kbkna
Well-known member
Will 1” .045 stainless steel pipe work as air compressor line? Was trying to find a chart I could understand to see what psi it will sustain.
Stainless steel air compressor line
- Thread starter kbkna
- Start date
https://www.swagelok.com/downloads/webcatalogs/EN/MS-01-107.PDF
That's for tubing - probably what you have, if it's that thin... Steve
(oh, and it shouldn't be a problem, unless you're pumping up SCUBA tanks :=)
That's for tubing - probably what you have, if it's that thin... Steve
(oh, and it shouldn't be a problem, unless you're pumping up SCUBA tanks :=)
matt_i
Well-known member
If its "ERW" meaning Electrically Resistance Welded with an internal weld seam, then no-way. It should be perfectly smooth inside.
tonyciambrone
Well-known member
What?
Do you think the transition between black iron fittings or copper pipes, pvc pipes etc is "perfectly smooth?
http://www.rjsales.com/techdata/tube/249_burst.html
http://www.rjsales.com/techdata/tube/index.html
1" 304 stainless welded tube is rated at ~6100 PSI burst pressure per ASTM 249 at .049 wall thickness and a working pressure of anywhere from 598 PSI at 800 degrees to over 1000 at -20 degrees. If the tubing isn't rated or made to any specification sure but just saying if it's welded it won't work is silly.
sberry
Banned
Inch is way big unless its free.
tonyciambrone
Well-known member
Agree...Stainless would be the ideal material in my opinion for compressor lines if it weren't cost prohibitive.
The Tool Tyrant
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Besides the high cost, stainless is a poor conductor of heat, quite the opposite of copper...it DOES look pretty though!
Trey T
Well-known member
stainless steel?
sh*t somebody is a fancy pants.
sh*t somebody is a fancy pants.
akdiesel
Well-known member
Very true. It falls in the rank of about 5th (if I remember correctly) on the scale of heat transfer properties. Copper being the best of all.
I used 3/4” .035 wall stainless for a few reasons. One was because I could get 20’ sticks for the same price as copper, easier to work with than copper or steel, easier to expand / modify later on than copper or steel, corrosion resistant unlike steel, and as mentioned, looks better. The 3/4” .035 wall is rated for more than 1500 psi. They don’t show it on the swagelok list but they do sell it.
tonyciambrone
Well-known member
People use PVC and Black Iron all the time...don't recall many complaints about the thermal conductivity but it seems to get mentioned with Stainless alot. You could always do a Copper Manifold and switch over to Stainless.
Downsides of stainless to me is only cost and threading stainless can be a real pain when you need that type of connection..
theoldwizard1
Well-known member
Good luck bend SS tubing !
sberry
Banned
I got a couple buds with it. They work in mechanical and got left overs, replacement, all stuff from work. It is super slick. If I was going to buy it for a common garage it would be 1/2 inch. Its another step in fitting reduction to get to the end anyway. Its a bit about like a basic rule for an extension cord for a fully loaded device, 1 size bigger than the hose its going to eventually connect to.
I realize there are guys that do need to remove semi tires in the front yard but a lot of the guys asking here are not. Most are garages and small pole barns and distance, even long runs are way closer to 60 ft as they are 100 which is what a lot of calculations get based on and never get utilized.
I realize there are guys that do need to remove semi tires in the front yard but a lot of the guys asking here are not. Most are garages and small pole barns and distance, even long runs are way closer to 60 ft as they are 100 which is what a lot of calculations get based on and never get utilized.
sberry
Banned
I got some 1/2 pipe from Menards I regret using. I cleaned it with a couple passes of a wire brush but it was dirty and rusty. Stainless would be super slick. There is a difference between tubing and pipe, we are dealing with tubing here but the wall thickness is really thin. A guy could make main runs simple in a lot of cases, don't need every fitting they even invented and could use other fittings once yo got past the Swedgelock. I got some exxh 3/8 from somewhere. It will bend, you can bend thinwall too, wouldn't want to go super tight unless I looked it up and saw pitchures.
