Hard "wiring" my compressor
- fusername
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Hard "wiring" my compressor
So I think I am gona build an isolation booth for the compressor to shut it up, now that I am gettng a blast cabient I know I'll be using it a lot more. I bought a muffler for it, but I am gonna put 4 walls and a roof around it (W/ air inlets, don't worry) and wire it up. First question is what is the most economical way of running air from it around the shop? I don't have any dedicated work stations aside from the blast cabient, so I have no idea where I want lines. probably a reel near the door. I am thinking of using 1 inch PVC to carry the air along the walls, since there will be less loss in the line, and I assume it will age better than harbor f reight brand air lines. Any thoughts on that?
give a man a watch and he'll allways know what time it is. give him two and he can never be sure again.
Things are rarely just crazy enough to work, but they're frequently just crazy enough to fail hilariously.
Things are rarely just crazy enough to work, but they're frequently just crazy enough to fail hilariously.
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Re: Hard "wiring" my compressor
A quick search shows PVC is illegal to use in a compressed air system - OK, I know a guy who ran it below grade from his out-building to his garage...but avoid it. They make 'pressure' rated ABS which has better properties...I work around it in machine-shops sometimes.
I started 'plumbing' in our garage a couple years ago using plain ol' black-pipe...
http://www.lni.wa.gov/Safety/Basics/HazAlerts/902.aspThe Department of Labor & Industries warned consumers and employers in May 1988 that plastic-polyvinyl- chloride (PVC) pipe cannot be used in compressed air piping systems without risk of explosion. By law, employers must protect their workers by avoiding the use of unapproved PVC pipe in such systems. Existing compressed air systems that use PVC piping must be completely enclosed, buried or adequately guarded according to specifications approved by a professional consulting engineer.
I started 'plumbing' in our garage a couple years ago using plain ol' black-pipe...
- SCOTTRODS
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Re: Hard "wiring" my compressor
I will offer up this thought - PVC pipe is not a safe option. Although I have known several people that used it for years without issue, all it takes is one pipe to explode and someone could be VERY critically injured or dead. Using copper tubing, Black Iron, or even Galvanized is a much better piping solutio, where safety is concerned.
I had to edit this because Chris V beat me to the punch - Still stands though.
I had to edit this because Chris V beat me to the punch - Still stands though.
I have found them completely missing more than once. - PILEDRIVER
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Re: Hard "wiring" my compressor
I have seen several ways of doing it from plain old water pipe to copper to some of the specialty ABS that Chris was talking about. Every so often they advertize on VW what looks like a slip together, O-rings AL tube system.
A couple of things: Unless you are wired for your welder (220 VAC in this case) separately (I am not) then the outlet for the compressor (or the household dryer otherwise) is a common plug so consider making the wiring usable for both. Adding a vent fan, unless you have a pipe that has a lot of bends in it is going to pass the noise into your garage. I use shooting ear protection and my wife goes to the other end of the house.
I went on a garage tour with the car club I belonged to before I retired. One of the places we visited was the guy who invented the bar codes. In his garage, a 13 stall shallow V-shaped bit of wonder (we only saw the ground floor), he used copper tube. One thing he did that stood out in my mind was the connections to the tube were on top of the tube not on the bottom and at each drop he had a low spot with a petcock and one in the center of the long run where he induced a san in the copper pipe. For those of us who live in areas of high humidity (and I think “Basten” qualifies; I used to have a friend who was from Boston and I still have some of his accent) there is going to be condensation in the system which is why your compressor has a drain plug in it to be used on a regular basis: the same for your blast cabinet and compressor.
In the end of each drop there was a 4-way copper Tee where the bottom of the Tee was for an extension of several inhes for the drain and the to sides were for disconnects via a 90° elbow. He had a drop not only at each bay but sometimes in-between as I remember.
I would put a drop at each doorway being outside access or a garage door (if it is a multi-door then on each side. If you think I am kidding… you will find out that I a perfectly serious here. The same with electrical outlets) as you will want/need it eventually. I would put a drop where your blast cabinet is going to be and also at some other potential places as things can move. Also: I see a plasma cutter in your future and if you get one that does not have its own air source… well there you are! Don’t forget the ceiling either; it is a half way spot and sure enough, when you have fifty hoses spread along the floor you will find that you will need one half-way-between!
Now that I have spent your money… have a good day.
Lee
A couple of things: Unless you are wired for your welder (220 VAC in this case) separately (I am not) then the outlet for the compressor (or the household dryer otherwise) is a common plug so consider making the wiring usable for both. Adding a vent fan, unless you have a pipe that has a lot of bends in it is going to pass the noise into your garage. I use shooting ear protection and my wife goes to the other end of the house.
