sfm1951
Well-known member
Anybody ever use Rapidair Maxline compressed air piping systems?(www.rapidairproducts.com) They are made of a pex like tubing. Do they hold up ? Pros or Cons. Thanks in advance, Steve
Rapidair Maxline air lines
- Thread starter sfm1951
- Start date
canuckian
Well-known member
Curious to hear people's thoughts on this product as well. Planning on installing the fast aluminum pipe system in the new shop and am curious if its possible to have fast pipe and the Maxline in the same system. The shop will be mostly flat surfaces but was wondering just in case I had to route it somewhere that required an odd angle or bend.
Boyd
Well-known member
I used it in a shop I rented for 6 months. I wanted something I could install and remove rather quickly. The installation was crazy easy, the fittings and junction blocks are good quality, and I didn't have a single leak or issue the entire time I used it.
The ONLY issue, and its a slight one, I had with the system was the coiled tubing trying to stay coiled during installation. I left it out in the sun for several hours and it still wanted to coil. I just bought extra clips from Lowe's and spaced them every foot.
The ONLY issue, and its a slight one, I had with the system was the coiled tubing trying to stay coiled during installation. I left it out in the sun for several hours and it still wanted to coil. I just bought extra clips from Lowe's and spaced them every foot.
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A**holes Garage
Banned
I have the Rapid Air aluminum piping system. Works fine, pre-plan as corners and angles can be tricky. Plus, double check all the fittings, make sure the O rings are in the fittings and are not pinched.
jkwilson
Well-known member
It is very nice to install. I ran it from my compressor to outlets at the two main overhead doors in my shop and put reels there. Much easier than dragging a long hose, and since I went with the 3/4" I get good flow way out from the shop when I work outside.
I imagine coiling can be an issue. I unrolled mine out in the sun for several hours before I installed it.
I imagine coiling can be an issue. I unrolled mine out in the sun for several hours before I installed it.
toolman1967
Well-known member
I am considering this kit also, nice to get a real world critique of it.
Tim the Toolman
Tim the Toolman
Keithinsc
Well-known member
My rapidair hose was also a coiled up pain in the rear.
I bought some plastic conduit (Hold on, dont get excited yet
) and snaked the rapidair thru that. Keeps it straight and the conduit was easy to hang with the clamps I already had. I think I spent $15 for enough conduit to run all mine thru.
I bought some plastic conduit (Hold on, dont get excited yet
) and snaked the rapidair thru that. Keeps it straight and the conduit was easy to hang with the clamps I already had. I think I spent $15 for enough conduit to run all mine thru.My rapidair hose was also a coiled up pain in the rear.
I bought some plastic conduit (Hold on, dont get excited yet
Post up pics . . . . let's SEE it.
JakeKohl
Well-known member
I bought one for my shop but was a little uneasy with the recommended pressure of the blue tubing provided given that I was putting it inside the walls (I seem to recall that it was 100psi). I did use their manifolds and other fittings in conjunction with soft copper tubing (left over from an HVAC purchase gone wrong). It works well.
jkwilson
Well-known member
It's rated at 200psi at 73F, and derated to 160psi at 140F.
My compressor has 175 psi line pressure at the compressor then to a regulator to cut down line pressure. We have not bought any air lines yet. This sounds like it will work. It sounds like it is cheaper than copper also and definatly cheaper than black pipe and quicker too. We are just finishing a new body shop (54X60) in the other half of my shop. The bank shut down the one he was working at , and they wanted to sell it to us for only $240.000, and it is smaller than what he has now.Thanks guys just wanted some feedback before buying. Thanks, Steve
I'd sure recommend you reconsider. Why invest big bucks for new body shop business to only cheap out on airline system??
Painting will require dry air that you won't get with plastic/rubber airline.
Go visit your competitors. They won't have Maxair shortcut. They will have black pipe steel the majority of time . . . rest will have copper.