If I had free tube might invest in a couple adapters to use it, to tell the truth could even weld a steel coupling to it if I had to. I did something similar on a truck a while back, had metric steel fittings and it was a pain to find them to convert to DOT tubing, we welded steel couplings to them and made npt adapters.
If I had free tube might invest in a couple adapters to use it, to tell the truth could even weld a steel coupling to it if I had to. I did something similar on a truck a while back, had metric steel fittings and it was a pain to find them to convert to DOT tubing, we welded steel couplings to them and made npt adapters.
Last edited:
sberry
Banned
How much was 3/4? Cheaper than copper is a good thing. I don't work with alloy all the time and do not remember all the wall thickness of tubing? What is common rolled copper in 3/8and 1/2? I kind of kicked myself last time due to the fitting, could have certainly used rolled copper too. I had to buy pipe anyway and the fitting is supple slow all n the air, could have been out of site anyway, even 5/8 would have worked but I should have splurged on 2 100 ft rolls and been done with it. Could have installed it mostly in an afternoon vs all the fitting of steel.
There is nothing wrong with what I have but there is always an easier better way looking back. A couple rolls of the air pipe and 3 or 4 fittings would have worked too and probably been even cheaper.
With things other than pipe the size can be OD, I have 100 ft run to an important mechanic bay, using air tubing would have went 3/4 on it where I used 1/2 steel. I only have 1 lb in the whole run, doesn't have a gob of fittings and then they are pipe on top of it. I use a 3/4 air gun once in a while, can go a long time without it, it works when I need it. Any line losses are moot and most demand is only at 1/2 the capacity.
Its easy to think the worst. I use most outlets as convenience, not needing to run multiple heavy compressors or chop saws at the far corner. All the time I use that receptical have plugged a hand grinder in once in a while, a lamp once in a while and a battery charger. So what if I plugged a chop saw in and it had a little drop? On top of that if and when scenario,,, it has never happened no have I needed to weld from it.
Same for air, sometimes its not a deal to use extra pipe, sometimes it is or can use something for cheap or free, not every hydrant or hose needs to run inch impacts. Convenience may be everything. Doesn't matter if it takes another 5 seconds to air a car tire, can do it from a small hose, what is important is making it convenient enough that it is as least an obstacle as possible.
My neighbor is a smart guy, carries a cdl, drives a truck at work was in doing an oil change. Getting ready to go and I ask him, you check the tires? Yes, last summer when I put them on. My helper and I really just looked at each other,,, all 4 tires in the 20# range. 9 months, weekends on the hiways.
There is nothing wrong with what I have but there is always an easier better way looking back. A couple rolls of the air pipe and 3 or 4 fittings would have worked too and probably been even cheaper.
With things other than pipe the size can be OD, I have 100 ft run to an important mechanic bay, using air tubing would have went 3/4 on it where I used 1/2 steel. I only have 1 lb in the whole run, doesn't have a gob of fittings and then they are pipe on top of it. I use a 3/4 air gun once in a while, can go a long time without it, it works when I need it. Any line losses are moot and most demand is only at 1/2 the capacity.
Its easy to think the worst. I use most outlets as convenience, not needing to run multiple heavy compressors or chop saws at the far corner. All the time I use that receptical have plugged a hand grinder in once in a while, a lamp once in a while and a battery charger. So what if I plugged a chop saw in and it had a little drop? On top of that if and when scenario,,, it has never happened no have I needed to weld from it.
Same for air, sometimes its not a deal to use extra pipe, sometimes it is or can use something for cheap or free, not every hydrant or hose needs to run inch impacts. Convenience may be everything. Doesn't matter if it takes another 5 seconds to air a car tire, can do it from a small hose, what is important is making it convenient enough that it is as least an obstacle as possible.
My neighbor is a smart guy, carries a cdl, drives a truck at work was in doing an oil change. Getting ready to go and I ask him, you check the tires? Yes, last summer when I put them on. My helper and I really just looked at each other,,, all 4 tires in the 20# range. 9 months, weekends on the hiways.
