compressor has 175psi , at 14 cfm output. With that said, I usually keep the regulators set at 120 psi. I run one compressor at a time unless I am sandblasting.

 

[mogandave]

Here's a question, When doing a loop, does it matter how your loop is done, other than it's a loop? Was thinking about having the loop sit flush/vertical on the back wall, and then drops come down off of it. Would be a whole lot easier than trying to run a loop around the perimeter of the shop

As I understand it, the idea of a loop is to minimize pressure drop about the entire shop. running a loop on the back wall and only having drops on the back wall makes little sense to me.

If you're only going to have drops on one wall, just pipe one wall.

In plants I've sent up, the loop is configured such that the furthest a drop could be from the loop is the width of the plant/4 times root(2)

 

[mogandave]

We generally installed the loop (and all pipe but vertical drops) sloped such that it/they drained back to the compressor/receiver.

Tees in the loop pointed up, so water in the drops is minimized. Each tee has a ball-valve to facilitate reconfiguring.

At least one of the connections at each drop installed down, which eliminates the need for drains.

 

[mike93lx]

You won't get any benefit from a loop in a home shop that isn't monstrous. Just pipe it in using the shortest distance reasonable and it will be fine

 

[kaymccampbell]

L copper, surface mounted.

 

[Imatk]

The only benefit other than what others have said to a loop is you have more distance to cool your air before it reaches your tool.

If you do only one wall I'd do a "radiator" type run so you get the distance.

On mine I have 16' ceilings so I run it up the wall over into my loft and my filters and then back down the wall to the air hose.

 

[Samh]

You won't get any benefit from a loop in a home shop that isn't monstrous. Just pipe it in using the shortest distance reasonable and it will be fine

Is there a size used as a rule of thumb to dictate when you should or shouldn't use a loop?

 

[whateg01]

The only benefit other than what others have said to a loop is you have more distance to cool your air before it reaches your tool.

Not following. The air will take the shortest route to the tool, assuming the same size pipe both directions.

 

[mike93lx]

Is there a size used as a rule of thumb to dictate when you should or shouldn't use a loop?

In a one man shop, probably never. In an industrial/commercial setting, I'd say different.

Short of having a massive home shop, I bet it would very unlikely to see a benefit.

 

[vwpieces]

Not following. The air will take the shortest route to the tool, assuming the same size pipe both directions.

The majority, not all, of the air will take the shortest route. It will feed from both directions, especially on bursts like a 3/4in impact.

 

[no704]

Did my current shop in copper. Two 50’ walls drops every 15’. Only regret is having the drops down. Come off the horizontal pipes on the top. 3/4 main pipes with collectors on ends, run is sloped a bit. Blow outs on the ends.

 

[mogandave]

It mostly depends on how much air you're going to use and how many drops you want.

If you're only going to have air on one wall, a loop makes NO sense. If you're going to have air on four walls, a loop makes perfect sense.

Do not discount pipe diameter. Bigger pipe is better.

 

[mogandave]

When I was a kid, my dad had out compressor (old refrigeration unit) and tank (old butane tank from the boat) in the garage's "attic". All we saw were the gages, the regulator and the hose. Our garage was the neighborhood bicycle tire filling station...

I like the compressor outside, along with the heat and noise it generates.

 

[Samh]

In a one man shop, probably never. In an industrial/commercial setting, I'd say different.

Short of having a massive home shop, I bet it would very unlikely to see a benefit.

It'd probably be a run just under 60ft not including drops. I did think about the loop so I could also have drops on posts down the middle of the shop.

 

[mike93lx]

It'd probably be a run just under 60ft not including drops. I did think about the loop so I could also have drops on posts down the middle of the shop.

Having a loop won't hurt anything and if it makes your run easier, go for it. Its just something that a lot of people seem to think they need when that isn't the case

 

[mogandave]

It'd probably be a run just under 60ft not including drops. I did think about the loop so I could also have drops on posts down the middle of the shop.

Figure out where you want all your drops and go from there.

 

[PoorUB]

Is there a size used as a rule of thumb to dictate when you should or shouldn't use a loop?

How many CFM is the largest air tool you use? How large is the shop?

If we are talking an occasional air drill and a 30 x 40 shop, and one guy working in it just one run is fine.

Large building, multiple users, large, and I mean large air tools then a loop will help.

3/4" ID pipe is more than most of us will every use, heck, 1/2" is more than most can use.

To give you an idea, 1/2" ID at 100 feet and 100 PSI will see about 3 PSI drop. opps! at 14 CFM.

https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/pressure-drop-compressed-air-pipes-d_852.html

 

[PoorUB]

It'd probably be a run just under 60ft not including drops. I did think about the loop so I could also have drops on posts down the middle of the shop.

If you are runing two legs of air lines, going basically the same direction it would not hurt to connect them at the far end.

 

[tester19]

Use and love 3/4" Rapid Air. Top quality and very clean. I like that it's easy to reconfigure and that every drop has a water drain.
.
.
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[Imatk]

Not following. The air will take the shortest route to the tool, assuming the same size pipe both directions.

Well I guess it depends on what you are defining as a "loop."

If you mean having a run that goes around the shop and various places in the loop where you can attach a tool then it wouldn't make much difference.

If you mean a loop where the air starts at your compressor, feeds to the "loop" that goes around your shop and then comes back to the compressor and you attach your tool at the end of the "loop" then yeah you have a much longer distance before the air reaches your tool.