Shop air lines

[hosedragger622]

I know this topic has been brought up a lot, can some one point me in the right direction to some threads and post about the best material to use for running air lines inside my shop, what to use, copper, black pipe, etc.

 

[JCQuick]

I just did mine in black pipe its in my build thread

 

[ptschram]

Black pipe is inexpensive, but difficult for some to cut/thread and some will worry abot corrosion...

Copper is expensive and typically VERY easy to cut/solder/route... Won't corrode and conducts heat well.

Plastic is really easy to route/cut, but most of the kits I've seen come with poor quality pres-to-lok connectors which is easily enough solved by using better quality pres-to-lok fittings or compression fittings.

My shop is plumbed with PEX and nylon hose. Other than leaking NPT fittings, once I replaced all of the cheapie pres-to-loks, it's been fine-admittedly, once in awhile, those with pres-to-lok fittings might leak, in which case, I lop a coupla inches off and start over. It's been about ten years now like this.

someday, I might upgrade to 3/4" nylon of maybe even copper of iron, but for now, it serves me pretty well as I have a fairly large shop with many drops/reels. To put it into perspective, it is frequently easier for me to find an airline than an outlet for an extension cord.

 

[aussiek2000]

Our shop is plumbed in 3" black iron. Drops to 1.5" on the walls, then to 1/2" or 3/4" at the regulators. Large 4 cylinder industrial compressor.

 

[Richard Cranium]

I have black iron for my shop, just have not started to put it up.

 

[manwithtools]

Let me google that for you.....

Just as many opinions as posters it seems, many good choices and a few bad ones. I'd seriously compare the overall costs of black pipe, copper and systems like RapidAir and also what is easiest to install, modify and maintain - then search on this board for terms like "black pipe" or "copper air lines", as you mentioned, it's been beaten like a lifeless equine on this site.

 

[ghnl]

http://www.tptools.com/tech-metal-piping.dlp

http://cached.tptools.com/Images/airline-piping-diagram.pdf

 

[bullnerd]

Mcmaster carr, plastic pex style, buy it as you need it. You'll be surprised how much you DONT need.

 

[The Cobbler]

I'm using type L copper, silver soldered fittings .

 

[cre73]

I can't believe someone hasn't said that nasty three letter abbreviation yet. Usually someone stirs the pot.

 

[ptschram]

I can't believe someone hasn't said that nasty tree letter abbreviation yet. Usually someone stirs the pot.

Talk about beating a dead horse!

 

[jshillin]

I wanted something easy to run, can buy anywhere and not too heavy. I ran copper, soldered the joints and it's been fine since I installed it in '08.

 

[1967Impala]

I can't believe someone hasn't said that nasty tree letter abbreviation yet. Usually someone stirs the pot.

OK just for you.............Go PVC and never look back

 

[JCQuick]

OK just for you.............Go PVC and never look back

Oh **** here it comes

 

[Stuart in MN]

PVC jokes stopped being funny a long time ago.

 

[Streetbu]

Should we start going with plain PEX then?

 

[CNGsaves]

^ ^ ^ Agree. Gives chance for greenhorns to actually consider it.

3 choices . . . . copper, black pipe steel, or RapidAir.

 

[Stuart in MN]

Pex jokes are getting pretty stale as well. Show me documentation from a pex supplier that says their product is approved for compressed air use.

 

[EOC_Jason]

Tractor Supply has a RapidAir kit on sale right now:

http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/special-buy-rapidair-home-garage-kit?cm_vc=-10005

edit: looks cheaper at amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0015A11U2/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Pretty complete little setup for a small garage. Otherwise if you are doing a larger area I would run 3/4" black pipe and go from there...

 

[Northislander]

My last shop had sch 40 steel for airlines copper for argon. Shop i am in preliminary design stage now will have copper argon lines again and sch 40 stainless for air have a bunch of stainless left over from a job for all the drops and have all the dies for my threader.
Fyi i never had any problems with rust in the black lines but all main trunks were graded to drains and all takeoffs came off the top

 

[-Brent-]

Tractor Supply has a RapidAir kit on sale right now:

http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/special-buy-rapidair-home-garage-kit?cm_vc=-10005

edit: looks cheaper at amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0015A11U2/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Pretty complete little setup for a small garage. Otherwise if you are doing a larger area I would run 3/4" black pipe and go from there...

