[smrat]

when hooking up my compressor can i use the plastic PBC water pipe instead of steal pipe?? wouldnt the plastic be better it wouldnt rust, less debrit in the air filter water trap

[CustomConspiracy]

Some use PVC and some don't.
If you do, you must use schedule 40 or better ......look at the psi rating printed on it.
Folks that don't use it talk about blow outs......so it is very important that you are very careful about your joints and the way they are glued. You must also pressure test it in a way so if it blows apart it will not hurt anyone. Secure it to the wall in a lot of places, and make sure you do not stress is when you are pulling on the hose.
Some folks claim a white slime builds up on the inside of PVC that contaminates everything. I tend to think it might but it's cheap enough that I change mine out every year.
Metal pipe should be galvanized to help slow rust issues....both require that you make it so the pipe slants downward towards the water trap so the condensation does not drain back into your compressor.
White PVC is not intended to be used with hot water.....and it is possible that the hot compressed air coming from the compressor or heat transfer from the fittings could cause the PVC to fail.
You'll get lots of ideas about this and there are also many sites that tell you how to pipe your spray booth.
Good Luck!

[speedydeedy]

About 10 years ago I plumbed my whole shop with 1" PVC. I have never had a problem yet.

[oldred]

This has been discussed to death but apparently it bears going over again, DO NOT USE PVC FOR AIR LINE!!! This is very dangerous and has been the cause of several serious accidents, to the point that it has been banned for use by both OSHA and MSHA for compressed gas including air. The pressure rating don't mean squat because as the temperature goes up by even a few degrees the pressure rating falls drastically plus a sharp blow even by a blunt object can cause it to rupture. When PVC ruptures it will do so along a length of the line not just a small hole and because of the expanding pressurized air it will throw razor sharp shards in all directions. This shrapnel has caused serious injury in numerous accidents leading to the ban by the safety organizations. As if the hazards of using it were not enough it is about the worst possible choice as air line anyway because of it's insulating qualities that prevent the air from properly cooling leading to moisture in the air hose/tools. Without the ability to properly radiate the heat from the air the moisture will remain in vapor form and pass right through any water separator you may be using only to then condense in the air lines causing all kinds of problems.

Forget the PVC it is a loser anyway you look at it.


Speedy, if you have gotten away with it for 10 years you are on borrowed time as it is almost guaranteed that the line, especially at the joints, has become brittle and you may very well have a bomb on your hands. Fellows I am not joking about this that crap is very dangerous and very well may get you or someone else hurt, it has happened to other people and it CAN happen to you!

BTW, if you do get hit by this shrapnel those razor sharp potentially life threatening shards will NOT show up on an x-ray!

[matt167]

when I was getting ready to plum my system, I was going to go PVC, then read the horror stories about what could happen.. I went black Iron and some is Galvanized cause the local shops don't carry the black, and driving an hour to get $10 of parts, doesn't work for me.. I'll pay $15 for the stuff and go 10 minuites

[Don Lyon]

Am I the only one using hose? Works great.

[oldred]

Originally Posted by Don Lyon

Am I the only one using hose? Works great.

Hose will safely carry the air but that's about all you can say for it, just as with the PVC it will create moisture problems by retaining the heat in the air thus far more of the moisture will remain in vapor form until it exits the hose. Another problem is in keeping the hose straight with no dips along the route (assuming you are not just talking running a hose directly from the compressor and not even routing it) which will let water accumulate with no place to drain out of the air flow. When low spots are allowed to exist in the line water will accumulate until it starts to restrict the flow then it will be picked up by the air flow and expelled all at once, after the accumulated water in the low spot/spots has been expelled the whole process will start all over again. The air line to your reel and/or water separator is much more than just a conduit for getting the air from point A to point B it is a very important part of the system that will cool the air and collect moisture and other contaminates to be drained off before they reach your tools. It is very important to cool the air as much as practical before it reaches the water separator/filter in order to condense the water vapor into liquid form otherwise it will just pass through. That is why it is almost a waste of time and money to place the water separator/filter right at the compressor. A rubber hose, just like the PVC, will do an extremely poor job of cooling and that along with the difficulty of keeping it straight and angled right for proper drainage will make it a very poor choice. Metal line in Copper, black iron or galvanized iron is always far better for cooling and drying the air plus it will be much easier to arrange into a functioning system for conditioning the air before use.

[CustomConspiracy]

Well I am finally convinced! You have changed my mind.
I take back what I said about the PVC being OK.
All that info makes a lot of sense to me sooooo from now on I make it all metal.
I used to do Air Brush work on NASCAR Haulers, and we had paint booths large enought to pull in 2 trailers WITH the tractors hooked up, WITH the lift gates extended.......BIG FREAKIN BOOTHS......and they were plumbed with something like 2" PVC......a lot of it.
I would work off an electric power lift while I was painting, and now I remember several occasions when I either bumped the PVC with the lift, or pulled on the hose too hard and the pipe blew.
I guess we were just real freakin lucky that it always blew away from us!
No more PVC for me!
Thanks for being persistent.