The Home Machinist!

Here's a couple of quotes from Lasco, a huge manufacturer of PVC fittings and goods.

[color="orange"]"The Plastic Pipe and Fittings Association notes in their PPFA Bulletin # 4-80 (10/79)

"Compressed air or inert gases should never be used for pressure testing plastic piping systems." " [/color]

Here is what Lasco has to say about it themselves...
[color="orange"] Often we are asked about the use of PVC piping systems for use in compressed air transmission or testing. Our response has to be a thunderous - [color="red"] NO! [/color][/color]

They seem pretty serious about NOT using PVC for pressurized gasses!

They have a few other snippets of codes/guidelines/industry rules, but they are very dry and boring, so I won't post them here - they say NO all the way....

I'm putting copper in my new shop.............

Take care,

Matt King
Hamilton, GA

Appreciate all of the thoughts and feedback. Have decided to use 1/2" copper.
Would using ball valve, regulator and water trap, and regulator connected with
brass fittings and hose to copper line be the correct sequence? Copper will
be strapped to wall about 40" from floor.
Should tees be angled up from main line? Should main line slope to allow
water to gravitate toward ball valve in end of line? THANKS. Charles

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Charles Shearon
illigitimi carborundumis

Yes, yes, yes, sounds just right. Here's a pic of a drop, The top 'T' should be pointing up, but isn't [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/frown.gif"%20alt="[/img] The rest of the drop is fine.

Here's a more complex drop where I wanted as little moisture as possible. (If it's convenient, the farther down the line you go, the dryer and cooler the air will be.)
GsT

Can't you hear me starting my pickup? I'm going to Lowe's right now.
You have convenienced me, you don't have to beat me over the head. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/smile.gif"%20alt="[/img]
Thanks all for the heads up.
Gary Helmick

I may be a little late gettin gi on this post, but PVC as stated is a no no. My ex father inlaw piped his entire shop with the stuff, trying to save costs when he built his new shop. He catered to the public doing marine repairs and propeller rebuilds, and had a pice of 1" PVC running along one wall where customers came in the building to the service counter.

Luckily when it blew, it was after hours, as that entire section of the customer area was nothing but shards of PVC.

Its a known fact it was never bumped, the place always was heated or cooled, but sunlight did shine on it most of the day. It lasted less than 3 years. And believe it or not he had the guts or should that be stupidity to patch another piece in to repair the damages, and said it was probably some freak accident anyhow, as the pressure was far below what it was rated at. Never did understand his way of thinking, and he never did care about the principals and why it was a bad idea.

My shop is plumbed with swedged stainless steel tube as well as copper Type K and L, M is just to thin. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/smile.gif"%20alt="[/img]

Charles
Listen to these people - use COPPER and solder the joints just like water piping. Last year I plumbed my shop with copper (only two drops - should have had more) and I feel safe.

Regards
MikeG

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In the shop; a Jet 8x36 vert mill, Jet 13x40 lathe. Harig 612 SG. Burke #4 HM. Van Norman #76 piston griinder

Hi Folks,

I have had PVP and CPVP come apart like glass. I now have 1/2" S/S. End of worries, explosions, leaks and rust.

David

[img]/ubb/images/graemlins/cool.gif"%20alt="[/img]

Mike,

One of the advantages of copper is the ease of making changes. You can add more drops, extend runs, etc. without having to take the whole line apart.

Cut the line, push the ends apart enough to add a 'T' , solder it together and you have a new drop! Try that with threaded pipe!

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Mike L
Self taught machinist
I had a lousy teacher, but I was a good student

Well Charles by now your copper air lines are all installed, right?

I want to mention another alternative to copper (I used copper in my shop, plumbed in the 2 X 6 stud space and 21 air outlets spotted around the shop) that a friend used in his shop. Galvanized rigid conduit. Comes in 10' lengths (most folks aren't able to haul 21' gal pipe anyway), easy to locate (Lowes etc.), takes more abuse for external applications than copper and no solder involved. For the poster that says galvanize flakes, (I'm not sure what happened but then I don't rule out a bad batch/improper galvanizing). SO WHAT. If your hooking up air where contamination can be a problem standard procedure is to use an in-line filter. The most important thing to remember if one uses the rigid conduit for air lines is to use "pipe fittings" not conduit couplers etc. which have straight threads. Teflon tape is what he used for making the joints. Oops, got a few more gasping readers. Use the same argument as for the "flaking galvanize" above and also consider tape is used in gas line preparation without filters where there are very small orifices - not a problem.

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A guy never has to come down out of the clouds if he keeps filling the valleys with peaks. S.Stube