Skip to main content
Help Center Community Shop

just because you guys know everything

JasonV
I have a 60 x 40 shop and want to plumb it for compressed air. I have been looking at the aluminum air line kits by companies such as fast air or rapid air. Will need about 150 feet of 3/4 inch and 6 or 7 outlets for air chucks.

Do any of you have these systems? They come coiled up and I wonder how hard it is to get the line straight?
Do they develop leaks?

The alternative is good old black pipe but I am not crazy about it.

I will have a pressure regulator, oiler, water separator. The max pressure I have is 155p psi.

Other options (not pvc)?
0

Comments

13 comments

Date Votes
  • varian
    i know you say no PVC but:  i know of three professional mechanics close to me here and they all use pvc in their garages and have for years without any problems.  just saying, but if your are set against pvc i am sure people here have more recommendations.
    0
  • Horse Plains Drifter
    May I ask what you have against PVC?
    0
  • Butchdog2
    2 things, PVC can become brittle and burst, shards everywhere. PEX might not burst but I have seen to swell up to the size of a basketball. 100psi might be max on PEX..  Tire shop here has PVC and so do I. No breaks yet.
    Rapidair system is tops, a tad expensive but easy as pie.

    Advice, you do need a few feet of black pipe running vertical with a water trap near the compressor. Helps cool the air and keep water away from tools.
    3
  • Grunt2
    My shop is about the same as yours...I used the PEX kits from Northern Tool...Air chucks about every 10 feet inside and out...Installed it as we built the shop...Tested it before we finished and all was OK...Now it doesn't work and can't find the leak(s)... :#
    0
  • cbxjeff
    Butchdog2 is correct.  I was asked to plumb a new lab (about 24 x 100) for compressed air. I went to Reel PIpe & Valve in Indy to buy a lot of pvc and fittings.  The boss told me of the danger in case one of the vertical runs would get hit and cracked.  What I did was run pvc above the false ceiling then T and run vertical runs in rubber hose to the regulator and valve.  If I would have gone to Lowes, nobody would have said anything and we could have had a disaster. 
    0
  • cbxjeff
    Sorry guys.  I had to edit my response as I left out "in rubber hose".
    0
  • NeoBlackdog
    I've never once seen or heard of black iron pipe bursting.  Plastics?  Oh yeah!

    3
  • Mr. Perfect
    I'd totally go with PEX right now.  That stuff is awesome!
    A buddy of mine plumbed his whole cabin with PEX and his shop too.  Uses the PEX for airlines and uses the PEX piping to blow out the water from his cabin when he's not there

    It works, but you're not going to get it to lay very straight.

    I like this stuff. It takes a little effort to get a run to lay straight but totally doable.
    https://www.rapidairproducts.com/maxline


    0
  • serf
                                            serf

    0
  • JasonV
    Copper would be my number one choice but I cannot justify the cost.

    Leaning toward rapidair. There is a pex product that is for compressed air. Pex-AL-Pex I think it is called, I might see if I can find some of it to look at.

    Thanks all!
    0
  • Mr. Perfect
    JasonV said:
    Copper would be my number one choice but I cannot justify the cost.

    Leaning toward rapidair. There is a pex product that is for compressed air. Pex-AL-Pex I think it is called, I might see if I can find some of it to look at.

    Thanks all!

    I would do black iron pipe long before I would do copper.
    0
  • Butchdog2
    Yes to hard copper, but very expensive. Again rapid
    Back to PVC vs CPVC. CPVC will become brittle over time, I know that for a fact.
    I think Pex al Pex is for hot water heating systems.
    0
  • truthful
    I would not feel comfortable running compressed air in any plastic pipe. There is a lot of energy in compressed air that can cause a lot of damage if suddenly released. My first choice would be sweated copper. It looks great, doesn't shatter, won't corrode from the inside due to released moisture of compression, and will last forever.
    0

Please sign in to leave a comment.

Recent Activity