Pictures of your air compressor setup please

[White 68]

I,d like to set up a huskey 7hp 60 gallon air compressor vertical in my 3 car garage ....I,d like to see some of your set ups ...how is pipe run , size , hose filters, etc ...Anything you can help me with ...Plan on painting and runnig air tools maybe small sand blasting ....First project is painting my own car I,m in the process of strippind paint now....its a68 conv..Thanks

 

[paintdaddy]

Hey Ill send you pics later but I do have some advice now.Dont use pvc for your air line.Ive had problems with joints coming un glued,ecspecially in extreme heat.A good economical dryer is a sharpe brand copy from harbor freight.Buy one for your blaster too.Are you using a blast cabinet or just out in the open?Also I set my compressor outside and built a small builing around it,I like things quiet .

 

[JonM]

Here is a pic I used once...

 

[paintdaddy]

Youve got mail.Ill try to explain whats what.When I built my shop I wanted a separate room for painting so I could hose the room/booth side out and not worry about getting anything else wet.My shop is drywalled and has a finished ceiling .I dont know if you plan on doing this to yours but since I did ,I ran my airlines in the attic.From the compressor ,the air runs through a large rubber hose before it goes into the pvc.The reason for this was because I had problems with the pvc cracking at the compressor due to the vibration.Then the pvc travels straight up inside the wall to the attic,it goes down the back wall in the attic then tees off and down to where you see it coming out of the wall for my paint shaker.Then it continues on until it reaches the middle of the shop and makes a 90 degree turn and runs along the wall (still in the attic)that separates my mechanical bay and my paint booth.Once it gets about half way along that wall it tees off and goes down the wall on both sides directly on opposite sides of the wall.Thats why you see one bay with just a cheap "home depot" filter and the other with a drain and two filters.I didnt take a pic of my blaster because it was an after thought.When ever I use it I just use the hose from the mechanical bay,where it is.I have had some helpers say they have water problems when they used that airline so they will use the one from the paint booth.
When I built the place I was in a hurry to get in there and start working so I was doing things as economical while trying to get my air as clean as I could without spending alot.Now I dont have time to upgrade to nicer filters or even add outlets.So I suggest if you can afford it and your in no hurry ,do it the way you want the first time.

 

[JohnZ]

The diagram above covers the accepted layout pretty well, but I'm surprised they show the downlegs coming off the bottom of the main run pipe; a better practice, to reduce the amount of condensate moisture the dryers have to deal with, is to take the drops off the TOP of the main run, then turn them down 180 degrees to the point of use dryer/filter etc.; this way the majority of the moisture runs down the main run to the drain leg.

 

[ultgar]

Not if you use the right pipe. Here's a sample of the setup in my shop.....40mm main loop with 25mm drops. The connector pulls air off the top of the loop to avoid pulling moisture into the drops.

 

[JS73751]

Is the pipe Aluminium?
JS

 

[ultgar]

Yes, thinwall aluminum pipe that assembles (and disassembles) very easily by hand. Materials are more costly than copper or galvanized but you save big on labor and add future air drops in a matter of minutes. Product name is Trans-Air. SD

 

[Big_John]

Where can you get the Trans-Air pipe? I have my compressor in the basement to save floor space in the garage and this looks like the perfect stuff for me.

 

[JohnZ]

Yup, same principle I was talking about, but definitely a more elegant solution

 

[Tom Bryant]

This is a timely thread. I have my 3 car shop attached to my 2 car garage and the compressor is sitting in the garage. I'm still using my 30 gallon stationary but I have a 80 gallon Sangborn sitting there waiting to be installed. My piping consists of opening the door to the shop and unrolling the hose. :L Once I get rid of my old bench and some junk in the 2 car garage I'll install the 80 and join it up in a manifold with the 30. That way I can open or close a line valve or 2 and use the 30 for smaller jobs and the 80 for the big stuff. I'll also be able to run the 80 and use the 30 for additional volumn. I'm not sure what I'll run for lines yet. This thread will help me decide.

One trick I learned years ago when I was painting a lot is how to combat vapor that can pass through your filters. When your compressor is working hard to keep up with the stresses of painting or continuous air tool use it gets very hot. This causes the moisture that passes out of the compressor to be in vapor or steam form. Now if your water seperator is too close to the compressor the steam will pass through it and then condense in the cooler hose or pipe further on down the line.

I use a coil of hose or aluminum tubing in a length of 25 to 30' lying on the cool garage floor under or beside the compressor between the compressor and the water filter. This acts as a condensor. By the time the air gets to the water filter it is cool and the water is in liqued form.

