Air Lines INSIDE walls

[Bradbilt]

What all do you guys recommend for airlines inside the walls. I have a rapid air kit but I probably will need another 3-4 kits to do my entire shop(4800sq/ft)

I was thinking copper but how the hell can I get straight lengths thru the studs?

 

[The Cobbler]

I used copper in the wall . Before I sided the garage I drilled thru the studs and slipped the lengths of pipe in the wall. I didn't worry about the joints etc at that time, just wanted to get the pipe in .
filled the holes in the exterior sheeting with spray foam

 

[TTMotorsports]

I was going to do my shop that way but I decided to just run White PEX on my white walls all the way at the top corner and do drops where i need them. Its accessible incase I want to change things or I have a leak and it's not noticeable one bit with my 16ft tall walls.

 

[Stuart in MN]

If the shop is still under construction, simply drill a hole through the outside sheathing and fish the conduit in from outside like Cobbler suggested. If it's done, you'd have also drill through the siding, or temporarily remove and replace it.

You also have to figure out how to go around the corners, which may be more difficult depending on the method of construction.

 

[hefnerconstructionlc]

Attach your piping directly to the stud on the interior side of the wall. Then just for your walls out past the piping. This way you don't have to drill holes in your studs. Or have thermal breaks in your insulation. It works very well that away. That is what I did in my shop and then just attached my tin to the furring strips.

 

[klassenl]

I ran pex inside my walls and under my concrete.

 

[machsnell]

I ran rapid air 3/4 in my walls. Which is pex al pex.

I ran in the attic and did drops to where I need it down the stud cavities.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[Bradbilt]

I ran pex inside my walls and under my concrete.

Pex can be used for air lines?

 

[klassenl]

Pex can be used for air lines?

I have no idea if it's "rated" for use with pressurized air but it has given me not trouble thus far.

 

[homebuilt burner]

You could use Truck Air Brake line. Nylon hose rated for air pressure.

 

[Augus7us]

My plan is to run furring strips and hide the piping behind wainscotting. What is you guys thoughts on running rapid air behind walls?

 

[CraigStu]

The only thing I would put in the wall would be iron pipe. Everything else is too easy to drill through when mounting cabinets or anything else on the wall.

 

[longez]

3/4ø black iron with drops every 10' all around a 40'x60' new construction shop. Each run is pitched 2* to the corner water drains...but haven't found any in the two years the shop has been in existence. Air runs were installed before electrical and before spraying foam insulation the full 5-1/2" wall depth. I pressure/leak tested for a week before having the guts to spray the walls full of foam.

 

[The Cobbler]

The only thing I would put in the wall would be iron pipe. Everything else is too easy to drill through when mounting cabinets or anything else on the wall.

they make screw guards for a reason, and you can use shorter screws. by your analogy no wiring should be in a wall either then

 

[fourjeepin]

I have read about many people running pex for airlines. I bought some to do mine but haven’t put it up yet.

 

[BD1]

I have read about many people running pex for airlines. I bought some to do mine but haven’t put it up yet.

Many people use pex for airlines. I would definitely check with manufacturers to verify it's compresses air rated. Many disregard and don't care. Same with PVC. It's your choice but I would be really concerned about the fittings.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[phy6]

I'd much rather use pex since it's soft. If it bursts it's more likely to be a hole like on plastic tubing; with PVC it shatters into sharp pieces that go flying.

 

[mcbane]

PVC airline shattering inside an unvented wall might be safe with respect to shrapnel but potentially would be messy. It probably only takes 2 psi or so pressure buildup to blow the sheetrock off the wall, and an 80 gallon tank at 150 psi contains enough air to rapidly pressurize several wall stud cavities to 2 psi.

 

[manwithtools]

The only thing I would put in the wall would be iron pipe. Everything else is too easy to drill through when mounting cabinets or anything else on the wall.

they make screw guards for a reason, and you can use shorter screws. by your analogy no wiring should be in a wall either then

Nor would we be running plumbing in walls either if we all followed that analogy. Run the tubing in the studs, not a problem in my experience, if you have access to the attic area that would prove easier for future modifications.

 

[ddawg16]

I used copper......and it's in the ceiling.

In retrospect.....I would prefer PLEX. But at the time, PLEX was not real popular

 

[AngryBeaver]

that guy that built my garage built 1" NPT black pipe with drops every 15' or so.