Last edited:
sberry
Banned
The point of all that was there are places to economise on the install and the sizing even. But the stainless is an idea I fundamentally like at the right cost.
wretched73
Well-known member
If it is welded, it is most likely annealed. Which is easy to bend.
We use Swagelock Stainless lines and fittings at work. It's always been very easy to work with. Tons of options for fittings too.
We run all kinds of different gasses through them and all kinds of pressures, and I've never noticed a problem with any of it. I'd use it in a heartbeat if it were affordable.
We run all kinds of different gasses through them and all kinds of pressures, and I've never noticed a problem with any of it. I'd use it in a heartbeat if it were affordable.
rburke65
Well-known member
I'm no expert , but I see no reason why it should not be perfectly fine.
akdiesel
Well-known member
I can not remember what I paid for a stick of 3/4” stainless but i want to say it was in the range of $45.
I used 3/4” size for the size shop and the equipment I use. Sand blast, paint spray, plasma cut, etc... I also agree that 1” is overkill for single person shop / garage. But I live for overkill too. So I guess you could disregard that last statement.
I work with the stuff on a regular basis but it is not my profession. If you go 3/4” or larger diameter it can be tricky to bend unless you have some high dollar benders. Manual crank or hydraulic. 5/8” or less is fairly easy to bend. Even with the slip benders that do not have the roller bearings.
I also have 1/2” .049 wall run along side of the airline for my pressure washer. I have two locations so I can simply keep the electric pressure washer in place for water feed and power and I can use it on the other side of the shop.
I probably would not have used stainless if I did not get the good pricing since the real cost is in the fittings which you can get some good deals on eBay and used swagelok fitting seem to be indestructible. Even the compression threads (which seams to be the one part that gets ruins the most) can be fixed with their thread repair tool.
The thing to remember about stainless is to use the silver goop / lubrication. It will gall (spelling) if not used.
As for corrosion from what I mentioned. I am not to concerned about the corrosion since our humidity as of now is in the 20%-30% and May get as high as 60% in the summer. So with that being said you want to get your moisture out of you air before it gets to your distribution line anyways. So a good cooler and or dryer and the main tank will help reduce if not eleiminate from happening.
I used 3/4” size for the size shop and the equipment I use. Sand blast, paint spray, plasma cut, etc... I also agree that 1” is overkill for single person shop / garage. But I live for overkill too. So I guess you could disregard that last statement.
I work with the stuff on a regular basis but it is not my profession. If you go 3/4” or larger diameter it can be tricky to bend unless you have some high dollar benders. Manual crank or hydraulic. 5/8” or less is fairly easy to bend. Even with the slip benders that do not have the roller bearings.
I also have 1/2” .049 wall run along side of the airline for my pressure washer. I have two locations so I can simply keep the electric pressure washer in place for water feed and power and I can use it on the other side of the shop.
I probably would not have used stainless if I did not get the good pricing since the real cost is in the fittings which you can get some good deals on eBay and used swagelok fitting seem to be indestructible. Even the compression threads (which seams to be the one part that gets ruins the most) can be fixed with their thread repair tool.
The thing to remember about stainless is to use the silver goop / lubrication. It will gall (spelling) if not used.
As for corrosion from what I mentioned. I am not to concerned about the corrosion since our humidity as of now is in the 20%-30% and May get as high as 60% in the summer. So with that being said you want to get your moisture out of you air before it gets to your distribution line anyways. So a good cooler and or dryer and the main tank will help reduce if not eleiminate from happening.
pcmeiners
Well-known member
"Very true. It falls in the rank of about 5th (if I remember correctly) on the scale of heat transfer properties. Copper being the best of all."
For the umpteenth time, the property needed on compressor piping, fittings. and coolers is radiant quality (emissivity) NOT, repeat, NOT conductivity.
For the umpteenth time, the property needed on compressor piping, fittings. and coolers is radiant quality (emissivity) NOT, repeat, NOT conductivity.