92GreenYJ
Well-known member
I wound up using the Maxine kit. I was gonna do black iron originally, was at Home Depot with a cart full of fittings, pipe, etc. quickly realized that it was going to be a royal pain in the *** and cost me a fortune so I threw it all back on the shelf and hit the net for a better solution. I went with two master kits from Northern Tool on sale and a few extra t fittings and manifolds to build the system the way I wanted it. Install was a breeze and super simple. Would definitely use it again and recommend it
ABADWILLYS
Well-known member
man , ide like to see some installed pics fellas, im ready to plumb my 40x60 for air and still undecided which way to go..
these rapidair or similar systems look very easy to install but..
call me crazy but im a stickler on things being level and square and straight im worried on a long run of 'pipe" say 60 feet, with the plastic tubing, being "droopy" between attachment points?
these rapidair or similar systems look very easy to install but..
call me crazy but im a stickler on things being level and square and straight im worried on a long run of 'pipe" say 60 feet, with the plastic tubing, being "droopy" between attachment points?
JakeKohl
Well-known member
The kit I looked at Northern Tool was definitely not rated for that much pressure. I would have used it if it was. I actually had a hard time finding plastic tubing rated at 200psi - it was going to be a special order item from a company that specializes in pneumatics.
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lynnbilodeau
Well-known member
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sberry
Banned
This is worth repeating. I can see some places, maybe a tailored extension etc.
The problem with most of this is that its one off to most people, you do most of it once and live with it. I want to put too many fittings too, air is different than electric in its demand for lack of a better word. I can paint a car with one air hose but need several power circuits to run the lights and associated equipment.
Many will find un used features, several they went to great expense for and use 1 or 2. I like all hook unhook at the tool, fixed whips or reels. Any extra hose sections are stored out of the way out of circulation and for the most part no available hydrants for general use.
I look at how I perceived this job when I started,, which is where a lot are at now and the view is different. I have done hundreds of these jobs similar, each one gets better but its hard to resist sometimes when super simple should be the name of the game and there are benefits including reduced leakage in connectors.
I have some concept of realistic estimation,,, which the sparkies call load calc and having done it more than once can say 99% of those worried to tears can make it on 100A service and a 3 hp comp and a couple air drops. When a psi or volt or 2 drop matters????????? When adding "a cart full" of fittings is needed or a few simple ones with a couple whole sticks of pipe to make a general manifold,,,, it doesn't cost much for 2 sticks and a couple couplings, a couple t's and an elbow. Even 60 ft across a building isn't expensive but put 2 hydrants and half a dozen fittings a union and a hose every 10 ft and it adds up. It takes time,,, very slow to design slow to install.
I am not saying do without by any means, I see some knuckle draggers in this dept but its worth stringing up a hose or 2 maybe, clamping up a reel, get a feel, then add some pipe. In some cases a little secondary pipe is as cheap as regulators and require no maint.
The air pressure can be the same at every use point. We have 4 regs but the shop is big, this really could be done with one for the most part but we are light industrial and plumbing a point is minor, a couple I do run at slight pressure difference, one can come off a comp independent of the rest of the air system. We use 5 outlets (not including paint) , it gives overlap if needed, but this serves 6000 sq ft. 3 fixed whips and 3 reels counting one outdoor.
There is a time and place for sophisticated stuff but it usually isn't in diy general maintenance garages and most of the expense is a few feet of stock length pipe, a little 3/4 but after reg end runs to 50 ft 3/8 reels using 1/2. In a small nody shop like we see mentioned here might use all 3/4 in the secondary i9f I had a lot of stuff happening downstream, also would base this a bit on comp size if sandlast was routine and on demand.
I watch a Bud struggle a bit with this in a 30x40, never invested in a piece of pipe right but in the end really ended up using a single hose and he worked in there all week.
All this is no good though if its too expensive and too complicated, I wouldn't want a proprietary system. My ideal would be simple from a couple 10 fts if I didn't have 20, all stock length, fit it up, hang it with wire and clamps, after I reduced every fitting I could and added where I truly needed would nail it to the wall.
