New Air Line System

Vaughn McMillan

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ABQ NM
If you’ve been following along, you’ll know I got a new compressor last week. Before I got the compressor, I spent a couple weeks worth of evenings researching and building an air line system to hook it up to.

I’ll be the first to admit that what I built is bigtime overkill for my current needs, and is likely more than I’ll ever need in this shop. If I were doing production work, then a system like this might be warranted, but for my evening and weekend use, I went a bit overboard. Still, I figured a decent compressor deserves a decent air delivery system to go with it. And when I eventually move into a bigger shop, most of this will be able to go with me.

The system consists of two main parts: the drying/cooling rack and the air station. The drying rack is intended to cool and thus help dry the air on its way to the air station. The air station is where I have a couple outlets on separate regulators, and that’s where most tools will be plugged into the compressor.

Here’s the sketch of the drying rack:

Air%20Drying%20Rack%20As-Built%20800.jpg


And here’s how it looked partway through the build. This was at a stage where I was pressure testing it for leaks, so there are some valves, gauges, and plugs that aren’t in the final installation:

Air System 01 - 800.jpg

The rack was initially assembled on the floor, and the 2x2 wood pieces were attached then, to keep it from twisting as I moved it around. Next, I lag bolted the horizontal 2x4s through the stucco to the studs, positioning them so I could simply set the 2x2s attached to the pipes on the 2x4s and screw them in place from the top. Sort of a French cleat, without the angled parts. Since I needed to attach my clamp rack over the piping, I used vertical 2x4s as standoffs, again lagged to the wall studs. Here’s how it looks with the clamps in place:

Air System 32 - 800.jpg

And a bit more detail of the gate valves and the horizontal drain collection tube. (This pic was taken after installing the final valve at the end of the line.)

Air System 30 - 800.jpg

Once the compressor was installed, it became difficult to get any photos of the drying rack, so these in-progress pics will have to do. Now…on to the rest of the system.

The air exits the compressor via a 3/4" ball valve into a 3/4” ID flex hose:

Air System 27 - 800.jpg

From there, it goes 5’ to a Parker regulator, which is attached to the drying rack. I've capped the line at the point where I plan to install a pressure relief valve:

Air System 17 - 800.jpg

And a bit more detailed look at the regulator:

Air System 26 - 800.jpg

After the air goes through the rack, it goes to the overhead line and to the air drop by the door. I put it there so we can use the air hose to sweep the back porch and patio. In this pic you can see the 40 amp disconnect I installed for the compressor. I didn’t really need it, but it didn’t add much to the cost, and it gives me a convenient location from which to kill power to the compressor. This is also where the drain valve is located for emptying the water out of the drying rack. I’ll probably put a flex hose on this valve so I can blow the water outside:

Air System 29 - 800.jpg

There’s also the overhead pipe run, which goes from the drying rack across the shop to the air station. It has a jog in it to miss the ambient air filter:

Air System 14 - 800.jpg

More red flex hose takes the air down to the air station near the end of my lathe, which is where the vast majority of my air use happens.

And here’s the air station. It’s got a Beach filter/desiccant dryer (retails for over $1000 with the extra bleeder valve…I got it on eBay for $50), and a pair of Harbor Freight mini-filter/regulators. Using dual regulators lets me run the sander at 85 PSI and the blower nozzle at 125 PSI or so.

Air System 13 - 800.jpg

And another, more detailed shot. The whole thing is attached to a piece of scrap OSB I had laying around, and the OSB is attached to the side of my metal rolling drawer cabinet/workbench:

Air System 12 - 800.jpg

The red flex hose was not my original choice. When I initially hooked everything up, I used 5/8” ID clear plastic hose with nylon braid in it {rated at 200 PSI), attached to hose barbs with standard hose clamps. When first I pumped up the system to 135 PSI, I had some small leaks at the clamped connections, so starting at the compressor, I tightened up each joint until the leaks stopped. When I got to the last fitting, where the hose attaches to the air station, I bent down to tighten the clamp, and just as I was starting to tighten it, BLAM! the hose blew off the hose barb, and became an angry snake hanging from the ceiling, trying to take my head off. I did have the presence of mind to duck as I ran away trying to get out of the range of the whip. It did end up whacking me pretty good in the arm, and it felt like it punched me in the face. Later examination indicated that the hose itself didn’t hit my face, since there were no bruises or other marks. I’m guessing it was the blast of air that just felt like a fist. Whatever it was, it blew my prescription safety glasses off my face and out into the driveway. (I was standing at nearly the back wall of the garage.)