That's a good deal for that home kit. I wish I saw that one. I have a $160 kit that I won't even use half of.

 

[-Brent-]

Fyi i never had any problems with rust in the black lines but all main trunks were graded to drains and all takeoffs came off the top

It all has to do with the installation/set-up, for sure.

 

[lakeroadster]

... can some one point me in the right direction to some threads and post about the best material to use for running air lines inside my shop, what to use, copper, black pipe, etc.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/search.php?searchid=31859113

 

[1967Impala]

PVC jokes stopped being funny a long time ago.

They never stopped being funny

 

[Ironhorse74]

Copper is cooler. No really it disapates heat well.

 

[fastbike02]

I went with rapid air bc it was the easiest of the safe methods

 

[Ironhorse74]

PVC jokes stopped being funny a long time ago.

What size PVC do you recomend?

 

[acer66]

What size PVC do you recomend?

 

[machsnell]

[emoji38]_hitti

Half inch its cheaper just up the pressure to account for drop.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[Falcon67]

What size PVC do you recomend?

LOL, watching Chop Cut Rebuild this AM, they were in a sponsor shop working with repop body panels. And what did I spy on the wall? Runs of PVC air line and drops. Commercial facility.

 

[hill^top]

I was introduced to nylon air tubing with the push lock fittings while working in the machine tool industry over 20 years ago, it's so much easier and cheaper to do than screwing around with hard plumbing copper or black iron. The cheap kits have cheap fittings, so they have a higher probability of leaking, but if you use quality fittings and tubing, its a once and done job with NO leaks. I suppose PEX would work ok, but why not use the product that is designed for air?

I'm also a huge fan of LOCTITE 545 Hydraulic, Pneumatic Sealant Thread Sealant for any threaded joint, its far better than Teflon tape, I even use it on the fittings that have the pre-applied sealant on the threads .

A good source for industrial quality fittings and tubing is automationdirect.com.

 

[Brad Beam]

Black pipe and hose reels for me.

 

[TMcCay]

I used the Rapid Air kit in my shop and have no regrets. I bought the 3/4" tubing that you unroll. Only tip I have is to make sure it is warm (80 degrees or better) when you unroll it. It is easier when it is warm. The kit is easy to expand if needed. I used 2 kits in my 40x40 and I have 2 hose reels also. I just wanted to minimize the distance from the source for any air feeds and the amount of hose that would be laying on the floor.

 

[smalltown]

TMcCay any issues with moisture or do you have some sort of drier or manifold ?

 

[WhiffySpark]

LOL, watching Chop Cut Rebuild this AM, they were in a sponsor shop working with repop body panels. And what did I spy on the wall? Runs of PVC air line and drops. Commercial facility.

It's pretty common. Last shop I was at had 1.5 inch supply then drop down to 1 on the drops.

I'm glad to be out of there, but they never had any issues

 

[manwithtools]

TMcCay any issues with moisture or do you have some sort of drier or manifold ?

Why folks worry about moisture in a Rapidair system is beyond me. Regardless of the material your air system is constructed with, you should dry the air before you distribute to the drops in your shop regardless.

 

[94EG8]

Aluminum airline is my preferred method of plumbing a shop, it's easy, it's super light so one guy can usually do it himself, it's safe, and when you figure out how quick you can put it together it's not really that expensive either.

 

[188slo50]

How noticeable is the 1/2 compared to 3/4 line size difference when using tools like grinders,impacts and bead blast cabinets? I noticed the rapid air kits at TSC for $70 but it's 1/2, every shop I've ever worked in has run 3/4 for everything.

 

[94EG8]

I replaced 1/2" copper with 3/4" aluminum and didn't expect to notice any difference and was surprised when it was quite noticeable. I did however add an extra run that wasn't there that added to the capacity of the system as well.