Air compressor setup... information overload

[mcantar]

Hey guys. I finally got power ran in my garage, so now I need to set up all the equipment I've been procrastinating on.

Trying to get the compressor up and going and it seems there's so many different ways and options that I'm not really sure what I should be doing.

What I'm working with:

The compressor is a Husky Pro 60gal 7hp. It has a 3/4NPT outlet on the tank.

3 car garage space I have set up as a hobbyist motorcycle building shop, where I'll occasionally run impact guns, die grinders, etc.
Also have an air-over-hydro bike lift and a laser cutter/engraver that cools the cut with air. No painting, I don't have the room and I have a paint booth at work anyway.
Not a huge amount of pneumatic use in general, but I want my impacts and such to WORK when I need them to.

Probably just gonna put a 3/8"x50' reel next to the compressor and be done with it. It's just a 3 car space, and while hard line going everywhere would be nice I don't think it's really necessary.

What I'm having trouble with is the details.
The laser table will have a regulator/filter/dryer in front of it. But as for the rest... do I need to worry about cooling/filtering/drying/regulating the air? Can I just run directly out of the tank port, i.e. tank pressure? If I do need a reg, does it go immediately after the tank or somewhere downstream...? Would running directly off the tank be so hot that it'll melt my air hose?
Nothing I'll do in my garage will make a compressor of this size work very hard... I'd imagine the air will have plenty of time to cool and water will condense inside the tank. The highest-consumption thing I'd do is removing all 4 wheels on a car with an impact gun. Otherwise it's loosening a nut here, grinding a tab off there, that kinda thing.

I guess the main question is, can I go to the homeless despot for a reduction fitting, slap it on the tank, and stick a hose reel on it? Or do I need to get fancy with it?

 

[bob15]

I would add a bushing and a regulator and be done with it.

A single particulate filter would be nice, but I grew up with a compressor with only a regulator and never had any issues. And the regulator itself, it was about a foot from the compressor.

And no you don't need any type of cooler, and you won't melt hoses.

 

[mcantar]

So I WILL need a regulator then?
If so I think I'll put it on the hose reel, with a jumper hose from tank to the reg inlet. Nice and simple.

 

[sberry]

So I WILL need a regulator then?
If so I think I'll put it on the hose reel, with a jumper hose from tank to the reg inlet. Nice and simple.

Essentially this. Get a 3/4 valve, a bushing and a section of 1/2 ready made hydraulic line and plumb in to a filter/regulator, could be single or 2 piece. Put a t on the secondary, hook the lead from the hose reel in to it and the table or anything else you want to it.
Look at this,,, 1/2 pipe on the main to a local valve, 3/8 hyd LB to the filter and on to the reel. There is an extra port on the reg could even add a coupler or secondary line.
Hyd hose is great, add swivel for union, can do this with heavy air hose and barbs too.
I also wouldn't bother plumbing that size garage with anything fancy. A well placed 50 ft reel will do all the work.
In pic 2 there is a short blue hose that my guy had an air blower plumbed on. It could be removed, havnt used it. But, 1 line goes to the reel, the other orange line goes back to a 1/2 line provides regulated air to the hoist whips and the paint booth for air tools, a sub small reg you can see in pic 4 goes to one reel for paint guns.
In pic 3 and 2 that matter can see a QD ahead of reg after filter for line pressure. In 3 can see the reel is QD following reg, could unplug it and by pass if needed. Also note the service valve plumbed to the hard line ahead of hoses, don't even turn the paint on unless needed. Pic 5 is the valve for the 2 reels in 4.
1 and 2 do not even have drip legs, plumbed right to the filters, all hi and dry.
Had a bud with 2 car and he had valve, fil/reg screwed to that and air hose screwed to it for 30 years. Worked good. My shop,,, and other industrial buildings are different. There is a transportation factor so to speak, want local service valves where in a common garage 1 at the comp would work. Runs are short, losses insignificant especially for utility work.
Got a couple buds get along just fine with a piece of hose coiled up on a hanger. A reel is better for daily drivers, it disciplines it being picked up a little better. You have a nice comp, at home wont heat up and will last forever.