I also use a MotorGuard filter as a final filter where my air hose connects to the hard air line when I'm painting. It is just a cast aluminum case that has a sealed lid. You put in a roll of cheap toilet paper and secure the top. Believe me when I tell you that in 30 years of using this filter I have never had even the smallest amount of moisture come out of my paint gun even on humid days. Further it's a very low cost item. I got mine at NAPA but most auto paint stores will have them too.

I learned the condensor and filter trick from a painter that worked for a new Dodge dealer body shop in '71 or so. He had a wall full of top dollar seperators and dryers and they were disconnected.

One other thing. If you use an in line oiler for your tools be sure to keep a seperate set of hoses and a dedicated clean/dry line for painting.

Tom

 

[John Mcgraw]

Like Tom, my compressor is in my main garage and my workshop is about 50' away. I forgot to install the pipe whne I poured the slab, so I also used the hose across the drive for almost 2 years!
I finally got arround to installing a Copper line underground last year and now have a refrigerated dryer followed by a dessicant dryer. Before I put the refrigerated dryer in, I was regenerating the dessicant ever weekend but now only regenerate it maybe once a month! I tested my air with a dew point meter from work and my air tests at -100 degrees F. Only downside of the dryer is that it could use some sort of heat exchanger to warm the air back up! Air tools were already cold with 80 degree air entering them, but with 40 degree air entering them I have to wear gloves! If I wasn't so cheap I would replace all my cheap air tools with newer insulated tools!
Regards, John McGraw

 

[andrewcanada]

This thread is GREAT! I`m (re)building my barn right now. If I use rigid copper pipe, should one use the red type L ? This is the thinnest, cheapest, and is designed for hydronic (heating) use. Type L is 50% thicker, and is intended for water supply . It also costs about 50% more. Lastly, there is type K. This is usually (always?) flexible, and is used in underground installations, usually in 3/4" and larger sizes. A few more notes... I memorize the letter designation this way... Type M=MickeyMouse, as in cheap job, (thinwall). Type L, eLevated price. Type K, holy Kow, it`s expensive! To answer my own question, Type M is intended for heating pipes that are relief valved at 30lbs. Water supply is generally supplied at under 100lbs. I do a fair amount of new installation plumbing, and in almost all installations that I look at, type M has been used. Where are you, Mr. building inspector? Andrew

 

[John Mcgraw]

I use type K below ground and then switch to type L pipe where it is exposed. The type L makes a lot more professional looking job when it is run along a wall and you want it to look nice!
Regards, John McGraw

 

[White 68]

What are the psi ratings for the various types of pipe ??... Is L the one to use ?? I think there were only 2 types at home depot when i looked last week .....5 bucks for 10ft or 10 bucks for 10ft depending on type .....I,m getting close to installing the pipe so any help would be great ....Is 40ft far enough to add water filter from the compressor? ....I,m looking at running it up the wall and arond the top of the garage and droping it down the middle post between the one car and two car garage...I,m loking to do 3/4 inch pipe ...Thanks all for the posts...Tim

 

[JS73751]

John, Why does the L type look better? Like White 86, I am about a week away from running the pipe in my shop.
Thanks,
JS

 

[John Mcgraw]

The type L pipe is hard drawn and lays in a nice straight line, while the type K is a soft pipe that comes on a roll and is almost impossible to get perfectly straight. They both use the same fittings. The Type L comes in 10' or 20' sticks while the type K usually comes in 60' rolls. Type K is allways used in under-slab plumbing while Type L is allways used in commercial plumbing and mechanical piping where it is suspended from widely spaced supports where sagging would make Type K unsightly.
Regards, John McGraw

 

[John Mcgraw]

Let me clarify something before someone takes me to task about it. Both type L and Type K copper pipe are available in both soft-drawn and hard-drawn configurations. At your local building supply store, you will probably only find type L in hard-drawn and Type K in soft-drawn rolls. The type L pipe has a thinner wall thickness and is usually not sold in soft-drawn to avoid it being buried since some codes prohibit it due to the thinner wall thickness being less resistant to corrosion. You will also find a lot of commercial installations using Hard-drawn type-K pipe where codes require it or where working pressures are very high.
Most of my buildings have working chilled-water pressures in excess of 250 lbs and we use hard-drawn type K only.

Regards, John Mcgraw

 

[White 68]

Ok John

Home depot has L =blue and M=red .....I don,t remember which was which ,but one was about twice as thick as the other ;;;Will the thicker of to 2 be ok for my 135psi max compressor;;;;Thanks

 

[John Mcgraw]

The type L has the thicker wall thickness and would be the better choice for exposed piping. Type M is usually only used for piping which is completely protected from mechanical damage behind walls.
Regards, John McGraw