Another note,,, I like reels or fixed whip at a bench, I have them as drops to hoist but don't really mind a manual reel, any reel is better than none for long hoses, it allows for use of full length 50 ft hose without it being a pain. A 50 ft hose works great on a 100 ft reel, don't have to be fussy, fast and easy.
Attachments
melliott28
Well-known member
For a couple of installed examples look here:
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=160938
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=76533
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=160938
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=76533
JakeKohl
Well-known member
I found the tubing that came with my Rapidair kit and it is clearly stamped 150psi at 70F. My compressor is capable of 175psi. Even though I do regulate it lower before it feeds the shop, this didn't seem like a good idea to run where I couldn't get to the tubing.
You can see the stamp yourself by mousing over the picture here:
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200366544_200366544
92GreenYJ
Well-known member
See, that was the thing for my set up. I wanted to do a unique run with coil air hoses on each divider section of my work bench, 3 hose reels, a drop for my blast cabinet and pot blaster, etc. so for me the black iron would have just been a nightmare.
With the 1/2" Maxline it was easy. I ordered two master kits on sale from Northern tool, a few extra manifolds and T fittings and I was good to go. I ran a loop along the header all the way around my garage and installed t fittings for each drop. The workbench loops as well. I put a T at the start ad ran a line down along beneath the bench top at the back and ran lines forward to the front of the bench from there at each divider. So I have a coil hose at each section of bench. Ran that loop back up to a T back into the main loop from there. Then added a reel on either side of the garage door and another over the man door. For me it was the easiest solution
sberry
Banned
This is a curiosity and estimate type question. How big of garage, how long have you had this and are any of the hydrants not used? Could a move be made to trade 2 for 1 in practical use?
I do like the fact that you have a system that doesn't sound like it includes using sections of hose moved from hydrant to hydrant.
I do like the fact that you have a system that doesn't sound like it includes using sections of hose moved from hydrant to hydrant.
92GreenYJ
Well-known member
2 car garage. So honestly my largest hose reel on one sde of the door would reach everywhere I need. But we just bought the house and I have been dreaming of my ideal garage set up for months and months. So this is the route I went. I set it up so I do not have to connect or disconnect any hoses. I even added a manifold under the welding table with a coiled hose to run my plasma cutter.
As for use age,
I haven't totally finished the install just yet. Still have to hang my biggest hose reel and plumb it in and apparently replace the cheap harbor freight filet assembly I have coming off the compressor because it leaks. Hope to wrap it up on my next day off though. Then I will post some pictures.dmeadow
Well-known member
I'm going this way for the same reason. I just mapped out everything I would need in black pipe and the work that will have to go into it. Just not worth it for my home garage and what I plan to do with it.
A WORD OF WARNING! Don't confuse the cheaper Rapidair kit with the Maxline kits. After a lot of work on their website, it is evident that the cheap kit (typically $99) is 1/2" OD and 3/8" ID while the Maxline kits come in 1/2", 3/4" and 1" ID. Also, the cheaper hose does not have the aluminum layer.
For me, a 3/8" ID is too small and a 3/4" ID is too big, so I'm going with the 1/2" ID Maxline. Looks like the 1/2" ID kit includes an extra manifold and is a bit less than the 3/4" ID kit in price. I'll probably put it in PVC (great idea!), but if you look on the Rapidair site there is a guy that has designed a DIY contraption to straighten out the pipe:
http://rapidairproducts.com/straightening-maxline.asp
Again, this probably works fine with the Maxline hose with the aluminum layer, but probably wouldn't work at all for the cheaper Rapidair product.
Hope that is all clear. If not, study the different product lines on http://rapidairproducts.com.
I used the 3/4" Maxline when I got my Quincy and I couldn't be happier. I think it took longer for me to get the hard line from the compressor done and leak free then to do the rest of the system. I found the easiest way to get the lines straight is to get it close on the ground and then bend against the clips when installed.