I just wish he would have used a proper thread sealant, as there is a air loss somewhere I can't find. Can't hear it, but pressure bleeds down... with the compressor off

 

[larry4406]

My prior garage I ran black iron pipe in the walls. Set it so it would drain etc. Installed ceiling hose reals. Nice setup. I had wall taps every 10’ +/-. In the end I used my ceiling hose reels 99% of the time.

Current garage I ran copper in the walls with wall taps and 2 ceiling hose reels. I only use the hose reels.

Summary - I recommend strategic ceiling hose reels and don’t waste your time further unless you have fixed demands (blast cabinet), etc.

 

[ZRX61]

that guy that built my garage built 1" NPT black pipe with drops every 15' or so.

I just wish he would have used a proper thread sealant, as there is a air loss somewhere I can't find. Can't hear it, but pressure bleeds down... with the compressor off

Soapy water time... (or surpy watter as they say in Newcastle)

 

[CraigStu]

they make screw guards for a reason, and you can use shorter screws. by your analogy no wiring should be in a wall either then

Good point Cobbler.

 

[Richard65Falcon]

Pex can be used for air lines?

I bought my house/shop already built. The guy I bought it from used PVC to pipe the air. It lasted 25 years, but one day I was working on my car and out of the blue a fitting shot out fron the PVC across the shop (bouncing off of my car) all the way into the back room. It seems the oil in the air from the compressor eventually weakened the PVC to th point it failed. I often think what if it hit me instead of the car. I went to iron pipe aftr that. Just something to think about, I don't know if it would be the same for PEX...

 

[sweetk30]

another vote for pex anymore .

if i redid my shop some day i would go pex my self over the black iron . but the black iron is still working fine so it stays . just wish they had plumbed it for drops over risers with almost no slop on the main feed lines . but i dont get water build up when i do drain so it must be o.k.

my shop is 28ft deep and 50ft wide . i use the FLEXZILLA 75ft 3/8" hose real 98% of the time and the other 2% i use the 50ft unit at the other end of the shop .

so skip lots of outlet ports unless you need them . right now i have half a dozen riser ports i dont even use ever . but this was the way it was when i moved in .

 

[Ainsley]

I have a small shop (12x26ish) and ran all black pipe. I did a 3/4" main line in the attic the whole length of my shop. I then brought 1/2" drops down through the top place into the wall cavity and then 90'd to come through the OSB on the inside.

 

[Bruhntune]

The pex website I found said (pex not for air) you might look there.

 

[Bruhntune]

Q: Can I use NIBCO®
PEX for compressed air or natural gas?
A: These are not intended or approved uses of the product

 

[Bradbilt]

Ok guys. I need to do this in the next two weeks. I'm leaning towards copper.
But what is the difference between M, L and K
a 1" run from the compressor to either end of the garage(159')
The "T's" off in 3/4" to the end

Home Cheepo looks like the cheapest place to buy it with the bulk pricing
$29.24 for 1"
$19.16 for 3/4"

My main concern in running the pipe in the unheated truss' and condensation.

Any words of wisdom?

So I am looking at $1042 in pipe alone, + the fittings and such

I priced out the Rapid air as well
1" "fastpipe" (19'8") is $439
3/" "fastpipe" (19'8") is $524
So it is about $80 cheaper but then there are their EXPENSIVE fittings

 

[mike93lx]

Ok guys. I need to do this in the next two weeks. I'm leaning towards copper.
a 1" run from the compressor to either end of the garage(159')
The "T's" off in 3/4" to the end

Home Cheepo looks like the cheapest place to buy it with the bulk pricing
$29.24 for 1"
$19.16 for 3/4"

My main concur in running the pip in the unheated truss' and condensation.

Any words of wisdom?

That is a **** load of money for 1". If it was my wallet, I better have an amazing reason to need that much air on the other side of the shop.

Plus all of that joint sweating

I would run PEX as well. Single line, no joints all the way across.

 

[karoc]

I remember reading few yrs ago that a person to decrease the size of the line that he needed, he ran his air lines in a loop so that he could have most cfm's possible using a smalller line. If he ran only one line it would have to be bigger and more costly. Kinda makes sense I guess

 

[sberry]

Ok guys. I need to do this in the next two weeks. I'm leaning towards copper.
But what is the difference between M, L and K
a 1" run from the compressor to either end of the garage(159')
The "T's" off in 3/4" to the end

Home Cheepo looks like the cheapest place to buy it with the bulk pricing
$29.24 for 1"
$19.16 for 3/4"

My main concern in running the pipe in the unheated truss' and condensation.

Any words of wisdom?