I'm probably off base here but I get the feeling the OP might only be asking about using 1" for the line between the pump and the tank. My compressor has a 1" copper line for this part. Hopefully the OP will clarify. I know when I built my previous discharge/distribution manifold out of all stainless stuff it cost me huge, but it sure looked badass.
sberry
Banned
Agreed.
Rigpig
Well-known member
What he said!
If you can justify the cost, do it! There is a reason it is used in the oil and gas industry. 304/316 tubing and fittings. I have 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2" Swagelock benders, they were expensive but the proper mandrel bender for the job. I have several lengths of 3/4" and 1/2" sticks that i plan on using in my shop.
Good luck and post up some pics when its done.
mineallmine
Well-known member
May look good but one of the reasons copper is used from the pump to the tank is that it is usually run behind the pump pulley and utilizes the fan to cool the air a bit before it enters the tank to minimize condensation in the tank. The cooler the air coming out of the pump the more efficient it will be.
The Tool Tyrant
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Not sure how many here knows the definition of "emissivity"...I know that I didn't until I just looked it up.
Merriam-Webster states:
Definition of conductor
: one that conducts: such as
a : guide
b : a collector of fares in a public conveyance a railroad conductor
c : the leader of a musical ensemble an orchestra conductor
d (1) : a material or object that permits an electric current to flow easily Copper wire is a good conductor. — compare insulator, semiconductor (2) : a material capable of transmitting another form of energy (such as heat or sound) Aluminum is a conductor of heat.
Partially true. Radiation is only part of the total heat transfer from a pipe to air. Convection is the other, which utilizes the coefficient of heat transfer referenced.
Lelandwelds
Well-known member
.
All the process piping in the wafer fabs is pretty much Swagelok stainless. It bends easily.
Copper is third after carbon and silver.
That's a lot like arguing it is the mass of a hammer that does the work not the weight. We are splitting hairs. As long as you dump the heat, the liquid water will fall out and can be separated.
firebirdparts
Well-known member
Sealing 1" compression fittings is not easy, and as a result we seldom use 1" tubing in the chemicals industry. I admit I am in the process of buying something that has some on it, and I have used it before. Check on the prices of fittings before you get farther into this. I would use copper fittings, cause the ferrules will be softer. It'll have a nice two-tone look it to to, ha ha.. It takes some *** to bend 1/2" stainless by hand, so you won't be doing any of that. You could try to bend it with a more serious bender. It may collapse or it may not. It's likely you'll need to buy elbows. With 1" copper, a DIY'er can sweat it, but I have never seen stainless tubing brazed or soldered, nor have I ever seen a fitting made for that purpose. Not sure what it would take to do that.
Bottlecapdigger
Well-known member
akdiesel
Well-known member
Ok back to the original question by the OP and that is YES, .049 wall 1” will handle the same amount and more as the air tanks on these compressors, which is 200 psi.
I just recently found another company called LinkPlus that sells 1/2” .020 wall stainless tubing that is rated for 300 psi at 250 deg f. They go as large as 2” .040 with the same rating. They make their own fittings which is a compression type but they use a single silicone seal and a nut. They also have an interesting tool designe to lock it in. I can not say if it is good for gas or not since this company is designed for drinking water but worth a look. I feel the fittings and the pipe would be less expensive then the other companies like Swagelok or Parker.
Here is a link to them.
http://linkplususa.com/stainless-steel-pipes/
I just recently found another company called LinkPlus that sells 1/2” .020 wall stainless tubing that is rated for 300 psi at 250 deg f. They go as large as 2” .040 with the same rating. They make their own fittings which is a compression type but they use a single silicone seal and a nut. They also have an interesting tool designe to lock it in. I can not say if it is good for gas or not since this company is designed for drinking water but worth a look. I feel the fittings and the pipe would be less expensive then the other companies like Swagelok or Parker.
Here is a link to them.
http://linkplususa.com/stainless-steel-pipes/