![IMG_1657.JPG"](https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-PWMR8H1-VV8/UO5ldaWaiZI/AAAAAAAAFhc/wFryG6-dGJ8/s800/IMG_1657.JPG")
Kevin D.
Kevin D.
sberry
Banned
That is not a bad spot for a reel on the hoist. The crank job on the wall is fine too where there is room, I have some of each, I like it as good as a retractor.
Garage2Narrow
Member
- Joined
- Mar 1, 2015
- Messages
- 9
I'm thinking of getting some Maxline, the photos you've posted here are great inspiration.
I've read black iron or aluminum piping is better to get the water to condense out of the air, and plastic piping won't do the same thing. Have you had any trouble with moisture?
I've read black iron or aluminum piping is better to get the water to condense out of the air, and plastic piping won't do the same thing. Have you had any trouble with moisture?
Hit Northern Tool yesterday to take a look at the Quincy 5HP 60 gallon I planned to pick up for my shop. I asked the guy about the FastPipe and he HIGHLY recommended Maxline. That recommendation and this thread just saved me several hundred bucks. I'm gonna do the 3/4" Maxline in mine.
Forever Fixin
Well-known member
Does anyone know if you can connect the rapidair and the Max lines together? I have a rapid air run in the garage and while nice it is long and it loses a lot of pressure. I like to run a Maxline down the other side of the garage and connect it at the front, while also putting a drop on the sidewall of the garage. It would help with pressure and volume in the front and give me good volume on the sidewall. anyone know if this is possible?
eastbaysubaru
Well-known member
Thank you!
I've had the Maxline kit in a box in the garage since Christmas mostly because I was wondering how I was going to straighten the piping. I don't know how I missed this thread until now!?!-Brian
wes73
Well-known member
I used the original RapidAir Kit. It was easy to install and work with. I have 3 drops. All 3 legs are ran up into the trusses to a high point and then back down to eliminate sagging and moisture settle in any low points. I had a custom 5 port block made since i have 3 legs and the 4 port block would not work. And jsut to add a little more, i ran a valve and switch (dedicated circuit) on the outside of the closet where the compressor is for ease of use.
Attachments
I used the Max line kit and if you run the line through 1" EMT 10 ft sections you can use the conduit to straighten the curves. I also left the EMT as a cover on the 10ft drops down my steel columns in my building . It protects the line from getting banged and improves the look of the line drops.
MAC
MAC
barnjunkie
Well-known member
I installed the original Rapid air 1/2" as well. Mine loses pressure (could be cheap fittings ) but I'm in a sort of dilemma. I did not feel comfortable spending upward to 1000 bucks for a black iron system and I really don't use the air enough to warrant keeping it pressurized constantly.
It works well for my use, but if I used it a lot, I think I would spend more for a better looking and more functional system.
Don't get me wrong, the 200 bucks that I spent was worth it, but it really looks tacky with the blue pipe that snakes up the wall.
It looked so bad I ran it above the trusses so that I wouldn't have to look at it.
It works well for my use, but if I used it a lot, I think I would spend more for a better looking and more functional system.
Don't get me wrong, the 200 bucks that I spent was worth it, but it really looks tacky with the blue pipe that snakes up the wall.
It looked so bad I ran it above the trusses so that I wouldn't have to look at it.
Doug1
Well-known member
I used the 3/4 Maxline and love it. I run it from my front garage to my back garage underground, which is close to 100 feet. The underground run acts as a cooler so by the time it gets back to my work area the air is pretty dry. I have a water separator on the outside of the building and the run is downhill from my compressor to the back shop.
Absolutely love it.
Absolutely love it.
I have their 3/4" air line kits still in the box... but I did call them for something specific... the lines are like PEX, not to be used outdoor in direct sunlight... Other than that.... their fittings are expensive..... few stainless 90 deg elbows cost me well over $100. But supposedly pretty good otherwise.... you can call them on your application specific questions... most of the time their "engineer" answer your questions pretty honestly and very helpful..... except grey areas they will hesitate.
