Shop Air - Pex

[Oggy]

I've heard all the warnings, and whatnot about using PVC for supplying air around your shop, and I'm not going ot go there...

There's people that have said copper, but with where the cost of copper is these days it's really cost prohibitive, what about using PEX for your airlines? It's easy to set up, inexpensive (comparatively), you don't need many fittings, only at T's and your outlets, and you can easily expand the system.

Anyone use it? anyone see disadvantages? do you think it would hold the pressure without problem?

 

[Ron Lombardo]

Never tried it ...the thought has run thru my mind...personally i would use galvanized pipe.
Ron

 

[toyotadriver]

Keep the pressure under 130 psi and keep it from direct sunlight and excessive heat and it'll work fine.

 

[Falcon67]

I've read that it's not rated for air, but when it fails it's more like an embolism or tear as opposed to a splintering explosive fail like PVC. Seems like a reasonable alternative.

 

[Stuart in MN]

There have been a bunch of discussions on using PEX here, but unfortunately the search function doesn't work on three letter words (like PEX or air.) If you go to google and search on

pex air site:garagejournal.com

You'll be able to find them. Unfortunately, a lot of the discussions get derailed into discussions about PVC, so you have to dig through all that mess.

 

[1BADLS1tuner]

I bought 1/2 pipe to run down the inside of the wall (drops from the ceiling), and i was gonna try pex up in the attic to supply all the pipe drops... if it blows atlest it wont be inside a wall just up in the attic and easily replaced

I have alot of leftover pex from my house so i figured its worth a shot... if it doesnt work ill just order some DOT rated line or finish it out in steel...

I think pex will work just dont hook it to close the the compressor as there is alot of heat, that will make the pex alot weaker.... just use 5-10ft of metal pipe to dissipate the heat and then connect it to the pex

 

[luvmyhondas]

not to threadjack, but I've never heard of PVC being a problem... The old stereo store I worked at has had PVC air plumbed for 14 years now. AFAIK they've never had a failure.

But I am curious, so I'll be looking into the PEX as well.

 

[SpeedCoach]

I'll jump in and humbly suggest you look at the RapidAir system (Northern Tool sells it).

 

[Shadowdog500]

Whenever I hear people say that they ran PVC for years without a problem, I think about my wife's Grandfathers house. He ran lamp wire for everything electric, and it was a real mess with wires coming through holes he poked in the wall, wires run behind molding, and under carpets, etc. Surprisingly, his house never burn down, so that type of wiring must be OK too!

Chris

 

[Agent1320]

Keep the pressure under 130 psi and keep it from direct sunlight and excessive heat and it'll work fine.

Sounds like a Mogwai.

 

[bobadame]

That rapidair system looks cheaper and easier to install than hard plumbing. The price here for 1/2" black iron pipe is $1.00/ foot. 1/2" copper is $3.89/ foot. That nylon Rapidair tube is about $.90/foot.

 

[StaggeringGoat]

That rapidair system looks cheaper and easier to install than hard plumbing. The price here for 1/2" black iron pipe is $1.00/ foot. 1/2" copper is $3.89/ foot. That nylon Rapidair tube is about $.90/foot.

According to the home depot website the local price for a 10' section of 1/2" copper is only $12.40 or 1.24/foot.

The thing about copper or iron pipes is they also dissapate heat, while pex and other plastics don't. Personally I'm thinking about a system with PEX around the ceiling and 1/2" copper drops for the cooling effect.

 

[Oggy]

3/4 pex is 46.36 / 100' works out to $.46/lft
1/2 pex is 26.62 / 100' works out to $.27/lft

and the only place you would need fittings is your beginning your T locations, and your ends. Additionally any Lowe's / Home Depot / plumbing supply house would have parts....

Black Iron / Galvanized is a pita to install...

 

[bobadame]

According to the home depot website the local price for a 10' section of 1/2" copper is only $12.40 or 1.24/foot.

The thing about copper or iron pipes is they also dissapate heat, while pex and other plastics don't. Personally I'm thinking about a system with PEX around the ceiling and 1/2" copper drops for the cooling effect.

