How To Select An Air System For Your Shop.

[@tamiamibusch]

I use PEX in my garage and have had it installed for 4 years now and the pipe has not degraded at all. I installed it outside the drywall and used plastic emt conduit clamps to attach tot he wall studs. I installed it right up against the corner of the ceiling, mostly to keep it out of the way. Pex is so cheap and quick to modify it was a great choice in my shop. I ran 3/4 line all around the shop with 1/2 drop lines into stub outs. I have home built desiccant system that uses activated alumina pull the water out of the air before entering the system. Activated alumina is the same stuff used to dry air for scuba tanks and its reusable. To reuse it you just need to bake it oven at 350-400 F to drive off the water.

[@bobbystanley8580]

OahuPilot they make UV Pex now also.

[@jmc5341]

After a few years you will notice it starting to turn a yellowish brown. I think you have a while before it's a problem but it will happen eventually.

[@alexbusch8114]

@@jmc5341 Nope, still good. I think you are thinking about pvc not pex. Two different plastics.

[@jmc5341]

No its pex I have that does that. Specifically uponor.

[@tamiamibusch]

@@jmc5341 like I said no sign of color change 5 years in, that's the real world physical evidence I have. Maybe they changed the formula.

[@douglasthompson2740]

They are a bit harder to find (try on line) but they make a 4 way fitting in Sharkbite, copper, and several other types. This gives you your drops for water traps without all the extra fittings and needless runs. Take care. Doug

[@smjones4238]

I am going to be putting a system in my new 35 X 70 shop this summer. Thank You for checking on the EZ ways of doing this. I was probably going with copper anyway, but there it is. I will be using sweat fittings as I am just not quite there with sharkbite stuff yet for long range. I also kinda like sweating the fittings. Once they are in, there is no doubt that leaks will not develop and give you a slow leak system. I will also use mostly 3/4" with some 1" possibly for high volume parts like to a sandblaster. The larger pipe also gives you a bit more 'tank' in the system. Will be using some nylon line to go to remote areas through conduit underground. One of my friends owned a body shop with a huge air system in it, professionally installed. (1970s) The system had two 10 HP compressors and a 100 gal tank, all DeVilbiss. The shop had a 3" PVC 'spine' running down the center of the ceiling with 1" drops going to the walls then down, about 20 of them. When the system was about 15 years old, they came in one morning and the compressors were running and the spine had exploded about 10' in from the compressor end and took down two light fixtures and there were slivers and shards of PVC everywhere. He replumbed it all with L copper in the same sizes as the PVC. Time clock on the compressor. Still is up and fine.. One of the guys said that "if it's made from oil, oil will dissolve it, under pressure". I will be adding the AT cooler & a couple of muffin fans to my main system compressor also. I have a refrigerated dryer for the PlasmaCam also, will take some of the load off of it. Great video as usual. Michael in Colorado.

[@pjz318]

Great video! Best explanation of different types of lines you can run and why or why not to use them. I’m running copper as well just not willing to risk PEX leaks.

[@frankolbrot2923]

Nice system. One thing to point out is if you have a big demand for air it is best to do a full loop so you don’t have psi drop at the far end. Honestly that’s why the rapid air system comes with 100 feet of tubing. All in all you have a fool proof and dry air system. Nice job.

[@RepairGeek]

That is true. With my system I'm the only user. If you have like you said high demand or multiple users. You need a loop. Thanks for watching.

[@CMGContractingLLC]

Just the info I needed. Good video and informative!

[@nickthedadbikes]

Well thought out and informative. Looking forward to the next video.

[@ChappysGarage]

Good video, I was considering the rapidair system but good point on actually pricing it out against copper. If I feel ambitious I might go with regular solder fittings as it would certainly save a lot over the shark bite ones. However, I do admit I do enjoy the quick convenience of the shark bit and use them when I do small plumbing jobs.

[@RepairGeek]

I used sharkbites because my soldering ablities are lacking. I also didn't want a nice burn mark in my fresh drywall haha. Yes, traditional soldered fittings will save you quite a bit of money.

