Air Compressor setup in my garage help

[slowcpe]

I purchased a 60-gallon air compressor a couple of years ago from a buddy. I'm finally getting around to actually plumbing up my entire garage with drops. I did my research and decided to use the RapidAir Maxline kit. I read a lot of good reviews and so far its pretty easy to assemble.

Given my garage is a 32'x40' and I wanted a minimum of 5 drops, I ended up going with a loop type system around the perimeter of the garage. I'm running 3/4" piping all the way around including my drops. Each drop has a threaded 1/2" outlet and a drain.

My drops are going to be: at my workbench near my vise, at my workbench near my small HF sandblast cabinet, one on the side wall for my truck workspace, one on the side wall primary for painting and handheld sandblaster, and one between the two overhead doors on a hose real for outside stuff/tire filling/etc.

This is just for a one-man hobby-type configuration.

Here's where I need help:

If I come off the compressor with a flexible hose to a nice 3/4" regulator/filter combo then to a "T" for my loop and then a 3/8" filter for my drop for painting, would that be a decent setup?

Would I need a dedicated filter for my sandblast cabinet? It is located almost caddy-corner from the compressor.

What size fittings does everyone use? I see 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2" but 1/4" appears to be more common. Do I need dedicated drops for each size? The local air tool supplier recommended this stating I'd need more volume for 1/2" impacts and such. I'm thinking 3/8" for hose reel (it had a 3/8" male input), 3/8" or 1/2" for my truck workspace drop, 1/4" for vice area?, and whatever I'd need for sandblast cabinet. I'm also considering a retractable hose reel on the ceiling if need be.

[franken]

With plastic pipe you're gonna wind up w/ hot, wet air. What are the plans to cool it and remove water?
What diameter tube will you use? That determines initial fitting size, and you can always reduce from there.

Hmm, their website says the ID of the RapidAir tube is .375". http://www.rapidairproducts.com/flowrate.asp which seems off since pipe is usually measured by ID.

[donut]

Originally Posted by franken

Hmm, their website says the ID of the RapidAir tube is .375". http://www.rapidairproducts.com/flowrate.asp which seems off since pipe is usually measured by ID.

Says right there (but most folks don't think about it.) Tube. Tube is measured in O.D., pipe is I.D. (least that's what the boilermakers and pipefitters taught me.)

Most of what I use for line size is 3/8" hose and 1/4" fittings, seems to be the most common for replacement parts, extra hose... I also have a 1/4" line at work that gets used as a "whip", very flexible and easy to move around. That line will slow down my 1/2" gun, just pull the 3/8" line out and all is good.
Blast cabinet, don't know about a filter, but I would suggest some sort of water separator.

I don't have a dedicated system, hopefully someone with more experience can chime in.

[slowcpe]

I have the 3/4" Maxline kit. The piping is the 3/4 Duratec/Maxline with a ID of .80.

I'm not planning on running any type of cooler at this time. Want to get it up and running and go from there. I can always add one if I need it. This is primarily for a weekend/hobby type of setup.

I stated in my OP that I'm currently planning on running a 3/4" regulator/filter at the tank and then a 3/8" filter at my painting drop. Each outlet block also has a drain.

The Outlets have a 1/2" threaded output. I can setup that down to whatever size I need.

[PGSigns]

For a painting drop get a far away from the compressor as you can. You can build a stand pipe system to help get rid of the water. Couple of ways to do it and here is a picture of one of them.
Jimmy

[tinydb84]

^^^that is the way I am going to do mine when I get a better compressor set up

[franken]

To me it makes no sense to force water to settle in (in this drawing) 4 places, which forces me to drain those 3 places, plus the tanks anytime the compressor is used.

[slowcpe]

I'm back out in the garage tonight back on this. Looking at the wall behind my air compressor and doing something like the drawing looks very possible and not a big deal to do. Raises a couple new questions

I assume black pipe will work well for this?

3-4' high be sufficient?

Then should I go from the pipe to my 3/4" filter/regulator then to my "t" to my loop? I believe the filter has a drain fwiw.

Filters then be necessary for my sandblast cabinet and paint drop?

