Harbor Freight Airline Kit

[bkfj40]

I'm getting ready to run airlines in the new garage out of all PVC...no, no, no...I'm kidding.

I priced up using copper and then compared the costs with a few of the PEX type of kits (not necessarily PEX, but similar tubing)

found this one at Harbor Freight for $80
Complete Garage Air Kit - Air Accessories - Air Tools

Eastwood for $170
100' Garage Air LineKit w/ 12 Wall Mount Clamps - Tubing Cutter - Wall Tubing Clamps - Eastwood

and Garage-pak as well...

anyone have any experience with the Harbor Freight one?

 

[Thornton]

What about iron pipe ?

 

[John Smith]

What about iron pipe ?

Not ideal; it will create rusty water that will kill your tools if you don't have a good water removal system.

 

[Thornton]

Not ideal; it will create rusty water that will kill your tools if you don't have a good water removal system.

Hadn't thought about that John. I've just got a short section of actually galvinized with 2 water seperaters and then it goes to a hose real. Just thought about iron or galvinized would be more durable. I helped my fatherinlaw put a system in a friends shop years ago and thats where I learned to thread pipe.

 

[bkfj40]

The advantage for me is that to run down along the two side walls and the back wall adds up to 112'. I was thinking I might do either a loop in 1/2" or a main trunk line in 3/4" and then branch off of that...but the cost of pipe (either copper or black) adds up. The vinyl type of system only adds up when you need to buy fittings. I don't mind sweating copper, but the wallet is looking thin. I would probably use copper in 1" for a stick or two to help cool off the air and also help drop out moisture.

 

[calstyl2]

Harbor Freight kit is metric fittings, the Eastwood kit is SAE 1/2 fittings, the HF is not a bad kit, but some of people like the bigger lines.

 

[Thornton]

the wallet is looking thin.

Brian, I can relate to that

Tom

 

[Cuerno Largo]

The advantage for me is that to run down along the two side walls and the back wall adds up to 112'. I was thinking I might do either a loop in 1/2" or a main trunk line in 3/4" and then branch off of that...but the cost of pipe (either copper or black) adds up. The vinyl type of system only adds up when you need to buy fittings. I don't mind sweating copper, but the wallet is looking thin. I would probably use copper in 1" for a stick or two to help cool off the air and also help drop out moisture.

You probably won't have to do that to cool the air. I have about 120 feet in purely 1/2" copper. Slope from one end of shop to other on each side. Risers come up to air fittings. Ball valve at each end and one about 3 feet off my compressor to drain water. The only one that collects water is the first one off my compressor. The rest of them are dry as a bone. This is with 80gal compressor.

 

[se2000]

Skip the pvc unless you like living with a grenade. Iron doesn't have much rust if you build it right and remove the water regularly. I'd try some scrap places to buy used copper . You are not going to be drinking out of it and it doesn't have to be pretty. Just get long enough pieces so you are not soldering a ton of couplers.
I had to take apart most of my iron pipe setup and found very little rust in 10 years. I am considering some 3/4" pex for the longer runs with sharkbite connectors to bring it back to metal before the air couplers

 

[wxm]

I have been thinking of the HF kit too. Please keep us posted with the outcome.

 

[Icantdive55]

air line kit

I just installed a kit from nothern tools. Same kit as in ea$twood but a heck of a lot cheeper. I love it. I used the entire 100' just to increase the chance for the air to cool. Then i installed a water/moisture seperator and immediately after that a filter with replaceable element (tp tools). And walla.. no more moisture!

Oh ya it was very easy to install.

 

[se2000]

Those kits are 3/8" line. You may be able to use them to run low volume tools but it will starve a lot of things. Northern tool has a 3/4" kit but it is $239. And only one block. But it is hdpe which will split but not shatter like pvc
For you guys with only single stage, pex tubing might be an acceptable option. Home run your lines to a manifold.