 

[larry_g]

What I'm having trouble with is the details.
The laser table will have a regulator/filter/dryer in front of it.
This is the correct thing to do. Condition the air just at the input to the machine.

But as for the rest... do I need to worry about cooling/filtering/drying/regulating the air?
Cooling, not so much. Filtering, again better at the point of use.
Drying, your tool/machine will tell you. Again do it at the tool.

Can I just run directly out of the tank port, i.e. tank pressure?

What is your tank pressure? If at less than 140 or so yes, if at 175 then be careful. I have a large compressor that is two stage (175 psi) That I have set to cutoff at 150psi and I do run some things at tank pressure.

If I do need a reg, does it go immediately after the tank or somewhere downstream...?

As said above I run a lower cutoff pressure and run lines at tank pressure. I use a regulator at the point of use if necessary. I have a few portable regulators that I can put inline where needed. In the past I have also had regulators in the system with a QD just before it so I could choose regulated pressure or line pressure.

There is not ONE solution that fits all shops. You can start small with a hose just direct to the compressor. When the need arises, or when you gain experience you will know what is lacking and can expand the system. Just one big caution, do not use PVC pipe or fittings in the system.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[mcantar]

Thanks for the info guys, I think I have a pretty good idea of what I want to do now.

I took another look at the outlet on the compressor tank, and it didn't look right. So I measured.
Turns out it's 3/4x14 NPSM (or maybe NPSC)... minor diameter of the thread measures .930" with 14 TPI.
WTF? The guy I got it from must have tapped it, there's no way that's factory. And I don't see anybody selling an adapter from male NPSM/C to NPT, so I'll have to make one... which isn't a huge deal, I am a machinist, but it is pretty annoying.

Or, maybe there's an easier option. The big bung thing that is the outlet, is that removable? The outside profile is a hex, which would imply it's threaded, but I could see it being brazed or something too. If it is removable, are there replacements available anywhere? I don't know what search terms might turn up results.
If I can get it out, best case I can replace it or worst case I can tap it for 1" NPT or something. I don't want to just throw a wrench on it and start cranking for fear of messing up a potentially non-threaded connection and making more work for myself here.

 

[Citation]

The outlet of the compressor is a pipe bushing. If the current one is the wrong size for your needs just get a new one.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MQZRMCS/?tag=atomicindus08-20
No idea if that is actually the right part for your setup but just an example.

 

[mcantar]

Well, **** it. Didn't have much to do today other than swapping brake pads in my mom's car, and that took all of an hour, so I made a run to Tractor Supply and the big orange shitshow. 3/4" hydraulic jumper to 3/4" galvanized.

Put a couple T's with plugs in there so I can add more legs later on without much effort.
Have a separator/filter/regulator on the way from Amazon, along with a RapidAir reel.

The only thing I'm not sure about is my drain setup... which is to say, there isn't one. The way I'm putting it together it'll hopefully drain back to the tank which I can empty every so often as needed. If it ends up being an issue, I'll add another T under the ball valve and stick the hose from the tank in the side, with a couple feet down to another ball valve under that.

 

[redmondjp]

You'll still want a drain valve at each drop and/or at the end of each line. You'll get condensation in the lines even if they are sloped back to the tank.

 

[sberry]

I want it sloped away if it matters, want water driven to a drop.

 

[mcantar]

Ok, so it seems I was getting worked up over the thread for nothing. Just haven't experienced NPSM/NPSC before.
Turns out, NPT threads right into it.

Added a drain on the vertical leg from the compressor, with the rest of the system sloping back to it (helped by my house being built in a bentonite area and my garage sloping towards where the compressor sits ). The drain is about 3' below where the compressor hose comes in, and I put a NPT-PEX adapter on the drain valve so I can stick a hose on it.

Just waiting on the hose reel and it'll be useable. Then I have some future drops to add in over the workbench, the welding/fab area, and the laser table.

By the way, Sberry, thanks for the tip on the hydraulic line jumpers. Tractor Supply has em cheap and they're right down the road from my house, made things super convenient.