[@a89proof]

I prefer black pipe for most gas lines, but it practically requires having a good vise, threader, cutter, and reamer at your disposal. As there's a torch already on the bench, a roll of solder, some paste flux, a couple brushes, and regular sweat fittings will save you a fair amount over using quick-connect fittings with copper line. If using copper line with quick-connect fittings, be certain to cut pipe ends square and debur / chamfer the end to prevent damage to the o-rings in the connectors.

[@butchs2337]

yeap i just made a dryer out of 3/4" copper and had over 60 fittings and amazing no leaks :) it is mounted in a 70 degree or colder room and also putting a cooler on the compressor, i hope when it is all done it works like everyone says, lot of money spent, i am making this at the place i work at, we make so much water it is starting to have trouble with the tools, going from 90 plus degrees to 50 degrees is just making water like crazy

[@zulubravo5733]

Informative, thanks!

[@josephwilke8754]

Is there a reason behind setting up the filter directly to the compressor vs after the cooling coil? Most advice I have seen states to have it further down the line. Setting up my system and your video has been invaluable.

[@RepairGeek]

Not really. If I have moisture exiting the compressor, I know to look at my other filters and the cooling coil for water. I have a filter after the compressor tank and after the cooling coil. Since I've added the aftercooler to the compressor I haven't had any water exit the tank. That may change if you are using a ton of air.

[@josephwilke8754]

@@RepairGeek thanks. It certainly wont harm anything. Great idea with the aftercooler. I may look into doing that at some point as well...crawl before you walk sort of thing!

[@thebakery3996]

Joseph Wilke I totally disagree. A filer right after the tank is pointless. They are expensive and water will blow right past it if it’s closer than 25ft.

[@jimmerriman6920]

Nice! Great info!

[@tombrown1032]

The cost stated, does that include all the filters and regulators ? Good video...ocd doesn’t always have to be a bad thing, lol.

[@RepairGeek]

Not including regulators. There are too many variables with regulators to start quoting prices on those.

[@maxford27]

You make good videos. I'm looks ng forward to your manifold video.

[@RepairGeek]

Thanks man. I'm finishing some modifications to the compressor right now. The video should be done in a little bit. Thanks for watching.

[@edwards_enterprises]

Proper setup bruh 👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼

[@kwd57]

I have a lot of 3/4 copper also. I use only a 1 inch regulator/dryer at the tank and nothing until the other end of the system. I tried a small regulator like the one after your cooler, but it could not keep up with the demand at the far end. When I would stop using air, it sounded like it was trying to refill a tank, just to restore full pressure to the system. That cooler is an interesting idea, but do you think you will collect water at the other 2 low returns that don't appear to have drains? With all the copper in my system, it must cool pretty well since I don't get any water in any of my drains.

[@RepairGeek]

What size is your regulator? It sounds like it's undersized. The regulator you're talking about has a 1/2 inch inlet and outlet. I haven't had any issues yet but time will tell. I have 3 ball valves on the bottom of the manifold to drain any water. I have something else I'm going to add to my compressor for the next video to remove more water. Thanks for watching.

[@kwd57]

I have a 1 inch at the tank and I also had a 1/2 inch like yours, but I had to move it way downstream. I might be using more air than you at times. I could not see the the other drains on the video, so I guess that answers that question.

[@RepairGeek]

I haven't tested the system with any super high CFM tools yet like a cutoff wheel or something. Hopefully I don't have issues. The video on the cooler should be out in a few weeks.

[@thebakery3996]

Great set up but aren’t the shark bites Inside diameter too small? It looks like it would cut flow a lot but idk.

[@RepairGeek]

I haven't had any problems. I can run a die grinder with no issues. I've also tested a portable sandblaster on the system and haven't had any problems with that either.

[@thebakery3996]

Repair Geek sweet

[@killawattgarage]

nice work!

[@charliesgarageusa4986]

That's a killer set up what do you have in your pipe 1500 to 2000 bucks ?

[@RepairGeek]

🤣 maybe in 2021. $240 a couple years ago. No issues no leaks works awesome.

[@charliesgarageusa4986]

@@RepairGeek thanks for the information nice job 👍

[@JRLSprague3]

Could you explain why you seem to have so many filters and regulators?

[@RepairGeek]

Just overkill. That's all.

[@fredquiles9937]

What kind of solder do use ?

[@thepowerstrokegarage3629]

Who makes that work bench in your bay there?

