In the process of installing 3/4” Rapidair Maxline. Spent way too much time toiling over this vs. Fastpipe. 4 drops shooting up into the ceiling. So far I don’t see a reason for a straightener and this stuff is very satisfying to work with.
I agree here. The object is to make it work first and some of this gets as convoluted as some of my first work. There is a bit of impression I leave that I am not a fussy craft worker but I am and can be. A few of these pieces are certainly beautiful but,,,,, so way engineered beyond and then fussed over, its great its good for 6000# and cost 2 thousand dollars as a hobby, its fricken beautiful and the craft work is excellent b8ut the effort is absolutely useless.
Its not a bad thing but it aint gonna work any better and while each piece is a work of art might not work as some of the fuss was misplaced in fundamental design. I did this I recognize it from my own experience.
When I was 25 would have built the tank, scraped the money up for every valve and fitting they made. Today would simply find an approved tank. Might fix something up but it would follow a standard practice, be a copy and clone without changing some fundamental design change do dangerous **** I routinely did at that age.
The screw ups I was lucky with back then are now less and I tend to stop a little more and try to emulate and by the time I have plumbed a dozen reels over some time, some new, some changes which are really my faves when I have a DUH moment. My last upgrade actually saved 60 ft of pipe by moving a reel I didnt use a lot to a place I use it as easy or more. I would have added a bunch of overhead pipe I simply didnt use and combine some all in one.
So,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, back to this thread. The reason to use something called fast pipe or rapid hose is cause its fast and easy. Steel pipe can be slow especially in tall, in the ceiling and in big buildings needs to get 21 ft sticks from the jobber and not that **** from the box store. The shorts are ok just not the thing to go along spans with up in the air where they are, also used heavy forged couplings are so much better.
The rapids I might be inclined to use 3/4 a bit more than 1/2 steel. If I thought I was gonna heavy impact north of 50, 75 ft would use the 3/4 and I like a home run idea. As far as I can see the only proprietary fittings a guy might need were male threaded adapters. A bit of extra hose with no joints or save every foot with a box of fittings? The manifold and the end can be common steel. In some places could screw the adapter right on to the regulator. In a main/manifold system in larger buildings want a service valve at secondary equipment,
I like the above post and I like the blue pipe job on one wall which is so simple its even easy to change or add, so much so its easier than trying to design every what if a guy can conceive with a hydrant every 4 ft.
