Copper piping for air compressor

[diamondman]

I am expanding my basement shop and I located my air compressor in a different part of the basement behind some partition walls, to keep the sound down. Presently, I am running 3/8" air hose between the ceiling joists to get to my shop. I would like to replace the hose with copper piping for a more permanent installation. I realize iron pipe would be better for compressed air, but it's much easier to sweat some copper connections than to measure, cut and thread iron pipe. Will copper pipe be ok for this application?
By the way this is my first post so hi everybody, and yes I do own a BT3000.

[radhak]

Wellcome diamondman. (irrespective of whether you own a bt3 )

copper would perfectly suitable - but i am no expert, i am merely quoting from the Nov issue of Shopnotes (#90), as you can see in this table-of-contents page : http://www.shopnotes.com/issues/090/. The article is pretty helpful for the task you are taking up.

[LCHIEN]

Copper should be fine.

Just Don't use PVC!

iron pipe or copper pipe should they fail just split.

PVC will shatter and send missiles/shrapnel all over the shop.

[LarryG]

As I recall from reading that ShopNotes article, copper pipe comes in two wall thicknesses and the heavier of the two is recommended for compressed air piping.

(Sorry, I don't know the correct designations for the two grades; my BIL is a plumber but that's his problem, not mine. )

[TheRic]

Welcome to the family! Come on in and make yourself at home.

Instead of copper, why not just run a high pressure hose with a large enough size that it won't restrict the air flow. It will then be easier to move the compressor, or the air hose drop, in the future.

And Yes, copper will work. You want the rigid copper type "M", not the flex type "L" .

[parnelli]

The last time I priced copper I was shocked at the price! Ka-ching! That'd help make up my mind for me...

[Tom Miller]

I installed copper (with sweat fittings) from my garage to my basement shop -- works very well, and is easily expandable. I have about 3 or 4 drops spaced around my shop.

Regards,
Tom

[wardprobst]

I am expanding my basement shop and I located my air compressor in a different part of the basement behind some partition walls, to keep the sound down. Presently, I am running 3/8" air hose between the ceiling joists to get to my shop. I would like to replace the hose with copper piping for a more permanent installation. I realize iron pipe would be better for compressed air, but it's much easier to sweat some copper connections than to measure, cut and thread iron pipe. Will copper pipe be ok for this application?
By the way this is my first post so hi everybody, and yes I do own a BT3000.

Welcome to the group, hope to hear more. I wonder about the suggestion that iron pipe is superior to copper lines for air, I had always heard that copper was superior for the reasons you are using it. Anyway, it is at least as good as iron pipe if not better according to what I read.
After thinking about it, there is one possible downside to sweating the copper with a torch- be careful around any wood dust buildup if you have been using your shop for a while. Don't want to see the diamondman blazing.....
DP

[bigstick509]

Welcome

[Ag. Teacher]

I would suggest to install valves below your drops, so you can discharge moisture for the lines before you use your tools. Don't ask how I figured this one out.

[Pappy]

You already have your answers, so I will just say, "Welcome to the Asylum!"

[LinuxRandal]

Wellcome diamondman. (irrespective of whether you own a bt3 )

copper would perfectly suitable - but i am no expert, i am merely quoting from the Nov issue of Shopnotes (#90), as you can see in this table-of-contents page : http://www.shopnotes.com/issues/090/. The article is pretty helpful for the task you are taking up.

That article was SERIOUSLY lacking in at least one important spec.
https://www.copper.org/resources/pub...e_handbook.pdf

If your on high speed (not dial up), google the copper handbook. Your supposed to use certain grades of the copper (L or M, I believe, not K), and use a different solder, NOT 50/50 plumbing grade. (I think it's 95/5).

[wardprobst]

That article was SERIOUSLY lacking in at least one important spec.
https://www.copper.org/resources/pub...e_handbook.pdf

If your on high speed (not dial up), google the copper handbook. Your supposed to use certain grades of the copper (L or M, I believe, not K), and use a different solder, NOT 50/50 plumbing grade. (I think it's 95/5).

Thanks for the resource! I will reread it but first reading seems to indicate that K will work at common (less than 200psi) air pressures with conventional soldering. A great thing to find for me was the electric tool for flame less installation- my shop has been going for a while and I have a concern about igniting wood dust in advertantly. Anyone used one of these tools?
DP

[jackellis]

If you're set on copper pipe, then by all means go ahead. I hope I'll be doing something similar in a few years and I think I would just use rubber hoses instead. One reason is material cost. Copper has become extremely expensive. Another is the ability to move things around, which would be a lot easier with hoses on some kind of hanger. I'd probably need to hire out the piping job because I don't have the tools or the skill to sweat copper pipe.

A quick price check shows $11/foot for 3/4" 'M' copper pipe and $9/foor for 1/2" at plumbingsupply.com, vs. $2/foot for 3/8" air hose at airhosesupply.com. I don't know how good those prices are other than an indicator that the difference is pretty significant.

[Stan]

I plumbed my shop with copper last summer (don't remember the cost being all that high). Came off the compressor with a short flex line to a T, one end of the T dropping down to a drain valve the other end going up to the ceiling to enter the shop area.

Ran a run down both sides of the shop at ceiling height, then put in one drop on each side with filters/regulators at about 4' off the floor, again with a T allowing the straight down tube to have a drain valve installed.

I cut up one of my existing hoses and have a 14' hose on each side of the shop now, with an extra 50' piece coiled up in the storage room for when I have to fill up tires out in the driveway.

These two drops give me access to about 80% of the shop area with just the 14' hoses. The lines across each side of the shop (at ceiling height) were stubbed off with a cap, so adding on later will not be a problem. The plan is to extend down one wall to add a second drop inside the shop, also down the opposite wall for a second drop (for spraying -- it's the furthest distance from the compressor), along with punching a drop through the wall to have an access point right at the driveway.

An additional benefit to this setup is the additional air storage capacity. I wouldn't have thought so, but it does make a difference.

I did put shut-off valves just before the filter/regulator combo on each drop -- that way if I have a hose that starts to leak or some other air loss in that segment -- I can just flip the lever off to minimize line loss when I leave the shop.