[jimk]

You also have to look at repairing them if they need it.Pvc...a two year old can fix.

[Goobzilla]

And a trained chimp (like me for instance) can cut & thread a piece of black iron or galvanized pipe, so what's the point?

I guess the bottom line is it's your shop, so you do what you want. I'm about as cheap as they come, but I won't skimp on safety. If some one told me there's a 1-10% chance this PVC could fail catastrophically and shoot jagged shrapnel all over your shop OR for about the same time & money you could eliminate the risk, I know which way I'm leaning.

Ron

[TRACKMAN]

Thanks Kevin for runnin' this all out to ground! Your last post was great. It's starting to make sense. I had never envisioned the PVC to be brittle but when these engineers begin describing it's "glasslike" state, that says it all. You would think their industry would require a warning stamped on the side stating "Not for use with compressed gases". We've got warnings on everything else!!

I've been against the black pipe for just the reasons they stated, cut it (messy), thread it (even a worse mess), mount it (heavy), twist it on, test it, yikes, a leak, now need another 1/2 turn at an elbow in the middle of the system, etc. Don't get me wrong, once installed, it is the best.

I worked at a race shop that used copper airlines, thought it was an overkill but I'm thinking that's the way to go now. With just a little prep, a little heat and the right flux, that solder flows everwhere. Although the thermoplastic may be the ultimate answer, I need a safe product that I can use and be able to run down to the hardware store to buy another elbow, etc.

Thanks again guys, I hope others who are considering PVC read this thread.

The TRACKMAN

Thanks Kevin for runnin' this all out to ground! Your last post was great. It's starting to make sense. I had never envisioned the PVC to be brittle but when these engineers begin describing it's "glasslike" state, that says it all. You would think their industry would require a warning stamped on the side stating "Not for use with compressed gases". We've got warnings on everything else!!

I've been against the black pipe for just the reasons they stated, cut it (messy), thread it (even a worse mess), mount it (heavy), twist it on, test it, yikes, a leak, now need another 1/2 turn at an elbow in the middle of the system, etc. Don't get me wrong, once installed, it is the best.

I worked at a race shop that used copper airlines, thought it was an overkill but I'm thinking that's the way to go now. With just a little prep, a little heat and the right flux, that solder flows everwhere. Although the thermoplastic may be the ultimate answer, I need a safe product that I can use and be able to run down to the hardware store to buy another elbow, etc.

Thanks again guys, I hope others who are considering PVC read this thread.

The TRACKMAN

[nightMARE]

I've seen PVC explode under pressure. It's already been pretty much said that it's not a good option, but no one seems to be talking much about copper. It's way easier to run than black pipe. Just cut and solder, and from what I've seen it's cheaper. It will handle all the pressure that a compressor will put out. It can't take a ht as well a black pipe but most air lines are over head and I know in my garage we don't throw too many hammers and wrenches into the rafters.

[Goobzilla]

Copper is good too, anything but PVC. I got my black iron pipe for $.31/ft at the local industrial supply place.

Ron

[Beenaway2long]

I'm confused! B.I.P. comes in so many different lengths, why do you need to cut it? A coupling and a short nipple or two and your there. We did my buddies garage in 3 hours. Granted, it took 4-5 beers each, but hey, thats Overtime ! After the PVC episode, he (we) aren't taking any chances. Copper may be OK, but I'll take the steel from now on.

Whatever method you choose,be sure to have "catch pipes" below ant outlet. Like the cleanout on any natural gas line in your house. I retro'd all of mine to have 12" pipes with a ball valve on the end to keep the air nice and dry. My buddy went as far as putting a "chiller" on the end closest to the compressor to minimize condensation.

Here's a quick description:
Compressor to ball valve with high flow disconnect : went to flexible hose to isolate vibration to another high flow fitting. He turned the 3/4" B.I.P. down into a 5 gallon pail (with drain) and used a series of 90's and nipples to go around the inside of the pail 8 times. It goes through a line dryer then brought that up to the main branch on the ceiling. Each runner went to the side wall and went down to a T. One piece continued down with a ball valve, the center of the T went to the air coupler. Where he does his painting, he has another air filter/dryer. Overkill? Maybe. But he'll never worry about it again. Every once in a while, open the valves and drain the air. When he paints or uses alot of air, he fills the pail with ice water to minimize condensation. Said he saw it on Eastwoods tapes.

[Goobzilla]

Pretty clever on the chiller!

I may have to give that some thought. That's another bennie about Black Iron pipe. It's just like Tinkertoys, if you want to make a change, just unthread it and make a change.

I bought 7 21ft. lengths of pipe and they cut them in half for me so we could get them in the back of my truck. Borrowed a chop saw and a pipe threader and a buddy & I plumbed my 32x34 shop in a couple hours.

Ron

[Kevin45]

To help out with altering black pipe just add a union here or there. That way it can be disconnected without having to unscrew everything. If properly planned out you may only have to alter a couple of pieces (re-thread) and normally they will do this where you buy it for a small fee or free. Build it to last for the next 100 years. After that, who gives a @#$%

Kevin