I'm getting ready to put a compressor in my garage. I know a lot of you guys have done this before, and you probably have some advice about what to do (and what not to do!)...

I've picked out (but not yet bought) a 6hp, 22 gallon vertical unit, 110v. I think I want to install it in the attic of the garage, to save floor space. That means I'll have to do some plumbing to get the moisture drain down into the garage for easy access. The 110v power supply is easy to achieve up there. Of course, that means zero portability - the unit has wheels which I'll just take off when I bolt the thing down. Think I'll I regret not having a portable compressor?

I know I want to set up air supply pipe around the garage, but I don't have any idea what will be the most practical. First, does air pipe have to be iron? Or can I use schedule-40 PVC? Half-inch or 3/4"? Should I just run the pipe to the center of the garage ceiling, and then hang an air hose reel with, say, 20 feet of hose? Or should I have pipe going to different corners of the garage, with quick-disconnect fittings and no hose reel?

Any thoughts welcome, and thanks in advance! :flag

 

Gator81,

I just got a Sears 6HP, 30 gal compressor on sale with some free tools - all for about $320. I got the vertical model to take up less floor space in the garage. I can tell you that you want to be sure that you get a dedicated 110v circuit to your compressor. Mine draws 15 amps and my garage circuit serves half the house! I have to kill lights, etc. when I want to fire it up.

I am going to repaint my car this spring - what are you up to with that new compressor?

 

My air comp is in the room next to my garage. I just ran a 50 foot length of air hose from it, routed the hose through the sheetrock walls and it ends up at the end of my bench with a quick disconnect. Then I have the reg and water separator. Very simple setup and I can always pull the hose out if I need to.
Pete

 

DO NOT USE PLASTIC PIPE!!!! Yes I know it willl work but it is too fragile for compressed air use. You can use copper pipe but it is still fragile. The best pipe to use is iron pipe run a 1" main line if possible and reduce down to 1/2 or3/4" when you branch off to go to a point of use or quick disconnect.

 

Hey, Wardog and the rest of you guys, thanks for the replies.

The dedicated circuit note is a good one - hadn't thought about that. I do have an empty circuit breaker hole in the box, so I can add a dedicated line out to the garage if I need to. I have no idea what the amperage draw is on that compressor. Guess I'll have to find that out!

Fortunately, of all the work my Vette needs, paint isn't on the list. But I'm doing a complete remodel/refinish of the house, so I have a lot of wood trim and doors to finish... the base, shoe, and door casing trim added together is over a mile! :eek: And I also need to repaint the hulls on my Hobie Cat this spring, after I re-glass the bottoms.

I saw that deal at Sears on the compressors. $279 for the 6hp/33gal unit, right? Looked pretty good... but then I found this DeVilBiss 6hp/22gal unit at Lowes for $199... so unless I change my mind, that's where I'm headed.

Wardog, are you using air pipe, or hose?


[Modified by Gator81, 10:59 AM 1/2/2003]

 

You know those big red (60 gal.) jobbies that you see in the Home Depot exit doorways? I like mine. It is 220 VAC and I like the large storage volume. I used 3/4" copper; the best way to install your "drops" is to go UP then turn around and come down. That way the air isn't taken off the very bottom of the line. You'll want metal (black iron is best, but harder to work with) so that maximum condensation occurs in the piping and not in your tools.

 

i swear one of these days i'm going to post my business card in my signature! i own an air compressor company so i have a little bit of background on this.
first, if the compressor your thinking about buying is a oil-less, run screaming out the door. do NOT buy oil less. they are throw away items, something i hardly think your going to want to do with a compressor you intend to mount in your attic.
second, about mounting it in the attic, i see a couple things that concern me about that. 1) attics are generally filled with some type of fiberglass based insulation. if yours is, you will need to stay on top of maintenance or we go back to the throw-away part. a couple real easy things you could do is just change the air filter after every 2-3 times you use your compressor or you could relocate the air filter to be down inside the garage. if the model your looking at has a spin-on style filter housing (generally a round filter about 3-4" diameter with a 3/4" or 1" NPT fitting that goes into the head) you can pipe it down to your garage, PVC would be ok for this. if it's one of those weird set ups where it just has the piece of cut foam for a filter and a unique filter housing, then your back to the check/change frequently part, especially if it is the foam type. fiberglass is a great filter media, but it does nasty things if it gets inside something.
as for mounting it in the attic, i'd suggest bolting it to a piece of 3/4-1" plywood and bolting that down to the rafters. you need some amount of vibration absorbtion.
now for the piping, as said above, absolutely do not use PVC! some people will tell you that it's perfectly safe to use but that is BS. i have documentation from dow chemical about what happens when this stuff explodes. there is no reason you can't use copper. i warranty my copper systems for 1 year to be free of leaks when i work with copper. just make sure that you use the right copper. there are two types: type L and type M. you want the thick wall stuff and i don't remember which that is. most home depot/lowes carry the thin wall though, so if you do copper you may need to go to a true plumbing supply store to get it.
you can also use iron, but if you know how to sweat copper why bother? i will only warranty an iron system for 90 days, too many joints and crap to seal. if you do use iron, i suggest using black iron. both black and galvanized rust but galvanized flakes off once it starts rusting. in the long run, it doesn't really make that much difference but galvanized tends to cost more.
make sure you plumb a drain tube off your tank down with easy access to the garage. also, when you run your system in the garage, bring a leg down and 't' off it and go sideways where you want but extend the rest of that down leg another 1-2' and put a valve on it for drainage.
i'd also recommend that you install a regulator prior to any point of use and preferably at the tank. set it up for 110psi max. most air tools are designed to run on about 90psi, 100-110psi is safe. anything more just accelerates wear.
a separate circuit with its own breaker is ideal.
you can e-mail or IM me if you have any other questions about this stuff.

