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.