Compressor Plumbing in Large Shop

[NitroGarage]

40x60x16, plumbed with 3/4" and 1/2" standard PEX with crimp fittings back in 2010. No issues. Some ran in wall some ran surface mount. PEX goes to a 4-5" black pipe ******/tee drop leg that mounts to framing better than pex, then to 1/4 air fittings. Use it after your cooler/dryer and it's fine.

As for upgrading your compressor, keep your 7.5 80 gal and buy another one. Stage the pressure switches so one is lead and one is lag and flip them every year based on what the hour meter says.

 

[jkesselr]

I guess all of this begs the question, why not just get 10 or 20 foot sticks of pex and use regular pex? Is there an issue doing that, rather than something like pex-al-pex?

 

[NitroGarage]

I guess all of this begs the question, why not just get 10 or 20 foot sticks of pex and use regular pex? Is there an issue doing that, rather than something like pex-al-pex?

If the cost makes sense you can run it in electrical conduit as mentioned previously, if you need to shield it from direct sunlight say right in front of a window etc. Use straight sticks of it. PEX-AL-PEX is nice because you can bend it and it stays but is more expensive and so are the fittings. I buy the rolls of PEX A or B on clearance or at auction and use that.

 

[jkesselr]

Is there any drawback to using regular pex if there won't be direct sunlight exposure? All of the runs will be on the back wall of the shop and across the open ceiling. There are no windows, just a series of garage doors on the front wall of the shop. As deep as the shop is and with the runs being up near the ceiling, direct sunlight hitting them is an impossibility. Now, if ambient sunlight is a concern, then that is another beast.

 

[The Metric System]

I'll use PEX for shop air as soon as the manufacturer of the PEX tells me that it's rated for this application; so far none of them are doing this AFAIK.

Until then my preferred options are:

• Nylon push to connect if going really cheap
• PEX/AL/PEX coils for most applications
• Brazed copper if I'm spending somebody else's money

I don't like iron pipe because it rusts and also because NPT is trash.

 

[finn]

Is there any drawback to using regular pex if there won't be direct sunlight exposure? All of the runs will be on the back wall of the shop and across the open ceiling. There are no windows, just a series of garage doors on the front wall of the shop. As deep as the shop is and with the runs being up near the ceiling, direct sunlight hitting them is an impossibility. Now, if ambient sunlight is a concern, then that is another beast.

I read somewhere that fluorescent lighting doesn’t play well either with regular pex.

I was set to use barrier pex left over from the floor heat project in our house addition , but couldn’t get over the lack of certification for air systems.

In the end, the pex/al/ pex kit I bought wasn’t all that expensive (although the price has gone up $20 since I bought mine a month ago). It’s still less than $100.

 

[jkesselr]

All good points, I think I have settled on running some of the pex-al-pex kits off of Amazon. Fingers crossed that they work well enough for me!

 

[NitroGarage]

I read somewhere that fluorescent lighting doesn’t play well either with regular pex.

I was set to use barrier pex left over from the floor heat project in our house addition , but couldn’t get over the lack of certification for air systems.

In the end, the pex/al/ pex kit I bought wasn’t all that expensive (although the price has gone up $20 since I bought mine a month ago). It’s still less than $100.

Again, no issues, regular pex, regular T8 bulbs, and before them it was a single 400w metal halide.

 

[bornbadbob]

Hey guys,

I find myself needing some advice on compressor plumbing. What follows is a long lead-up to a "simple" question.

I have a large home shop (60x140) with 16' eves that is broken into 3 sections - 60x48, 60x72, and 60x20. The 60x48 will be used for automotive service with 2 lifts, one requiring air. The 60x72 will be used for general fabrication and autobody work, and the 60x20 will be used basically as a spray booth. It is generally just me in the shop, but I may occasionally have 2-3 other users. I plan on upgrading my T30 7.5hp 80 gallon compressor to a 7.5-10hp 120 gallon compressor. The compressor will land at the split between the 60x72 and 60x20 sections, meaning it will be roughly 20 feet in from the end wall. I was going to run piping out of the compressor into a few verticals and then through a refrigerated dryer before running it out to the shop. I figure I will burn somewhere in the neighborhood of 60' of pipe just on the verticals. After the refrigerated dryer, I figured I would run the line up to the ceiling down to the automotive service area with a handful of drops, probably about 9 drops around the 60x72, and a few in the 20x60. Near as I can tell, I am looking at about 600'-700' of piping and a bunch of Ts and 90s, with the longest run being about 200-250' (including the vertical "cooler"). Now for the question...

I am looking at the knock-off rapid air kits on amazon that are about $300 for a 300' 3/4" kit. Are these kits sufficient for the air usage/distance of this application? Do you have any advice about these kinds of kits (the good, the bad, and the ugly)? I'd much prefer straight sticks of pex-al-pex, but I can't seem to find it locally, so I am looking at these coil kits. Any suggestions on straightening out the coils?

Okay, so that was more than just a question.

Thanks in advance for any assistance you guys can offer.

John

I had a knock off RapidAir system, worst thing I could have done. I am going to rerun it in steel

 

[finn]

I had a knock off RapidAir system, worst thing I could have done. I am going to rerun it in steel

Mine is performing perfectly so far. Nice being able to run the blast cabinet and back of the shop without air hoses running across the floor.