 

Use schedual 80 pvc 3/4 inch pipe. It can withstand more than twice the pressure that any air compressor puts out. Down at my body shop we ran pipe around all the walls with quick disconnect fittings every 15 feet or so

 

Thanks for the info! Yet another example: No matter the subject, there will be one or more credible expert(s) on this forum somewhere! :cool:

What about valves? You can't just use regular water-type valves, can you? I like ball valves for their simple 90-degree on/off operation. Are there ball valves that are rated/recommended for air with a regular working pressure of 110 psi?

How often do you have to change the oil in an oil-lubed compressor, anyway? That may have some bearing (no pun intended! :lol: ) on the decision to locate the compressor in the attic. And I will have to consider the issue of vibration - if all my tools fall off the wall when the compressor starts up, I'll be :cuss . By the way, the garage attic isn't insulated, so fiberglass isn't an issue, but I still like the idea of a remote air filter down below in the garage for easy access. Besides, I may decide to insulate it one-a-these days...

Any opinions on the DeVilBiss brand of compressor? Obviously, I'm not going for heavy-duty use here, but I don't want to make a stupid choice on the compressor just to save $75. I don't recall if it's oil-less or not, so I'll have to find that out.

Thanks again, to all who responded. :flag

 

I used copper pipe (the cheap thin wall stuff) when i put in my compressor 18 years ago. I plumbed several outlets in my garage, and since I didn't have the sheetrock up yet in my basement, I plumbed it to a couple of places in my house, and one more out the back of my house. That way, I have air available whenever and wherever I need it. Put a valve at the point it leaves the garage if you decide to plumb your house. I also put a water separator right at the beginning of the pipe. I use a short length of regular air line to go from the compressor to the copper pipe.

 

3/4 inch 90 degree ball valves and teflon tape. I think that I bought them at Home Depot.

I just bought a bunch of springy type hoses and in the areas where it's all tools I installed some inline oil misters.

At home I have a 6 hp 25 gallon cast iron. I don't really use it that often, but I've never had to add oil since the day I got it 3-4 years ago.

The attic idea sounds good to me. Because you won't have as much noise when it kicks on. I thought about buying a vertical and building an outhouse size building outside of my garage.

 

No advice on instalation but i rebuilt a friends last night because he ran it out of oil . rod bearing scored but no damage to crank .30 bucks to fix.no biggie but i think he owes me dinner .Outback sounds good to me .just remember to check oil periodicly .

 

I would go first with a 60 gallon tank and secondly 220 volts. You can not get 6 horse from 110 volts. Sure it is rated at that but it is just equivalent to. They run the heck out of the compressor to get equivalent ratings. Go with a larger more powerful unit. I have a full basement in my shop and installed my compressor there and plumped it with 1/2 inch copper, normal soldered joints. Never had a problem. My son installed a 5 horse, 60 gallon in his attic, copper pipe and seems to work fine up there.
Go as big as you can in compressors and some day you will still wish you could go bigger.
Air tools really suck the cfm. My 7 horse puts out 18.5 cfm and I still wish for more.

 

Quote: "Any opinions on the DeVilBiss brand of compressor? Obviously, I'm not going for heavy-duty use here, but I don't want to make a stupid choice on the compressor just to save $75. I don't recall if it's oil-less or not, so I'll have to find that out."

Yeh, like others have said, go for a crankcase cast iron sleeve model air compressor, if you want to get the best type, which will last and also run quietly. No way you can get such a unit for the $199 figure you've talked about, so I'm sure you'll find that this unit at Home Depot, is an 'oil-less' unit.