That experience caught my attention, and made me not trust the clamped fittings. The hose didn’t rupture, but for reasons I still haven’t figured out, the clamp stopped clamping. Even the guy at the hose shop where I bought the red hoses couldn’t understand how the hose blew off the fitting. He said it sounded like I did everything right. All I know is that I’m no longer comfortable with that type of fitting, so I bought beefier hoses, with machine-crimped male pipe fittings on both ends. I know a lot of folks have had good success with hose clamps and barb fittings, but no more for me, thanks.

After I got the red hoses installed, I pressured everything back up, and after checking all the joints with soapy water, I only found a few small leaks, which I’ve now tightened up to my satisfaction.

As I mentioned earlier, this system is overkill for my current needs (just running a little 2” sander and a blow nozzle), but if I decide to run a sandblaster or spray gun or die grinder in the future, I should have plenty of clean, dry air at the tool.

That’s it for the delivery system…thanks for following along. I’ll post pics of the compressor and its installation in another post.

Comments and questions are welcome. :wave:
 
This is facinating.
I've been toying with the idea of piping for air for a couple of years and your little saga has got me thinking really hard about how I would go about geting it done. Thanks for posting this!
 
Hey Vaughn, you Blow! :D :wave:

Very well done indeed, I think that while it may certainly be overkill for your needs at the moment, I do think you have done it right the first time, and should not have to add much to it in the future.

VERY nice clean install! :clap:

Now, about the chicken....... :rolleyes: :D
 
Overkill,....did you say overkill? There's no overkill in woodworking!

Lots of research and work went into it, but as Stu said it's great to do it right the first time. Well Done :thumb:
 
Hot Wet Air!

Beautiful work and beautiful system. Maybe you should look into pipefitting?

Just a observation - I was out and about the other day and saw the air system at what I would call a "fly by night auto repair center"

They had a very small compressor sitting on a makeshift wood box/pallet next to a small rusty tank. It also looked liked they sunk at least $0.79 into the piping/regulation system next to the tank. Their setup made Harbor Freight look like high end stuff.

Now keep in mind this place has been in business for years and I doubt anyone has ever checked into their air source.

I bet they sometimes wonder why their air system is pumping water (Florida humidity about 100% ). But it looked to me like it all was working.
 
nice setup there vaughn,, very good steal on the ebay dryer,, i too dont trust barbs those flying hose are bab ombres.. ben hit one to meny time from bad air hose's the flex will keep the vibration down too.. did you anchor your compressor to the floor or just the weight of it on some heavy rubber pads? good use of a small space too the clamp rack idea was a good one:thumb:
 
Very well done. I don't think you went overboard per se. You won't have to rip it out and upgrade later so, in that sense you did it just right. Like some other folks have mentioned, I have the transition from 'hose on the floor' to 'pipes' on my list of to-dos. I will definitely refer back to this when it floats to the top of "the list".
 
H...
Now, about the chicken....... :rolleyes: :D
That's no chicken, he's a rooster. :p I got it as a "white elephant" gift at a Christmas party a few years ago, and I dunno why, but SWMBO doesn't want this fine piece of art in the house. :rolleyes: I do sort of deserve the banishment treatment, though. When I opened the package at the party, I exclaimed "Cool...LOML has always wanted me to have a huge rooster". (Except I used a different work for "rooster", if you catch my drift.) People were howling...not so much at the statement but at LOML's reaction.

...did you anchor your compressor to the floor or just the weight of it on some heavy rubber pads? ...
It's not bolted to the floor yet, but I figure I will once I decide exactly where I put it in the little space available. For now it's sitting in slippery plastic/foam pads so it can be slid on the floor pretty easily. It runs real smooth, though, and even on slick pads, it hadn't moved on its own at all.
 
Well, I'd make sure you bolt it down, as I'm sure that unit is a bit top heavy, and you guys on the left coast do a little turf surfing from time to time :eek:
 
Hey Vaughn,

That's a cool compressor you got. Neato color.

One question though. Why the regulator right out of the compressor, before the cooling manifold? When I had my compresor setup, I mounted the regulator/filter after the piping. (it's all torn down now and in storage, so no pix) My R/F hat two separate regs (for different pressures, 1 for tools, 1 for spraying) with two outlets each and two full line pressure outlets. My output lines were all hoses but I generally had two regulated pressure lines and one line pressure hose hooked up all the time. The line pressure went to individually regulated items such as my sand blast cabinet, and my plasma cutter, each with its own mounted regulator and filter.

Unless there is a reason you placed the regulator at the compressor, I think you would get more flow through the system by moving it to the output end of the manifold. I may be wrong, but that's the way I see it, and it worked for me.

