1/2" or 3/4" Air System

[Bailey Guns]

I'm looking at putting an air line system in my shop. It'll just be used for homeowner type stuff...nothing really heavy duty. Heaviest use will probably be with a sander on occasion. I have some air tools but almost never use them. Right now I have a 100' hose/reel that I have to unwind/wind up every time I want air. It works...it's just a bit of a pain and invariably I need to move the hose around and out of the way of a vehicle or for something else.

My question is, is it worth going to 3/4" line over 1/2" for extra air capacity?

My initial thought is it's not. Plus I'd have to buy all new 3/4" couplers since everything I have now is 1/2".

I'm just wondering if there's anything I'm not thinking about, or maybe something I just don't know about, that would make it better to upgrade to 3/4". Cost for the system is about the same. It's just retrofitting what I have that would involve a higher PITA factor and cost for new couplers and stuff. Wouldn't be a huge cost but I'd rather not pay it if it's not needed for my applications.

[buffalobo]

I have 1" PVC run all the way around shop about 7' up from floor with hose chucks and drain valves at each "work station". Very low cost initially as I used left over pipe and fittings from water line install when built house.

I don't really notice much difference due to pipe volume.

[ray1970]

1/2" is plenty. Pretty sure the shop at work is only 1/2" and about the only thing you can't really do there is run a 1" impact to its fullest potential.

[Hummer]

Back when I was operating concrete plants, air systems controlled valves and rams for aggregate gates, chutes, bin vibrators and more. All we used was 1/2" iron pipe lines. It's the capacity of the air compressor that delivered the power. BTW, I strongly advise against using PVC lines as they can be very dangerous when they fatigue and rupture. Do a little research before going that route.

[TFOGGER]

Back when I was operating concrete plants, air systems controlled valves and rams for aggregate gates, chutes, bin vibrators and more. All we used was 1/2" iron pipe lines. It's the capacity of the air compressor that delivered the power. BTW, I strongly advise against using PVC lines as they can be very dangerous when they fatigue and rupture. Do a little research before going that route.

We've used 1/2 CPVC for air line in the shop for more than 20 years without a failure. Our shop air is at around 135 psi, and we drain the system every couple of days to get the water out. That being said, we don't use a lot of air, except for the brake bleeders, occasional use of the blast cabinet or a DA, and the bike lifts. Compressor is a 5 horse 80 gallon, running on 240.

[Bailey Guns]

Cool. I think I'll just go the 1/2" route. As usual, lots of knowledgeable people here. Thanks for the advice and input. I'm gonna go with the Rapidair system...reasonably priced and has everything to get up and running.

[buffalobo]

We've used 1/2 CPVC for air line in the shop for more than 20 years without a failure. Our shop air is at around 135 psi, and we drain the system every couple of days to get the water out. That being said, we don't use a lot of air, except for the brake bleeders, occasional use of the blast cabinet or a DA, and the bike lifts. Compressor is a 5 horse 80 gallon, running on 240.

Pretty much same experience for me. Have had couple blow outs in counter top shop over the years, always failure at glue joint, no ruptures. I keep pressure down around 100lbs to minimize wear/tear on nailers.

Drain drops, regs and water separators at each station.

[XJ]

PVC is unsafe for compressed air at any pressure you would want to use. The failure mechanism is lots of small, sharp-edged, pieces flying about. I've seen the aftermath where they penetrated insulation & aluminum siding (Sch80 4" at ~150 psi).

Check the engineering information for Spears, GF, Charlotte, etc and they all say the same thing.

[DenverGP]

I've got mine run with PEX. Neighbor is a commercial plumber, so he uses the stuff all over. Compressor output up to 175psi without any issues. Failure mode of pex is just to split like copper.