I went on a garage tour with the car club I belonged to before I retired. One of the places we visited was the guy who invented the bar codes. In his garage, a 13 stall shallow V-shaped bit of wonder (we only saw the ground floor), he used copper tube. One thing he did that stood out in my mind was the connections to the tube were on top of the tube not on the bottom and at each drop he had a low spot with a petcock and one in the center of the long run where he induced a san in the copper pipe. For those of us who live in areas of high humidity (and I think “Basten” qualifies; I used to have a friend who was from Boston and I still have some of his accent) there is going to be condensation in the system which is why your compressor has a drain plug in it to be used on a regular basis: the same for your blast cabinet and compressor.
In the end of each drop there was a 4-way copper Tee where the bottom of the Tee was for an extension of several inhes for the drain and the to sides were for disconnects via a 90° elbow. He had a drop not only at each bay but sometimes in-between as I remember.
I would put a drop at each doorway being outside access or a garage door (if it is a multi-door then on each side. If you think I am kidding… you will find out that I a perfectly serious here. The same with electrical outlets) as you will want/need it eventually. I would put a drop where your blast cabinet is going to be and also at some other potential places as things can move. Also: I see a plasma cutter in your future and if you get one that does not have its own air source… well there you are! Don’t forget the ceiling either; it is a half way spot and sure enough, when you have fifty hoses spread along the floor you will find that you will need one half-way-between!
Now that I have spent your money… have a good day.
Lee
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Re: Hard "wiring" my compressor
Consider not hard-plumbing in the reels also...I have one reel on a quick disconnect and about 5' of 3/8" hose from one of my 1/2" spur lines...Most of the time with just a blower attachment at the end of the short hose, but when I need it I swap over to the reel, plasma cutter, and also the pneumatic/hydraulic bender. I've also got one of those coiled-up ~20' plasic hoses that I setup for my blast cabinet...but since moving my cabinet it's primarly for air-tools rather than dragging around the 3/8" hose from the reel.
Halfway along my main trunk-line I installed a ball-valve too, for working on the system.
Copper is quite expensive and in my experience will burst before black-pipe and is much more delicate as well.
Halfway along my main trunk-line I installed a ball-valve too, for working on the system.
Copper is quite expensive and in my experience will burst before black-pipe and is much more delicate as well.
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Re: Hard "wiring" my compressor
I suspect that you are correct on the copper blasting especially when dealing with work/age hardening but then consider that the plastic is easier to accidentally damage when banging something against it or to flames such as welding.
I don't have a reel but I have looked at having one more than a few times; convenient in some ways but bulky in other ways. When done each day I coil my hose up and put it on a hose storage, half-moon shaped, bracket that is designed for outside of the house. Surprisingly it can be a little less bulky and way, way less likely to swing out at the wrong time like a reel is.
Now if the reel was hanging from the ceiling like they do in gas stations... well now that is something else all-together.
Lee
I don't have a reel but I have looked at having one more than a few times; convenient in some ways but bulky in other ways. When done each day I coil my hose up and put it on a hose storage, half-moon shaped, bracket that is designed for outside of the house. Surprisingly it can be a little less bulky and way, way less likely to swing out at the wrong time like a reel is.
Now if the reel was hanging from the ceiling like they do in gas stations... well now that is something else all-together.
Lee
- Dale M.
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Re: Hard "wiring" my compressor
if you want real flexibility/versatility....
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/ ... _200484023
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/ ... _200367525
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/ ... iping-kits
OR search I-Net for "Rapid Air"...
http://shopping.lmgtfy.com/?q=Rapid+Air
Dale
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/ ... _200484023
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/ ... _200367525
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/ ... iping-kits
OR search I-Net for "Rapid Air"...
http://shopping.lmgtfy.com/?q=Rapid+Air
Dale
"Fear The Government That Wants To Take Your Guns" - Thomas Jefferson
1970 "Kellison Sand Piper Roadster"
1970 "Kellison Sand Piper Roadster"
- fusername
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Re: Hard "wiring" my compressor
Thanks on the pvd info, i was doing some looking and saw the same complaint, kinda surprised me since it is rated to 200 psi. Up in the air between black pipe, which may rust inside, or soft hose, which may be very expensive. This is a slow burner project, ill keep this thing updated tho. Just wait till you see my water seperator, it is genious*
*special
*special
give a man a watch and he'll allways know what time it is. give him two and he can never be sure again.
Things are rarely just crazy enough to work, but they're frequently just crazy enough to fail hilariously.
Things are rarely just crazy enough to work, but they're frequently just crazy enough to fail hilariously.