Interesting threads. Keep it coming.

Aloha, Tony
 
Thanks for the comments, Tony. I put the big regulator there based on what I'd seen other guys do. As I understand it, it's not restricting the flow (CFM), it restricts the pressure (PSI). The air still has a 3/4" "hole" to move through, but it's not being pushed through it quite as hard. (I have this reg set at 135 PSI.)

I'm curious to see what some of the other (more knowledgeable) folks here have to say about this approach.

And Stu, I agree with you about bolting it down. Don't want it doing the seismic dance next time things get shaky around here. ;)
 
Vaughn could you enplane the engineering/theory behind your drying system?
:huh:
Chuck, the basic idea is that due to heat, water in compressed air is in vapor form. You need to cool the air to get the water to condense before you can easily remove it. By running the air through lots of pipe (50' is often recommended), you can cool it down enough so that the moisture condenses and drops to the bottom of the system.

The three traps at the bottom of the rack are to collect the water, and it sits there out of the air stream until I open the drain valve at the end of the horizontal collection pipe. In all the other racks like this I've seen, the builders simply put a petcock or ball valve at the bottom of each trap. Since they would be somewhat inaccessible in my case, I decided to connect them all to a horizontal drain line, with the valve in a place where I can reach it easily.

The three check valves allow air (or water) to only pass one direction. Things can go down, but not up through them. Without them, the air would seek the path of least resistance, and bypass the loops altogether. It would just travel down the first drop to the collector pipe, then back up to the overhead line...not nearly as much cooling, and thus not as much drying.

With my current use, the rack may not be very necessary. So far, the only place I've seen visible moisture come out of the system was from the drain at the bottom of the tank. I suspect when I use it more heavily, and for longer durations, more moisture will make it into the lines. At that point, I should start seeing water blow out when I open the drain valve. (And any of the other drain valves scattered around the system.)
 
Vaughn,

You have built a super system, and that filter deal you got has got to be one of the best deals/steals I've seen. Your diagram and explanations have motivated many here to build their own, I'm sure (me too when I get settled).

I have one comment/question, though. I wonder if you might put a 90 bend in the end of the drain pipes so you could connect a hose easier. In your pics, anyway, it looks like the end of the drain valve is close to the floor, and it would be hard to "plug in" a hose.

Also, you run your blowing pressure at 125psi? I found that a bit too much for my liking and run closer to 90 ~ 100. I know, to each his own, I just thought blowing off your turned piece and lathe, which seems to be in the center of your garage, would really scatter the dust at that setting. :huh:

Bottom line: Congrats on a super job, and I know you are going to really benefit from so much clean, convenient air supply. :thumb:
 
Nice build, Vaughn!! I hadn't seen or heard of doing a drying rack like that. I have seen 3' of pipe below a hose connection point with a petcock at the end to drain water, but your set up is a great idea. One of these days I'll have more than a portable compressor and a 50' hose!! Jim.
 
... I have one comment/question, though. I wonder if you might put a 90 bend in the end of the drain pipes so you could connect a hose easier. In your pics, anyway, it looks like the end of the drain valve is close to the floor, and it would be hard to "plug in" a hose...
I like that idea. :thumb: I had been thinking along the lines of a permanently mounted hose, but it seems it might be handy to instead install a female quick connect fitting and have a short hose I can plug into each drain point and run into a container of some sort. (Gallon milk jug, perhaps?)

... Also, you run your blowing pressure at 125psi? I found that a bit too much for my liking and run closer to 90 ~ 100. I know, to each his own, I just thought blowing off your turned piece and lathe, which seems to be in the center of your garage, would really scatter the dust at that setting. :huh:...
From what I've seen (so far), the dust is scattered about the same at lower pressures...it still goes everywhere. I need to run the overhead air filter and wear breathing protection either way. With the higher pressure though, it seems to get the dust out of the nooks and crannies a bit faster.

Thanks for the suggestions -
 
Greg, I forgot to add...the drain valve by the floor is on a straight piece of pipe with a union at the other end. I can just loosen it a bit (with the system not under pressure, of course) and swivel it up so the valve is pointed any direction I need, so no need for an elbow. I may also use another type of valve there eventually - something that's not as easy to open accidentally. LOML keeps a dustpan near there, and I'm not looking forward to the day she accidentally bumps the handle on the valve and opens it up a bit. She's not fond of surprise noises like that, and I'd probably pay dearly. :p I can see the headlines now:

California Man Killed in Freak Air Hose Beating

or perhaps, to save ink...

Cali Freak Killed: Beat w/Air Hose

:rolleyes: :rofl:
 
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