[@RepairGeek]

Craftsman/Waterloo. When Stanley bought out waterloo it was discontinued a couple years ago.

[@thepowerstrokegarage3629]

@@RepairGeek ok thank you for the reply, ill keep hunting for one!

[@marcelcatinas5361]

Are you losing any pressure at all overnight with those shark bite fittings .

[@RepairGeek]

None.

[@marcelcatinas5361]

Repair Geek That’s good news, I was very concerned about this pressure losing overnight,I did call shark bite and the technician said that these feedings are not made for air lines they are made for water lines so this was my concern if you are telling me there is no losing him pressure overnight or so then I’m definitely gonna do this to

[@RepairGeek]

@@marcelcatinas5361 I spoke with Sharkbite about using these in a pneumatic application. The reason they do not certify them for air is, the Sharkbite fitting uses an o-ring to seal. The material the oring is made from may not be compatible with some oils found in pneumatic systems. I've had no issues yet but my air is filtered 3x before it ever sees a Sharkbite fitting. It is not an issue with the strength of the fitting. If you have a lot of oil in your system they may leak... eventually...

[@marcelcatinas5361]

Repair Geek Thank you for your response, I really appreciate it, now these leads me to another question for you, I shouldn’t have any oil’s in the system I am installing a brand new DeWalt stand up compressor 60 gallons, in my case do you think I still need some kind of a water or oil separator for my system?, if I do need one can you recommend me a good filter ?

[@RepairGeek]

@@marcelcatinas5361 I recommend checking out this video if you haven't already: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p2K2pKyua9Bmedk The aftercooler setup that I showed will remove I would say well over 90% of the water out of the system before it ever enters the compressor tank. So, your tank will last much longer because it isn't going to rust out nearly as quickly. Links to that setup are in the description of that video. Yes you will need a filter/water separator even if you build an aftercooler. I like this style of separator because an air pressure regulator is build in: amzn.to/2TSTpIu If you want one without a pressure regulator they are a little cheaper: amzn.to/2X3mQJQ

[@russellseaton2014]

I don't understand your use of Sharkbite fittings instead of copper solder fittings. You showed using several solder fittings when making the air outlets. So soldering is not a problem for you. You would have saved at least another $100 with copper solder fittings instead of Sharkbite. Sharkbite are great for plumbing when you are working in inaccessible locations and cannot easily solder copper. Or are joining copper, CPVC and Pex all together. But for air lines in your shop, you can easily and comfortably solder copper on the workbench so the solder all runs downhill. And then hoist large sections into the air and maybe have to solder one horizontal joint on a ladder. I am not disputing your choice of copper over the official aluminum Pex kits with their expensive fittings. From your studies you found out its cheaper with copper. A $10 Sharkbite fitting is better than a $20 RapidAir fitting. But still not as good as a $0.50 copper fitting.

[@RepairGeek]

I'm not great at soldering, didn't want to burn my drywall, or deal with leaks after it was assembled. Still using this line today, no issues. The only reason sharkbites are not rated for air use is the oil carry over from the compressor. Sharkbite did not do any testing to see if the o-rings are oil compatible. If you have clean air with no oil in it, it's no issue.

[@MrItsthething]

Oh god sharkbite fittings...

[@RepairGeek]

No issues with them yet.

[@gavins9021]

@@RepairGeek but they are most costly than just copper, elbow's, tee's, why did you go with the SharkBite? Sweat on is cheaper and a better more positive connection in my opinion. Just curious

[@RepairGeek]

@@gavins9021 first of all I suck at soldering pipe. Second of all I didn't want to risk burning my drywall. Thirdly, I can remove the fittings so if I need to reconfigure the system it's not a big deal. Fourthly if it leaks its just air, not a big deal at all. 3 years in at this point no issues with any leaks. These fittings are a similar design as what is used in semi trucks and pneumatics in the manufacturing industry. Would I use them inside a wall for plumbing water? Absolutely not. Exposed in a shop for air line? No issue. I reached out to Sharkbite why they don't recommend their fittings for air line use and they said that their o rings are not compatible with oil. So if your compressor puts a lot of oil in the lines you may have issues eventually. Personally I've never had an issue.

[@gavins9021]

@@RepairGeek OK thanks

[@TheElbolso]

Audio sucks bad.