I've been through a good amount of work recently on my compressed air system and it has me wondering, I went with the mounted in place setup and bring my hoses to the work instead of dragging the compressor to the work.
My setup has evolved over time and settled on what I am hoping / thinking is a good configuration.
Original setup.
Central Pnuematic 8 gallon oil lubed compressor 5.4 CFM at 40 PSI. 10' HF Hybrid hose, HF inline oil / water separator, 50' HF hybrid hose,
This setup was space efficient, and certainly a lot cheaper than consequent setups, but lacked the CFM for heavy use with the sanders or HVLP, although it can be pressed into service. It was a pain to move around, get into place and use, then move back blah blah blah. You get it...
Second setup. Central Pnuematic 29 gallon oil lubed 7.3 CFM at 40 PSI. 5' rubber hose --> inlet manifold / tee with one way check valves that would connect BOTH compressors together without allowing backflow between compressors. --> HF Regulator / Filter --> FRL bracket / mount --> HF water separator / oil separator --> Tee --> 2 HF couplers one goes to the hose overhead, the other provides a port at the miter saw bench area. --> rubber hose, maybe 10' to HF 50' automatic hose reel. This put all outlet connections at the back of the shop furthest away from the door / driveway. This made getting the hose out to the end of the driveway. See my comments in what did you do today thread about the tire problems... I was being too lazy to drag the hose through the shop to the end of the driveway...
Current / third setup. Same as Second setup, but with the following changes.
#1. Wingside filter / regulator replacing the HF, waiting for replacement Diaphragm to repair HF filter / regulator.
#2. Replaced the rubber hoses between 29 gallon compressor and filter "manifold", and output of manifold to the overhead hose reel. Overhead hose reel was moved from between miter saw bench and band saw, to between the overhead doors toward the front of the shop.
#3. Added 2 outlet blocks.
I keep the 8 gallon compressor for moving to areas where the hoses won't reach such as spraying texture in the master suite bathroom. OR added air flow, theoretically a grand total of 12.7 CFM for both compressors.
The third setup, at least so far is showing wear / age of the filters / regulator, which is not tha tbig of a shock, and was considerably more expensive than the original, and was certainly not free vs. second setup, but after the rubber hoses were going bad, costs added up quickly etc... Overall the conversion to piped system really was on par with buying new rubber hoses, fittings and custom making them to length and getting them secured etc... The advantage of having the hose reel where it is now is it is MUCH easier to drag out to the driveway when needed, OR just pop on a hose to an outlet etc...
What has gone to the wayside or just not getting used any more?
Hybrid hoses. I got them since they are light, they are also VERY kink / tangle prone. HATE THEM. The Polyurethane hoses are actually quite good but generally are 1/4". Good for impact wrenches, air ratches, and nailers, LOUSY for HVLP, sanders etc... I have recently found 3/8" poly hoses I am planning on grabbing soon enough.
The online oil / water separator. I can't say enough bad about the build "kwaluhtee" (A.K.A. quality) of these piles of junk. They kept spitting fittings off, splitting, leaking etc...
So, what's your setup, and have you made mistakes with your compressed air system?
My setup has evolved over time and settled on what I am hoping / thinking is a good configuration.
Original setup.
Central Pnuematic 8 gallon oil lubed compressor 5.4 CFM at 40 PSI. 10' HF Hybrid hose, HF inline oil / water separator, 50' HF hybrid hose,
This setup was space efficient, and certainly a lot cheaper than consequent setups, but lacked the CFM for heavy use with the sanders or HVLP, although it can be pressed into service. It was a pain to move around, get into place and use, then move back blah blah blah. You get it...
Second setup. Central Pnuematic 29 gallon oil lubed 7.3 CFM at 40 PSI. 5' rubber hose --> inlet manifold / tee with one way check valves that would connect BOTH compressors together without allowing backflow between compressors. --> HF Regulator / Filter --> FRL bracket / mount --> HF water separator / oil separator --> Tee --> 2 HF couplers one goes to the hose overhead, the other provides a port at the miter saw bench area. --> rubber hose, maybe 10' to HF 50' automatic hose reel. This put all outlet connections at the back of the shop furthest away from the door / driveway. This made getting the hose out to the end of the driveway. See my comments in what did you do today thread about the tire problems... I was being too lazy to drag the hose through the shop to the end of the driveway...
Current / third setup. Same as Second setup, but with the following changes.
#1. Wingside filter / regulator replacing the HF, waiting for replacement Diaphragm to repair HF filter / regulator.
#2. Replaced the rubber hoses between 29 gallon compressor and filter "manifold", and output of manifold to the overhead hose reel. Overhead hose reel was moved from between miter saw bench and band saw, to between the overhead doors toward the front of the shop.
#3. Added 2 outlet blocks.
I keep the 8 gallon compressor for moving to areas where the hoses won't reach such as spraying texture in the master suite bathroom. OR added air flow, theoretically a grand total of 12.7 CFM for both compressors.
The third setup, at least so far is showing wear / age of the filters / regulator, which is not tha tbig of a shock, and was considerably more expensive than the original, and was certainly not free vs. second setup, but after the rubber hoses were going bad, costs added up quickly etc... Overall the conversion to piped system really was on par with buying new rubber hoses, fittings and custom making them to length and getting them secured etc... The advantage of having the hose reel where it is now is it is MUCH easier to drag out to the driveway when needed, OR just pop on a hose to an outlet etc...
What has gone to the wayside or just not getting used any more?
Hybrid hoses. I got them since they are light, they are also VERY kink / tangle prone. HATE THEM. The Polyurethane hoses are actually quite good but generally are 1/4". Good for impact wrenches, air ratches, and nailers, LOUSY for HVLP, sanders etc... I have recently found 3/8" poly hoses I am planning on grabbing soon enough.
The online oil / water separator. I can't say enough bad about the build "kwaluhtee" (A.K.A. quality) of these piles of junk. They kept spitting fittings off, splitting, leaking etc...
So, what's your setup, and have you made mistakes with your compressed air system?
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