- SCOTTRODS
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Re: Hard "wiring" my compressor
PVC is rated at 200 PSI for water. Not for Air. However, it's not what it's rated for that makes it suck, it's how it fractures and splinters when it fails. Copper tubing will split and blow a long rip most times, Black iron usually does similar, Galvanized is the same as black iron, except for the coating. PVC doesn't split and fail. It typically explodes like a bomb and shrapnel goes everywhere at high velocity. Even a small piece of it can do some major damage.
The plastic tubing systems are pretty well engineered, but I have found the bigger the ID stuff to be kind of pricey..... You may find it cheaper than I did, but I look for the big ID stuff, since I use my air for blasting mostly.... So I just went with Iron pipe. Easily repaired, easily installed, easy to find additional parts to extend and replace and modify....
The plastic tubing systems are pretty well engineered, but I have found the bigger the ID stuff to be kind of pricey..... You may find it cheaper than I did, but I look for the big ID stuff, since I use my air for blasting mostly.... So I just went with Iron pipe. Easily repaired, easily installed, easy to find additional parts to extend and replace and modify....
I have found them completely missing more than once. - PILEDRIVER
Some pics of My Powder Coating work
http://s244.photobucket.com/albums/gg6/terrellster/
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- fusername
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Re: Hard "wiring" my compressor
I think black pipe will be the most economical as well. Aside from needing to buy a tap, as I will do it in a big guage, and I think 3/8th is my largest NPT. or I could weld it? Lol I won't. gonna go over kill on thee lines, Lee mentions 220, I only have a 110 compressor, its a 30 gal but the CFH are not up to what I will be needing in the future. I will need to be gentle with it when blasting I am sure. However I want to do the lines w/ a larger comp in mind. also the black pipe sounds nice since I can probably mostly use full lengths, so in a year or two if my layout radically changes, re-doing it isn't the biggest issue.
since I want to go w/ a large line, is black pipe gonna be the most economical? shame, I used to have acccess to about 30 galv fence posts, those coulda been hacked together into something ugly.
since I want to go w/ a large line, is black pipe gonna be the most economical? shame, I used to have acccess to about 30 galv fence posts, those coulda been hacked together into something ugly.
give a man a watch and he'll allways know what time it is. give him two and he can never be sure again.
Things are rarely just crazy enough to work, but they're frequently just crazy enough to fail hilariously.
Things are rarely just crazy enough to work, but they're frequently just crazy enough to fail hilariously.
- SCOTTRODS
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- Joined: Sun Nov 07, 2010 7:15 am
Re: Hard "wiring" my compressor
Large gauge...... Shouldn't need anything larger than 1 inch, but something as small as 1/2" will do for most stuff you will be blasting with...... 1/2" black pipe isn't too high, if you just buy what you need for now, and add on as your requirements increase. I have a 1/2" manifold down the outside wall of my garage, with 4 drops inside, and a single outlet through the wall beside the garage door opening for outside access. I used cheap gate valves for drains below the outlets.... Kind of a make shift dirt leg.....
I have found them completely missing more than once. - PILEDRIVER
Some pics of My Powder Coating work
http://s244.photobucket.com/albums/gg6/terrellster/
My Facebook Page for Powder Coating
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001788886297
Some pics of My Powder Coating work
http://s244.photobucket.com/albums/gg6/terrellster/
My Facebook Page for Powder Coating
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001788886297
- frankysfree
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Re: Hard "wiring" my compressor
I have my compressor in my 2500 sq ft shop plumbed using a splitter at the compressor, run with quick disconnects to a regular air hose which goes to retractable hose reels. Works fine for me and is alot less expensive than hard plumbing it everywhere although i have considered that option and worked in a shop that was plumbed with copper line and it was nice but IMO not worth the extra money and time to install.
- fusername
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Re: Hard "wiring" my compressor
most cheap hose doesn't age too wel, so I am factoring replacing it into the cost, although I guess steel will probably rust so it could be a wash.
give a man a watch and he'll allways know what time it is. give him two and he can never be sure again.
Things are rarely just crazy enough to work, but they're frequently just crazy enough to fail hilariously.
Things are rarely just crazy enough to work, but they're frequently just crazy enough to fail hilariously.
- turboblue
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Re: Hard "wiring" my compressor
I have the ABS piping Chris mentioned in my old shop.
It's schedule 80 rated to 480 PSI.
The compressor I have over there (still own that building) is a 6hp single stage rated at 120 PSI.
Never a problem with it.
I'm thinking plastic piping exposed to extreme ranges of ambient temps may play a big part in the brittleness factor.
That building is both heated and cooled so the temp range is no more than 30°.
It's schedule 80 rated to 480 PSI.
The compressor I have over there (still own that building) is a 6hp single stage rated at 120 PSI.
Never a problem with it.
I'm thinking plastic piping exposed to extreme ranges of ambient temps may play a big part in the brittleness factor.
That building is both heated and cooled so the temp range is no more than 30°.