You're right. A week ago I bought 6' of 1/2" for my job at the local ACE hardware store. Their price was $3.89/ foot. It must have been mismarked.

 

[StaggeringGoat]

Another option would be to simply use 1/2" air hose, obviously it's rated for the job. Harbor Freight sells a 100' goodyear rubber hose for $59.99.

 

[brianh]

I have used pex in my shop for close to 20 years no issues at all my newer much larger shop will get it too.

Some here will be dusting off their engineering books and will tell you it wont work I am sure, it happens every time we have a pex discution.

That said I would not use pvc at all

 

[collmorgen]

I run a small chemical plant and we use PEX for all of our instrument air. No problems. Like was mentioned above, some of it is not UV stable. From our supplier the black is UV stable and the clear is not.

 

[79firebird]

at my work we use the pex for infloor heating its plastic metal then plastic agane and have never had a prob. it looks like the rapid air stuff but orange. And a lot cheaper. theres a fue shops around town with it and no probs even with the city or inspectors

 

[Cryptic1911]

Pex will work if the pressure isn't thorugh the roof, and even if it ruptures, it just splits and lets the air out.. no shrapnel to be found

 

[larry_g]

Pex will work if the pressure isn't thorugh the roof, and even if it ruptures, it just splits and lets the air out.. no shrapnel to be found

http://commerce.rosscontrols.com/we...ty_solutions_for_the_fluid_power_industry.pdf

The above link is to a valve that will shut down the air flow if the down stream line is broken. Good to use if your in doubt.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[PaulR]

Google Pex Al Pex

 

[PontiacFan]

I'm a Transair user, ...
Transair-usa.com

 

[Zick]

You're right. A week ago I bought 6' of 1/2" for my job at the local ACE hardware store. Their price was $3.89/ foot. It must have been mismarked.

No, that's probably right. Most small hardware stores like Ace, Truevalue, etc will charge a lot more than the big box stores like Home Depot.
I usually find that Ace is about %30-50 higher on most items than say Menards, HD.

 

[Falcon67]

X2 on the overcharge - if you look, usually the shorter the piece to more per foot they charge. If you have a lot of runs like black iron, it may be as cheap to just buy 10' sticks and a threading kit at HF.

I would consider doing a "backbone" run of iron or copper and coming off that with pex drops. That would isolate the plastic from compressor heat. Just remember you'll be out $50~100 for the crimp tool. But you could use that for around the house plumbing repair, so consider it a capital equipment purchase and not really part of the project budget.

 

[rmuell01]

After two sessions with black pipe I went to PEX. Transair/Rapidair was too expensive for me. So I went to my local plumbing wholesaler and got most of what I needed for $200. 60' of PEX and all the connectors I needed. They even loaned me the tool to cut PEX And helped me with the diagram. In Michigan, Hartsig Plumbing supplies is well known and I give them great coodoo's (sic).

To me plumbing is voodoo and should be left to practitioners of that Art.

Rob

 

[Oggy]

Thanks for chiming in everyone, my reason for asking is actually 2 fold, right now I'm working at Lowe's until I can find something with a salary that will actually pay the bills. Multiple times people have asked about PVC for air lines, which I have discouraged, with varied success, this way I can offer an alternative. Additionally I'm in the final stages of interviewing and we'll be moving if I receive an acceptable offer, for atleast the next year we'll be renting, and when we find something we want to buy, I want to be able to move everything with me. Black Iron is heavy, a pita to set up, and I'd rather not mess with it too much.

 

[Iseman]

Not trying to stir the pot, just something I read while building my shop. One of the other byproducts of using PEX or PVC is the Fire hazard. When exposed to flames they both melt or burn, thus producing a great blowtorch effect. With blackpipe or copper you reduce you chances of a small fire turning into a major hazard.

 

[gc427]

Whenever I hear people say that they ran PVC for years without a problem, I think about my wife's Grandfathers house. He ran lamp wire for everything electric, and it was a real mess with wires coming through holes he poked in the wall, wires run behind molding, and under carpets, etc. Surprisingly, his house never burn down, so that type of wiring must be OK too!

Chris

Agreed!