I also installed one of those retractable air vise reels that popped up in the Hot Deals section here a month or two ago. Works well.

I do have a couple of leaks in the older section previously plumbed in black iron pipe. Thinking of eventually tearing that section out and replacing it with the Amazon pex/al, but not this year. The leaks seem to be over the 14’ overhead door.

 

[Metal-Marc]

With the compressor in the middle and maybe 3 person shop even at the length of your building I doubt you would ever get starved for air with a 3/4" pipe system.

Another option is to add extra tanks at both ends of the run. 20-30 gallons tanks can be bought for cheap.

I, too, am looking at running hose reels and want dedicated lines for certain workstations, like blast cabinet, tire machine, etc.

I have a 5 gal pancake tank and a pressure gauge right at my blast cabinet.

I have a 30gal tank in the attic above the farthest point from the compressor to add storage and level things out.

I have rigged a 20 gal tank on wheels so I can be 200' from the main compressor and have some good pressure for my tools even if I use some cheap 1/4" lines.

 

[NitroGarage]

Another option is to add extra tanks at both ends of the run. 20-30 gallons tanks can be bought for cheap.

I have a 5 gal pancake tank and a pressure gauge right at my blast cabinet.

I have rigged a 20 gal tank on wheels so I can be 200' from the main compressor and have some good pressure for my tools even if I use some cheap 1/4" lines.

Great advice. I've seen free 20-30 gallon oilless compressors that burned up from being ran all day with good tanks.

 

[jkesselr]

So, would I just run the pex-al-pex line to the 20 gallon tank near the 40x60 "service bay" portion of the shop and then run branch lines off of that for that portion?

 

[TxSteve]

If you're going to use Pex-al, Check out Vevor. Cheapest place I've found to buy it. Mine's been up a couple of years with zero issues. The connectors are somewhat expensive and you will probably have to order them, but you don't need any special tools to install.. I couldn't find it anywhere locally.

PEX-AL-PEX Compression Fittings

Compression style PEX-AL-PEX fittings manufactured to ASTM F1281 standard and compatible with all types and brands of PEX-AL-PEX, including Everhot, Watts (RadiantPEX-AL), Uponor (MCL/Multicore) and others.

pexuniverse.com

Don't overthink the installation. You can always add to it later.

I ended up setting up two 50' hose reels - one at each rollup door with a regulator and water trap feeding each reel (defaulted to 100psi at the regulator). It reaches anywhere I need it to and was simple and cheap(er) to install than what I started out think about - drops every x feet with regulators and drains at each, etc. Yours sounds more complicated, but just keep the KISS principle in mind. I'm also one guy in the shop most of the time and it's not really a big deal to disconnect and reconnect and pull a hose out and put it up... Plus - I can easily add to it if and when I find the need for dedicated drops.

 

[ericm]

I had a knock off RapidAir system, worst thing I could have done. I am going to rerun it in steel

Which brand? Was it pex-al-pex (RapidAir sells that as Maxline) or the plastic stuff?

 

[ericm]

Mine is performing perfectly so far.

Which brand did you use?

 

[finn]

Which brand did you use?

I looked it up, but he’s currently not selling air kits.

However, it appears that several other sellers have essentially, if not exactly the same kit. It’s the HDPE-al-HDPE kit that is currently selling for $95-96 for the $100’ setup. They’re all the same, except maybe the wall clips that hold the tubing.

Mine came in a plain brown box, with no logo and no instructions.It was packed exactly the same as a RapidAir kit I saw a creator / influencer unwrap on a YouTube episode. Mine was $69 at the time, but most other sellers were asking between $79 and $96. Same photos /artwork.

That makes me think there’s a limited number of manufacturers, and a lot of entrepreneurs selling exactly the same product.

I may have already said this, but I ordered additional elbows to fit my needs. They had o ring seals in lieu of the wedge seals mine had. Both worked, so I suspect that was a running change.

Mine still works fine with no leaks after maybe six weeks.

No more air hoses on the floor.

Wish I had done it sooner. At $69, it was worth the gamble, and even at $96 still is.

That’s like one dinner at a cheap restaurant with your wife.

 

[bornbadbob]

Which brand? Was it pex-al-pex (RapidAir sells that as Maxline) or the plastic stuff?

Plastic stuff, not sure what brand but not RapidAir for sure. Brand X from our version of Harbour Freight. I guess I tried to cheap out, that bites me on the damn near every time, you would thing I would learn.

 

[knucklehead 61]

i cheaped out on my last shop & used PEX waterline & fittings for my air lines. it worked ok, but would leak down over the course of a few days. I am currently building a new, MUCH larger shop & starting to plan the air runs. I prefer them hidden behind the drywall.
What is the preferred brand to use?

 

[kwb]

If I was going to bury into a finished wall soldered copper would be my recommendation.

Maybe crimped copper but I don't have any experience with doing it.

 

[SouthernIllinois]

i cheaped out on my last shop & used PEX waterline & fittings for my air lines. it worked ok, but would leak down over the course of a few days. I am currently building a new, MUCH larger shop & starting to plan the air runs. I prefer them hidden behind the drywall.
What is the preferred brand to use?

I used TransAir rigid aluminum piping and fittings and couldn't be happier.

Just my opinion but there is no way in the world I would put air lines behind drywall or behind any other wall covering. I have not had a leak but I wouldn't want it hidden and inaccessible.