[tinydb84]

Originally Posted by slowcpe

I'm back out in the garage tonight back on this. Looking at the wall behind my air compressor and doing something like the drawing looks very possible and not a big deal to do. Raises a couple new questions

I assume black pipe will work well for this?

3-4' high be sufficient?

Then should I go from the pipe to my 3/4" filter/regulator then to my "t" to my loop? I believe the filter has a drain fwiw.

Filters then be necessary for my sandblast cabinet and paint drop?

Black pipe works. I will probably do an 1in or so to have more flow and air capacity. I would still run a filter for paint, I dunno about blasting

[PGSigns]

Filters never hurt. Also if you google home made air driers you will find a system that uses a condenser coil after the pump and before the tank to cool the air and seperate out the water into a small tank. This also works good. A combination of both could give you very dry air.
Jimmy

[russgoodman]

I did the pipe run on mine. Black pipe is fine from what I can tell. Some of the experts say to only use copper, but I had never worked with copper before. Don't use galvanized or PVC. I would go with 3/4". I used 1/2" because I got it cheap from Lowe's since it was installed and returned and marked down.

I don't have a current pic here at work, but at the end of the drop there I have a T fitting with 1 drop on the end for use with my air tools. The other T feeds into a Motorgard filter (toilet paper like filter) and a Devilbiss QC3 desiccant dryer/regulator just for my paint gun. That way I don't use up all my filtering media to run an air ratchet or impact, etc.

I do not use the filter when I run my blasting cabinet.

I also mounted a hose reel above there. It is handy so I would recommend it.

[midnight rambler]

Ive done them in black pipe and copper. Galvanized pipe flakes. Copper is faster to install. I believe you need the thicker walll pipe on copper (type L). We always loop our air line supply n return then branch out from there. I like a regulator and water seperator at point of use.

[_Ogre]

if you turn this air cooler 90* and hook the compressor to the top you can get away with using one drain at the bottom
copper will cool better than black pipe and go together quicker, but black pipe will cool well too
unless your doing a commercial shop, 3/4 anything is big enough, my shop is all 1/2'' copper
the drops should come out of the top of the header. ''T'' up and 2 90*s to turn down
a ''T'' down will allow dirt and moisture to run down your drops



here is how i ran our commercial shop; 3 lifts, paint booth, cnc plasma table and 6 guys using air tools
1'' black pipe for the main header, 3/4'' copper for the drops
the cooling loop is 30 ft of 1'' black pipe anchored directly to a block wall, we also run a air dryer

[joel.e]

if you go on tptools.com you can find some useful info (or get the catalog, better info). Check out the pic at
http://www.tptools.com/Modular-Metal....html?b=d*8092
This is how I set up my system. Vertical up from compressor to main line and then drops go vertical up and 180 down.

[PGSigns]

Take a look at the pic I posted and the location of the drains. It is important to do them that way and not in the bottom of the run like yous is done. This allows the water to settle out at the bottom of the drop and not in the flow path of the air.
Jimmy

[slowcpe]

Well this project has spiraled out of control, much like anything else I do. I'm going on a full month and still not done. However I'm real close now. All the drops are done so all I need is to connect to the compressor. If I would have gone with a simple 30-gallon portable setup, I could've almost ordered my dropmember with what I've got in this setup. Should be nice when completed though.

Again, it's the Maxline 3/4" setup configured in a full loop. I have (5) drops with (1) designated for painting, sand blast cabinet, a 30' hose real between the overhead doors, a drop by my vise and another at my work station on the other side of the garage. All drops have a drain before going to the hose. Paint drop has another 1/2" filter.

I went to Lowe's today and picked up some black pipe and supplies. Figures I lay it out in the aisle, get home and I already want to change some things. For starters I have to shorten it up 10" in width. Not a big deal. I also want to exchange the last 5' pipe with a 4' to get the regulator up close to eye level. This whole setup is 3/4". I'm planning using a 90 off the regulator/filter and up to my loop.

Does anybody see any huge mistakes or simple changes? I've just got it mocked up for right now so alterations should be easy.

