Compressor set up hints

[thammel]

I'm getting a two stage 5hp compressor soon. I'm planning on 3/4" L copper for the feeds - will probably do 3 drops with one of these for a blast cabinet. Do any of you have recommendations on regulators and filters? Brands and where to purchase them? And just general supplies? How about the hose from compressor to main feed? Your input is greatly appreciated!

Tom

 

[K'ledgeBldr]

There's a lot of reg's&filters- do your homework, size/working psi/main use do make a difference.

The whip- hydraulic line.

Setup to me means get it close to an exterior wall- plumb the intake to the exterior and add Solberg filter/muffler/silencers. Hockey pucks for the feet. Change V-groove drive belts to link belts. Drainline to the exterior. And, if you want the air to be as dry as possible BEFORE it hits a dryer/regulator, consider using an adapted condenser unit.

 

[vavet]

There's a lot of reg's&filters- do your homework, size/working psi/main use do make a difference.

The whip- hydraulic line.

Setup to me means get it close to an exterior wall- plumb the intake to the exterior and add Solberg filter/muffler/silencers. Hockey pucks for the feet. Change V-groove drive belts to link belts. Drainline to the exterior. And, if you want the air to be as dry as possible BEFORE it hits a dryer/regulator, consider using an adapted condenser unit.

Sorry, don’t mean to thread Jack...but please explain your suggestions.
Why are you plumbing intake to exterior and changing the drive belt? Is it all for noise abatement?

 

[66dave]

He means pull the air from exterior of building...it will make the compressor significantly quieter. The belt comment will take out some of the vibrations between the motor/pump.

 

[nadogail]

If you can isolate mechanical vibration from the compressor, your noise level should be reduced.

 

[matt_i]

I used a premium hose (Goodyear Ultra Grip) which is designed for push-on fittings to connect tank and the copper system. From McMaster Carr. I backed them up with oetiker 2-ear clamps. Typically not necessary but wanted to take the extra step here. I don't have any monitoring of the compressor motor right now in case I lost that hose.

I like Apollo Conbraco full-port ball valves after getting some junk leaky Nibco valves.

I used Master Pneumatic for the cyclonic, coalescing and dessicant filters. There's a Parker coalescer in there too on the line where I am painting. Purchased these all on ebay over some years. There are many industrial brands, Norgren and Numatics I would also trust and use. SMC is an industrial player with a lot of products out there too.



This is the painting setup...dessicant and a small micron (forget the value) coalescer. The regulator just needed a new gage.



Basic setup as I'm building it.



I used the Cooper/B-Line/Eaton BVT series of isolating clamps for strut channel. Also ebay.





SupplyHouse supplied a lot of the copper fittings. Stay-Brite #8 high-strength solder used with its partner Sta-Clean flux.

 

[thammel]

Matt - Thanks so much! That's exactly the kind of info I was looking for!
Tom

 

[akdiesel]

You said you only plan on having three drops. I would use T's in place of unions. Reason being you never know if you want to add later on. The T's will allow for any easy addition. A little more money for the T's and caps in the beginning, but alot less of a headache later on.

 

[redmondjp]

I used a premium hose (Goodyear Ultra Grip) which is designed for push-on fittings to connect tank and the copper system. From McMaster Carr. I backed them up with oetiker 2-ear clamps. Typically not necessary but wanted to take the extra step here. I don't have any monitoring of the compressor motor right now in case I lost that hose.

A quick way to fix that concern Matt would simply be to move your ball valve to the upstream side of that hose, right at the tank outlet. That's usually how I do it, so I minimize the amount of leak points that remain pressurized.

 

[zippyslug31]

I just finished the install of my system. I agree with some of the comments regarding keeping things flexible by installing T's (capped on the unused leg). For plumbing I already owned quite a few high-psi air lines which are threaded on both ends. These work fine, and are safe, but they do paint me into a corner if I want to add something later on. A workaround was to install a couple of swivels with ball valves just upstream from them so I could, hypothetically, cut the air, unscrew the line, and change it as needed.
I guess my advice would be this: if you have screw fittings, be sure you have a way to unscrew them without having to disassemble the entire air circuit.