finally ran air lines in the man cave

rfuerst911sc · 08-07-2011, 12:11 PM

I have been planning on running air lines in the garage for a while now but other projects put this on the back burner. This weekend it was time. Right or wrong I decided to use 1/2 inch SCHD. 40 CPVC pipe. I have a Ingersol Rand 5 hp 2 stage compressor with a 60 gallon tank. I have 5 drops with quick disconnects. One in the center of the work bench. Two on the sides of the garage. One going to the outside on the front of the garage and finally one going into a 3rd bay garage. Today I picked up ball valves that I will install at the bottom of each drop that will allow me to drain moisture. At the feed point from the compressor is an industrial filter/regulator which I hope will keep moisture to a minimum. I know some folks don't like CPVC because it can burst when cold but in Georgia it doesn't get that cold. The way I planned it I can now easily have air anywhere in the shop including outdoors. I love my man cave

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dad911 · 01:09 PM

PVC air lines are deadly!!!!

A few things I learned was (1) PVC slivers can be very sharp. (2) When launched at substantial velocity they can penetrate flesh surprisingly deep. (3) PVC does not show well on x-rays and conscequently has to be dug out by feel in a very painful process.

Sorry, I had to say it.

I modeled my system after this: http://www.tptools.com/StaticText/airline-piping-diagram.pdf

Jim Bremner · 08-07-2011, 01:10 PM

Not only can it burst when cold, it's a fire danger if left charged.

rfuerst911sc · 08-07-2011, 01:27 PM

The pipe say's it is rated for 600 psi @ 70 degrees. I'm thinking my measly 150 psi every once in a while will not be an issue. I don't plan on leaving the lines pressurized when not in use. It's a non-issue. I was at Jake Raby's shop a few months ago. He has several buildings and all the air lines were PVC. Same climate so I'm not worried.

A930Rocket · 08-07-2011, 02:01 PM

I used PVC...

fastfredracing · 08-07-2011, 02:02 PM

For what it is worth, I have been using schedule 40 for over 10 years now, and the only failures I have had was when one line froze, and another time an air hose got yanked by a cars bumper, and ripped it off the wall. The line that froze was in a dropout, that I never used, and was blocked by some shelving, so I never drained it. It was full of water, and we had some serious cold weather, and I was off for a couple of days, so the shop was not heated in that time period
I ran the lines as a temporary solution to get me up and running when I moved my biz and just never got around to replumbing with black pipe. you will be fine. I run 165 psi line pressure.

rfuerst911sc · 08-07-2011, 03:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fastfredracing

For what it is worth, I have been using schedule 40 for over 10 years now, and the only failures I have had was when one line froze, and another time an air hose got yanked by a cars bumper, and ripped it off the wall. The line that froze was in a dropout, that I never used, and was blocked by some shelving, so I never drained it. It was full of water, and we had some serious cold weather, and I was off for a couple of days, so the shop was not heated in that time period
I ran the lines as a temporary solution to get me up and running when I moved my biz and just never got around to replumbing with black pipe. you will be fine. I run 165 psi line pressure.

That's what I thought. Thanks

rick-l · 08-07-2011, 03:37 PM

Here is one from washington state PVC pipe not to be used in compressed air systems

schamp · 08-07-2011, 04:04 PM

Timely thread. I have just ordered an Eaton compressor. I will need to run lines in my shop. I am thinking of going with galvanized pipe. Why take a chance. If pvc decides to blow, with my luck it won't be me that gets hurt, but someone else.

notfarnow · 08-07-2011, 04:30 PM

Was in the garage thinking about this very thing just the other day. PVC would be no good in this climate, removing me from THAT debate. Is iron the only way to go, or is copper acceptable?

fastfredracing · 08-07-2011, 04:40 PM

Copper would break the bank.

Jim Bremner · 08-07-2011, 05:29 PM

Air line in the shop - The Garage Journal Board

Jim Bremner · 08-07-2011, 05:35 PM

If WAYNE wants to sell air line I can send him to some local sales reps for it and hose reels.

SmileWav y

HarryD · 08-07-2011, 05:50 PM

Copper tubing is really the way to go. Ignoring the cost, no threading, easy to repair and modify.

Some good reading: Compressed Air Piping

For those of you who have not seen failed PVC pipe, is is not a pretty sight. I had a PVC water line fail at work (100 psi). I found shards 40 feet away and they were small and very sharp.

A930Rocket · 08-07-2011, 06:51 PM

If you do decide to go with black pipe, you can measure what you need and get it cut and threaded at Lowes or HD. Place a flex hose between the compressor and black pipe to prevent vibration problems. Having it run down hill will help the condensation get to the last fitting to drain the line. Mine was at about 48" AFF with outlets every 6'. Better to have too many than not enough. Harbor Freight has a good hose reel as well to add to the system.

fanaudical · fanaudical's Garage

PVC and/or CPVC piping materials are not suitable for compressed gas service due to their brittle fracture characteristics. Whereas it appears to be rated for the pressure, it is really a bad idea if it ever does fail. There are many, many warnings out there from both the pipe manufactures and legislative bodies on this. I have witnessed a couple of failures where somebody pressure tested PVC lines with compressed air and subsequently visited the hospital. The codes are out there for a reason.

There are ABS-based airline piping systems available, but tend to be spendy. Another alternative is to use polyethylene tubing and push-connect fittings (quite reasonable) available through McMaster-Carr and others.

1990C4S · 04:17 AM

There are about 100 things I would use before PVC or CPVC. Yes, the risk of an explosion is low, but I don't always wear safety glasses in my shop, I don't really want to lose an eye.

Better options:

schedule 40 black pipe
steel hydraulic tubing (either flared or compression fittings)
SMC or Legris one-touch fittings and tubing
copper
rubber hose

Maybe PEX? I have seen it use in a lot of factories lately, I assume it is approved for air?

cmccuist · 08-08-2011, 05:04 AM

PVC is the way to go for a garage. It's easy to work with and doesn't corrode like carbon steel pipe. Unless you have DRY, filtered air with about a -40 deg dew point, the carbon steel is going to rust on the inside.

You can do your whole garage in a day with PVC and it'll last for a long time.

You think copper or galvanized pipe doesn't rupture when it freezes? It does if it's full of water. So in the unlikely event you are standing right in the exact location, at the exact moment in time when a spool or joint of PVC lets go, yea, you'll get hurt.

I'm not changing out my piping for sweated joint copper or threaded galvanized, or even the best choice, stainless steel tubing.

whiskyb · 08-08-2011, 05:07 AM

I have had 3/4' pex for several years and no problem so far. Very easy to modify and fairly cheap. Pex to copper fittings are also reasonable if you want a hard pipe section

Por_sha911 · Por_sha911's Garage

Silly thought: wouldn't braided SS lines look cool?

Serious answer:
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?46903-pex-tubing-for-compressed-air-lines
"PEX is not rated for air and will break down with uv rays. I've checked with PEX and this is what they say. If you want plastic air lines look up Chemaire. It is truly rated for airlines. It's not cheap but it goes up easy and quick. L and K copper are ok for airlines. As most know PVC is not. Clearly stated in the OSHA rules."