 

OK, I"m was a general contractor....and I can tell you a couple of things....

number ONE....you do NOT want to put that compressor in any garage attic...or attic anywhere of any type....overheating in summer, dirt, dust, insulation as mentioned...and of course...IF the ceiling is hung with sheetrock as is typical....VIBRATION....you want to wear that ceiling some day...put that vibrating compressor in the wood attic one time....within 6 months..you will....
and no amount of shock mounts will cure it...period....only maybe delay it a bit..... it should sit on a concrete floor....better cooling and the sound will not transmitt throughout the entire structure...vibrations will drop sheetrock very fast...especially in a garage, where moisture get in, ans soaks the rock, making it soft.....even in AZ/NMexico I would not trust it....

second off, as stated before wire the damn thing for 220 volts...otherwise you will be unhappy...trust us on that.....

third off.....I keep things simple...and run from the compressor main output just a snap fitting...typical of style I use...and run 3/8 hose as necessary straight out to the garage in central location....put a large bicycle hook on the wall up high and coil hose up around it to the floor in a few LARGE loops as possible...less kinking...easy to coil up as it nearly 14 feet per loop, and makes it simple....you know...KISS principal....

I have had hard plumbed compressors much bigger than what we have/planned and tell you what....unless sandblasting....they are NOT necessary....

I also HATE oil less compressors...then damn things set off a frequency that I can't stand...I can take a belt driven traditional compressor...unpleasant...but that damn oil less thing my buddy has is going to meet my 12 ga shotgun one day...and the results will be me flopping 350 bux down on the bench on the way out the door....while he stands there agape.....

GENE

 

I have a 2hp 8gal unit...............the first time I plumbed the garage I used iron....mistake. Over time I got pinhole leaks at the threads...pain to deal with. The best is to use copper; solder it up. Everything is dry, so soldering is no issue. The fittings are readily available. Only took a few hours; no leaks. Get a short coupling hose from the compressor to the system. I also put guages and shutoffs at every outlet. :smash: :smash: :smash:

 

I guess it just depends on how much time and effort you want to sink into this. I decided long ago that I would only be running one air tool at a time so running an air main around my 2 car garage was over kill.
I can sweat copper pipe. I can cut black pipe. I can glue plastic pipe. I can mig weld or gas weld. But for one air outlet all this seems a bit much (for me).
mrvette is correct about mounting. I put mine on a nice cool concrete floor and have never had a problem. 220V is the only way to go, in my opinion.
I have a small sandblaster and I have to wait for the air comp to catchup after a steady blast of 10 minutes. I am ok with this, heck I only use the sandblaster once in a blue moon anyway. Most of the time I use the impact hammer or sander or grinder and these run flat out and the comp can keep up, no problem.
I have a 20 year old Campbell Hausfeld (spelling), I change the oil every year and drain the water from the tank 2 maybe 3 times a year and this thing just keeps on running..

 

gkull, first, the PVC is just a safety issue. the pressure isn't what gets the stuff, it's the oil. ALL air compressors pass oil into the system at some point. these oils have a tendancy to strip the natural oils out of the PVC. this is what makes it brittle. then the pressure gets it. i'm not saying you can't do it or that it won't last a lifetime for the average weekend garage rat. keep in mind, my customers tend to use air 8+ hours a day all week long. i won't work on a PVC system for liability reasons. my $.02.

norval, the trick to that 6hp rating is they don't rate the compressor at the motor pulley but at the compressor pulley. next time you go to a home depot or lowes take a look at two comparable horsepower compressors but 110 on one and 220 on the other. note the drive pulley.

as far as putting the compressor in the attic, i don't have a problem with that. of course i'm not a G/C either. i have lots of customers that have air compressors mounted up stairs but i deal almost exclusively with businesses and these buildings are built to different specs.

yes, a standard plumbing ball valve will work.

gene, what do you mean you don't like the sound of an oil free unit? you don't like the sound of a chainsaw in a blender being dragged across a steel grate by a truck with flat tires? i don't get it.

 

I have never heard of a 5 hp or 6 hp motor that is capable of running on 110 volts. 1 hp = 13 amps @ 110 volts, you can do the math. As far as valves: as long as the are rated "WOG" (water, oil, gas) and 150 pounds or better you won't have any problem the "WOG" rating will be cast on the side of any valves you purchase. Full port ball valves are usually the valve of choice for most applications. If you are doing this piping in copper use type L or type K DO NOT USE TYPE M it is not rated for pressure. :cheers:

 

Clutch, my buddy across the river here has a red vertical tank thing with a black Darth Vader looking unit on top...I THINK it's a Craftsman/Sears.....

at any rate...being a welder, he plumbed his in with copper....and has NO troubles....for 7 years now...or more....NOW when his compressor kicks off...sitting in a sheetrocked corner on concrete...that damn thing sounds LOUD with a frequency that goes right through my skull....I don't think it's just his compressor as I have heard a few others also...terribly annoying, right in the voice frequencies...can't talk at all,....NEED EARPLUGS.....
about as loud as a hand air chisel....like my CP711 hammer....

now the belt driven oil sump traditionals have a more 'mellow' sound that don't drive me so crazy......frankly other guys have noticed the differance too. so I know I"m NOT alone.....

I think the SPL is a LOT higher in those oilless reed compressors...than a traditonal unit....but I never actually measured one....

GENE