[swamp rat]

Originally Posted by slowcpe

Well this project has spiraled out of control, much like anything else I do. I'm going on a full month and still not done. However I'm real close now. All the drops are done so all I need is to connect to the compressor. If I would have gone with a simple 30-gallon portable setup, I could've almost ordered my dropmember with what I've got in this setup. Should be nice when completed though.

Again, it's the Maxline 3/4" setup configured in a full loop. I have (5) drops with (1) designated for painting, sand blast cabinet, a 30' hose real between the overhead doors, a drop by my vise and another at my work station on the other side of the garage. All drops have a drain before going to the hose. Paint drop has another 1/2" filter.

I went to Lowe's today and picked up some black pipe and supplies. Figures I lay it out in the aisle, get home and I already want to change some things. For starters I have to shorten it up 10" in width. Not a big deal. I also want to exchange the last 5' pipe with a 4' to get the regulator up close to eye level. This whole setup is 3/4". I'm planning using a 90 off the regulator/filter and up to my loop.

Does anybody see any huge mistakes or simple changes? I've just got it mocked up for right now so alterations should be easy.

Attachment 1314415

Wondering where you picked up the large air hose for the link between the compressor and the drop manifold? As you can see i could use one myself. Thanks!

[BlueBullet]

I got my jump house from Northern Tool I think it was around thirty dollars

[franken]

Clean your threads good, or they'll tend to leak.
You'll need to open those 3 valves after every use, or water will collect and when you drain nasty black water will come out. If under pressure it'll spray out and get on the wall.
I'd get rid of the valves and mount it on the wall perpendicular to how it's in the the pic and angle the pipe a bit so water has to drain to the tank, or out the filter, where there should be a water separator.
You may want to put a valve before the regulator. I also used a union after the valve so I can remove the various filters and regulator.

[_Ogre]

check all threaded joints under pressure with soapy water, leaks can make your compressor run more often
your up pipe from the compressor will always be full of water unless you gravity drain to the tank
if your shop has block or concrete walls, bolt it directly to the wall for a heat sink
i agree with franken rotate it 90* and plumb the lowest drain into a bucket with a lid or through the wall

buying all those fittings and valves in black pipe got pretty expensive
as mentioned above you can make a better cooler from copper with one drain valve
copper will dissipate heat better and goes together a lot quicker with fewer chances of leaking
i ran my whole piping system in copper, my compressor never gets turned off except in the winter
this is from another thread

[slowcpe]

Thanks for all the advice. As if I didn't need more options

I hadn't thought about draining the water under pressure. I started adding valves before each drop so I can shut them off when not in use and not to make a huge mess. I'm pretty accident prone.

If I keep the above setup I will be adding another valve before or after the regulator for draining purposes.

I've never dealt with copper before so I didn't consider that as an option.

I'm all for rotating everything 90 degrees but the layout with the regulator and accessibility concerns me. The compressor is mounted in the corner of my garage between the overhead door and man door. My electrical panel, light switch, and (2) outlets are on one wall and the other is only 56" wide. If I go vertical the location of the regulator and drains are easy to get to. Horizontal I'm afraid the regulator would either be 6-7' in the air or behind the compressor. I'm mounting this to 1/2" OSB on a insulated wood-studded wall.

I'm still thinking. Need to finish so I can finally start tearing the truck apart

[mark 66]

I did my air lines in galvanized pipe. 1 1/4 off the compressor with drain at bottom. up the wall to 1 inch across roof line. every drop goes up 3" and u turns into 1/2 pipe. from there it goes down to t with fitting for line.from t goes down to valve and drain at bottom of pipe. at my water separate line I have a separator regulator at t with drain valve below it.Ive been told you can run coiled copper pipe thru a drum sitting outside full of water. supposed to drain off water and cool air. my set up dosent get water at regulator. furthest from compressor. approx. 25ft

[Aruba1]

Why not just use an auto-drain valve kit that is either mechanical or electric. HF sells the mechanical auto drain and it works fine.

[BlueBullet]

I just installed the Maxline rapid air system in my shop it went together pretty slick. Did a loop all the around on ceiling with four drops each drop has drain. Made a zig zag coming out of compressor to water separater them up to ceiling.

[swamp rat]

Thanks!