pvc air line

skip33652 · Mar 23, 2013

25 years ago we put in some pvc air line has been fine all this time . But today I bumped it with my shoulder , WHAM a piece about 6" long blew into about 6 pieces .I think I am still here but I cant hear much. I believe I dodged a bullet and I believe copper goes in on monday.Paul

Royse · Mar 23, 2013

I plumbed my whole shop with black pipe about 12 years ago.
If I had it to do over again I would have used galvanized.
Black pipe gets rusty inside from the moisture.
Used pipe dope, not teflon tape. No leaks, works very well.
My 2 cents.

Ken Macfarlane · Mar 23, 2013

And people won't believe you when you tell them not to use PVC, I hope the see this! Glad you didn't get any in you. I had copper in my last shop and am getting ready to do this one too.

dr sportster · Mar 23, 2013

If you look on the OSHA website it says it is not recomended and the manufacturers are in agreement that it should not be used for airlines. I have seen this come up on other sites and a bunch of guys will say they used it with no problems. Other have stories of failures such as yours.

Aaron SEIA · Mar 23, 2013

I worked in a shop once that was plumbed with PVC. Had a 175 psi Ingersoll tied to it. Shut the air off at the tank every night and opened it every morning. Would blow about 1 coupling each season. I think if we left it pressurized 24/7 it wouldn't have done that. Pipe or copper is the way to go, but pvc is possible.
AaronSEIA

Wile E · Mar 23, 2013

In May of 1988 OSHA declared using PVC for compressed air line as "illegal" or "out of code" or whatever scary term was needed.

Trust me when I say this........You are real lucky in 20 years or whatever it has been. It is easy to realize that cutting and gluing PVC would be great for 100 psi air line but.....too hazardous for my blood.

northvale-PA · Mar 23, 2013

trouble with plastic pipe is it stretches under high pressures, thereby creating an awful lot of kinetic energy. Metal does not.

David G · Mar 23, 2013

The problem is not that the PVC stretches, as much as the gas compresses. The kinetic energy is stored in the gas. PVC is not an issue for liquids that do not compress.

The PVC is just more brittle than copper or steel.

David G · Mar 23, 2013

I want to amend my statement, the potential energy is stored in the gas, which converts to kinetic when it decompresses.

Repair wright · Mar 23, 2013

This might be a little of topic,but has anyone had any
experience using per tubing? I would never use PVC, but I
know that RapidAir uses a flex tubing in their kits.

John B. · Mar 23, 2013

I read years ago that oil deteriorates PVC pipe. This includes compressor oil. Using PVC pipe for air line is a bomb waiting to go off! Steel Pipe is the only thing that should be used for air line runs.

JD Seller · Mar 23, 2013

Royce: Galvanized pipe is not rated for high pressure. That also means 175 psi air pressure.

Royse · Mar 23, 2013

(quoted from post at 22:13:46 03/23/13) Royce: Galvanized pipe is not rated for high pressure. That also means 175 psi air pressure.

JD, my shop only runs 120 PSI, but still, I'm interested in the ratings.
Do you know what the ratings would be for black pipe and/or PVC?
I've had no problems with the black pipe I currently have other than its
starting to rust on the inside from the moisture.

M w J · Mar 23, 2013

I used 1/2 in. air hose over the ceiling to the from the compressor to the other side of the shed then hung a hose reel and have been very happy with that.

ricb · Mar 23, 2013

I have a friend that just put in pex tubing in new shop. Makes me a little uneasy. I have 1 1/4" galvanized in my shop. the galvanized is not good? been 7 years and no problems yet.

jm. · Mar 23, 2013

We have one shop that is plumbed with plastic but it is grey and supposed to be heavier than standard. Have no idea but it has worked for 15 + years now so maybe I need to take a look. Has small radiator drain cocks below ever drop and was done at the time by what we thought was the best man around. Guess we have just been lucky. Stays loaded 155 lbs 24/7.

Cjet · Mar 23, 2013

I used 1" copper with letter code "K" for my air system. "K" is the heaviest and will handle the most pressure. Glad I put it in back when copper was relatively cheap.

GlenIdaho · Mar 24, 2013

I used black pipe in my shop but would use copper next time. The black pipe seems to create a lot of moisture especially during cold weather. I read that copper will dissipate the heat better create less moisture.

Stephen Newell · Mar 24, 2013

Every shop I've ever worked in including my own has used PVC for air. What pressure were you running? I regulate the pressure down to 100 psi before going to PVC. Generally it takes more than a little bumb to bust it.

ss55 · Mar 24, 2013

25 years is is a pretty long life for most plastics, especially if exposed to much light. With the high cost of copper, would it be cost effective to plan to replace PVC air lines every 10 to 12 years as preventative maintenance?

Hal/ Eastern WA · Mar 24, 2013

I wonder about using PEX for this purpose too. I have not read anything that suggests that PEX would not work OK, but maybe PEX is too new in this country for people to have long term experience.

I have a 1 inch copper air line running around the perimeter of my garage. It is sloped so the condensed moisture runs into a sump that is easily drained. In my opinion the advantage of using copper is that copper will cool the compressed air better than almost anything else, and transfer that heat to the outside air. Unfortunately copper has become awfully expensive. I am thinking about building another pole building and would like to have air lines in it. I bet they will end up being PEX, since PEX is SO much less expensive than copper.

I think that black steel pipe or galvanized pipe would work OK, but both have also got quite expensive. And over the years, they WILL rust, probably from the inside out.

T in NE · Mar 24, 2013

Boss ran inch PVC air lines in the shop. Seems like as soon as he gets one leak fixed another pops up. Opening the supply valve all at once instead of slowly might have something to do with it (175 PSI compressor).

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