How do I get an air line to my driveway?

[rusty_tlc]

FWIT every industrial application of PVC air lines I've seen had copper anywhere the line might be exposed to impact.

PVC also degrades very fast with exposure to UV, so it would have to be coated or routed out of sunlight.

Copper is so easy to work with I wouldn't mess around with PVC.

As far as noise, I built a box around a compressor that I had to locate in a production area. I lined the interior with 6" fiber glass insulation batts and had a double wall vent stack into the overhead for cooling. You could stand right next to it and talk while it was running.

 

[cbmontgo]

It is difficult to get an airline to your driveway, depending on length. Most jets, such as a Boeing 767, take several thousand feet to land and stop with reverse thrust. I would recommend just going to an airport.

 

[lavarunner]

OH on pressure drop..

on 3/8 and HVLP high flow fittings. I lose 16PSI in 32 feet of hose.. that is based on my regulator out of the booth set at 45 and my Sata digital read out spray gun hittin 29 read out..

So half the hose.. thats what you lose.. 50 foot hose regulator set at 90 Psi on the compressor your tool is only seing 65 PSI.. 90 PSI - 25 PSI from the lenght to hose..

 

[sandcruiser]

I recall reading a story about a fellow who had pvc explode under airpressure. It may or may not have been true, but the important point of the story was that the shrapnel produced, penetrated his skin in several places. Because pvc doesn't block xrays, the doctors had to hunt down the bits of pvc manually, leaving quite a few extra perforations in the poor guy. Ever since imagining how little fun it would be to have doctor digging around looking for pvc shards, I figured that metallic piping or rubber hose would work much better.

As for pressure drop- maybe you could look into getting one of those 5 gallon "pig" air tanks that people use. I think napa carries them at about $20. Just hook it up to your airline in the driveway and you can set the pressure to whatever you want. It should eliminate pressure drop and also give you greater tank capacity and an easy to reach regulator. Its also a handy tool to be able to carry on the trail or to just lug a few gallons of compressed air to a slightly more remote spot in your home/shop/neighborhood. Should help with the condensation issues as well as the water would tend to pool in the pig and you can drain it easily.

If that can't work, maybe a smaller tank (from truck air brakes?) that you hide, also with a regulator?

Regardless, from what little I've read on it, using metallic pipe is safer than pvc. and the cost just isn't that much higher, especially compared to a doctor's bill (or a lawsuit when the neighbor's kid breaks the pipe with his bicycle and is permanently disfigured....)