RapidAir plumbing kit

[ivancolesnic]

Do not use pvc please. When copper busts there will be no shards flying through the air. With pvc there will be. What if someone accidentally hits it and it explodes in their face. I plumbed my garage with 3/4 copper, a good amount of shut off valves, two moisture traps and it has been awesome. Don't forget to use unions, pvc unions are one of the most leak prone things in the world, and that's something i have learned the hard way from doing years of plumbing. Unions will allow you to service 10ft or longer intervals without cutting. Make sure that your moisture traps work like p traps...at the bottom of your system, that way any water will drain into them even if you are not using it.

[SchnorrCS]

I like the idea, but not for 200 bucks!

I just used Sch 80 PVC too. I did a built in line dryer (as in, I have a straight section after all my drops, water should go straight past, laws of physics and all), and a few drops. All the drops have pressure regulators on them, but only one has a filter and dryer plumbed in. It's the one I use for paint. Works well.

Then at the water trap I have a on/off handle. When I open it up, a little bit of water comes out, sometimes. I'm also in Colorado, where it's super dry. I hardly EVER get water in the traps, and I RARELY oil my air tools. Can't imagine what it's like where it's humid...

[wareagle]

A friend of mine recommended this material? Anybody use it before?

Shop Apollo 3/4" x 100' 160 PSI PEX Pipe at Lowes.com

[ivancolesnic]

So what did you end up using?

[wareagle]

Still debating, but probably going with galvanized...

[bartl]

NEVER, ever use PVC. When it breaks it shatters and send shards flying everywhere. You may be lucky enough to not have a problem for years and then again you may not be. The safest and easiest is to use polyethylene line designed for air supply. PEX (crosslinked polyethylene) is not rated for air/gas and should not be used. PEX-AL-PEX can be used for air. The cheap old stand-by is black iron which is rugged and easy to work with.

[wareagle]

But black iron is prone to rust quicker isn't it... Sticking with galvanized. And have completely removed the option of PVC.

[JohnnyK]

How big is your garage? Just buy some 1/2-3/4" (whatever you prefer. You're just using 1 tool at a time) copper pipe, some elbows, some solder, and have at er.. be done with it. No rust issues either.

[wareagle]

Originally Posted by JohnnyK

How big is your garage? Just buy some 1/2-3/4" (whatever you prefer. You're just using 1 tool at a time) copper pipe, some elbows, some solder, and have at er.. be done with it. No rust issues either.

Ahhh, you are assuming I know how to solder copper pipe... Still might try it, though. May come in handy around the house.

[JohnnyK]

I didn't know either before I did my air compressor. Wasn't hard at all actually, and no leaks.

New pipe (so it was clean).. Scuffed.. Coated with flux, assembled. Heated with propane, when it was hot, touched it with the solder, and it flowed into the joint.. I was having the same dilemma as you. Glad I went the solder route instead of threading, assembling, etc.

[bartl]

Just make sure you design the system so you have no "loops" and put a drain at the lowest point.

[wareagle]

May go your route Johnny. Didn't realize 10' 3/4" copper pipe was just as much as galvanized...

3/4 in. x 10 ft. Copper Type M Hard Temper Straight Pipe-3/4 M 10 at The Home Depot

[Greg'66 5.0]

Copper pipe is really easy to solder - it's not completely idiot proof, but it's pretty close. All you have to do is clean the pipe and fitting where you are going to solder so that you have nice bright copper (you can get a round wire brush for cleaning inside fittings), brush some flux on the areas to be soldered, slide the joint together, light up a propane torch and heat the fitting and apply solder, and wipe with a wet towel to remove excess solder (not necessary, but it makes the joint look better). By heating the fitting instead of the pipe, the fitting becomes the hottest part of the joint - solder travels toward heat so by heating the fitting, the solder will be pulled into the joint. An easy way to tell if the joint is hot enough is to look at the color of the torch flame - once the copper gets hot enough, some green color will appear in the flame (copper burns green). Once you are hot enough, remove the torch and run the end of the solder around the joint where the pipe & fitting meat. The solder will melt instantly and fill the joint. As soon as you are done with the solder, wipe the joint with a wet rag to smooth out the solder. Just be careful with the torch & don't burn your house down.

You may find that it's easier to work with copper than it is to work with iron pipe. With pipe, you'll probably need a pipe threader since you'll more than likely have to cut pipe to the correct length. I used a cheap threader from Harbor Freight - it got the job done. You just have to keep the pipe & threading dies well lubricated. If you know you'll have lots of threads to cut, copper pipe will be a lot faster since no threading is involved.

Some forethought is also involved with iron pipe since everything is threaded together. You basically just start at the compressor and work your way out. I suggest using unions in a few strategic spots (with iron or copper) so that you can remove components without having to cut the pipe. I have to remove my drier to replace the dessicant, so I have a union on both ends so I can quicly remove and reinstall it.

[wareagle]

Greg, which dryer do you have? I bought 2 of these filter/regulators from HF
Industrial Air Filter Regulator

Didn't realize how big they were until I got them in... DAMN

[wareagle]

Should I use type L or type M copper pipe?

Also, does anyone happen to have a link that gives some diagram setups and the proper copper fittings to get?