So I am looking at $1042 in pipe alone, + the fittings and such

I priced out the Rapid air as well
1" "fastpipe" (19'8") is $439
3/" "fastpipe" (19'8") is $524
So it is about $80 cheaper but then there are their EXPENSIVE fittings

You only need the fittings at the end, convert it but.. if I could would do it in 3/4. So much easier in one size, one size fittings and smaller is a bit easier to seal. Not every corner needs inch, inch for inch air guns in a truck tire service center. 3/4 will run inch out to 100 ft or so, maybe more. 3/4 is almost 7/8. I have 100 ft of 1/2 on one of my main runs, cant tell the difference.

 

[BKB]

Pex-AL-Pex in mine. It was cheap and i have over 300' of it, underground and in the walls. Only been 6 years so far.

 

[rayra]

1/2" pex is good for 140-150psi.

1/2" sched 40 pvc is burst rated over 300psi.

Your compressor's safety valve is what, 140? Your regulator is set at what 90-100?


1/2" sched40 can readily be worked into a stud wall with 16" centers. Just takes a wee bit of muscle and the joinery is easy.

If your PVC is to be exposed to daylight / UV, just paint it.

 

[sweetk30]

when i do my tool room i hope to redo my shop lines .

there 3/4" black iron now but they installed them on the footing wall edge and no angle for drain or water build up . they have been in for 15-20 years if i had to guess . so for me its time to swap out .

i will be doing pex and do drops from the ceiling with drain valves on each drop . also this will let me zone a few section better and give direct feed to others like my blast cabinet .

i also plan on doing the aftercooler mod lots of members here are doing to kill the water before it even hits the tank .

 

[nadogail]

You pay your money and take your chances.

If I Recall Correctly, Type L tubing is light weight and thin walled, Type M is medium wall and somewhat thicker walled, Type K is heavy walled and has the thickest walls.

IMHO, for Light Industrial or Home Shop use type M is my choice for copper air systems. I solder them together with 50/50 solder. Because 50/50 solder is not allowed in drinking water systems, I buy it and acid flux at industrial supply houses; forget about big box home stores being willing to sell it. Up to 1/2" solders well with my propane torch; you might want to use MAPP gas for larger sized copper pipe. Copper Pipe is easy to work with and the tools are much cheaper than the tools required to cut and thread Iron or Steel Pipe

Iron pipe has been used as long as there have been compressed air systems, it works fine and lasts a long time.

PEX seems to be, again IMHO, growing in acceptance; but I prefer either Steel or Copper

 

[mike93lx]

1/2" pex is good for 140-150psi.

1/2" sched 40 pvc is burst rated over 300psi.

Your compressor's safety valve is what, 140? Your regulator is set at what 90-100?


1/2" sched40 can readily be worked into a stud wall with 16" centers. Just takes a wee bit of muscle and the joinery is easy.

If your PVC is to be exposed to daylight / UV, just paint it.

Pvc is not rated for air pressure. Stop spreading this ****

 

[like2wheel]

A quick google says:

"In accordance with ASTM F876, the minimum hydrostatic burst pressure for PEX pipe is 480 pounds per square inch (for 1/2-inch pipe) and 475 psi (for 3/4-inch pipe and larger) at 73.4 degrees F. PEX-a manufacturers produce pipe that bursts at pressures of nearly twice that of the ASTM F876 requirements.Jun 15, 2016"

I'm a big fan of copper air lines. That said, I had a bunch of pex left over from putting it in my floor. So after reading what I saw above, I decided to put it to use as air lines in my walls & ceiling.

 

[mike93lx]

A quick google says:

"In accordance with ASTM F876, the minimum hydrostatic burst pressure for PEX pipe is 480 pounds per square inch (for 1/2-inch pipe) and 475 psi (for 3/4-inch pipe and larger) at 73.4 degrees F. PEX-a manufacturers produce pipe that bursts at pressures of nearly twice that of the ASTM F876 requirements.Jun 15, 2016"

I'm a big fan of copper air lines. That said, I had a bunch of pex left over from putting it in my floor. So after reading what I saw above, I decided to put it to use as air lines in my walls & ceiling.

Big difference between water pressure and air. Water under pressure stores very little energy because it is not compressible. Air stores a monstrous amount of energy at the pressures we use in our shops. A burst air line will send shrapnel far and wide with great rigor. The nice this about PEX is that it is pliable and soft, so there isn't shrapnel. Pvc on the other hand, shatters and can kill a person.