Complete air system install in garage/shop using Rapid Air system

[DrGonzo]

So for Christmas I landed a nice Rapid Air system. I wanted to get this system as it is the most cost effective system to run air line connectors in my garage/shop. I hated having air lines running all over the place so I needed something more permanent to make things easier on myself.

I originally was going to run black iron pipe but the cost of all of the piping and connectors would have been double the cost of the Rapid Air system. Plus I don't have an electric pipe threader so unless I got all my measurements perfect when I got the pipe at Home Depot to have them cut/thread the pipe, I would have been SOL. Plus running that much black iron pipe is a lot of weight on the walls and it does rust out. Also if I needed to make changes in the configuration it is a nightmare to modify.

So here is my great set-up as it stands now.

So to start, I landed a great deal on a 60 gallon air compressor a month or so ago from Home Depot. The Husky was on sale for about $350 as it was their floor model and being replaced with a newer model. So the price was reduced to move it. So I got them to load it up in the truck and home it came...



I got vibration pads online as you don't want to mount it directly to the floor. Bad things happen when you do that! Drilled out 1/2 holes with a hammer drill and dropped in some concrete anchors. The compressor is not moving now.


Since I need good dry air for what I do I needed to cool the air coming out of the compressor as the compressor heats the air up which creates moisture. So I needed to cool the air off when it leaves the compressor. I didn't want to drop the cash on an air cooler so the second best thing is black iron. The pipes stay cold which will cool the air and condense the water in the pipes. So I built a loop out of black iron with a drop side going to a drain valve. This allows the water to condense in the pipes and I can drain it out.

Here is the first configuration I used for the pipes. I have modified it slightly since the Rapid Air system was installed. I moved the drain valve the far side of the pipes as that seems to be where more moisture is going. the other side of the loop will drain back into the compressor and the auto drain takes care of that. This is before the Rapid Air install.


At the end of the iron pipes is a pressure regulator/filter and another filter element. Since the compressor does not have a regulator I needed to regulate the air in the system to 90 psi. The filter gets any particles or rust that come out of the iron pipes and the last filter captures anything else. I get a drop or two of water in the first filter element and nothing so far in the second one. Better safe than sorry. When I de-pressurize the system both filters open up and drain out. Pressure is the only thing that closes the valves which is nice as I try to drain the system once a day. especially the compressor as it collects a lot of water in the tank itself. The auto drain doesn't get it all out sometimes. Both units were bought at Harbor Freight as I am sort of a HF junky...LOL

So at this point I only had one air connector and I had lines running all over the garage and it was driving me nuts. So along comes the Rapid Air system. The kit includes 100' of tubing good for 150 psi, 1 manifold, 2 outlet kits and all connectors needed for the most part.



Compressed Air System for Shop | Compressed Air Piping for Garage | Home Owner Air Tool Systems

I was't too fond of the manifold. It was kind of odd and didn't make sense to me. I can see a manifold begin used for a multi-user system but for a single user it was pointless. So I ended up using it as a dual outlet block instead. the only thing the kit did not include was brackets to mount the pipes to the wall. I got a package of conduit hangers from Home Depot and they worked just fine.

I first started by installing all of the fittings in the blocks themselves. I planned out the install prior so I knew what fittings needed to go where. I started first mounting an outlet box by my workbench as it was the furthest one away. the block is larger than a standard stud so you can't screw all four spots of the block into the same stud in the wall. So I used Dry wall screws for the side of the box into the stud and hallow wall drywall anchors for the other side. The kind that expand out. This firmly secured the outlet box to the wall and it is not moving. The dual box went on the other side of the shop and the last single outlet box connects directly to the filters mounted to the black iron pipes.

Next came the flex pipe. I started at the far wall and run it up the wall to the ceiling. The flex pipe connects to the blocks using quick connect push fittings so it is super simple. My garage ceiling has a drywall bulkhead enclosing the LVL support for upstairs. So I choose to run the pipe on one side of the bulkhead as it is easy to secure and I know it's wood all the way down and can just use drywall screws to clamp the pipe to the bulkhead. I choose not to use the angle connectors that came with the kit. It is real easy to make radius turns with the flex pipe so I just ran it down the walls instead of using the angle connectors.

The flex pipe runs down the other side of the wall to the manifold. The ended up using the manifold as a double outlet box to feed the blast cabinet and spray booth as they both needed separate lines due to pressure differences. The manifold the runs over with the flex pipe to the last outlet box connector to the main filters/iron pipe. The entire install only took about an hour and after pressurizing the system to 90-100 psi, not a single leak!!

On to the pics:

Outlet by the workbench


Dual manifold/outlet feeding the paint booth and blast cabinet. Each have their own regulators. Blast cabinet runs at 40-60psi and spray booth runs 15 psi for powder coating and up to 40 psi for painting.


Last outlet connecting the Rapid Air system to the main compressor system. This outlet is for the spray gun for the dip tank. that HVLP gun has it's own regulator built into the gun. I had to add a piece of wood behind the outlet box as the black iron pipes sit out further than the box mounts.


Overhead air lines on the LVL bulkhead. also shows how tight I was able to radius the pipe in the corner going down the walls. I have like 20' ceilings in my garage so it was fun getting up there to run the lines...LOL


I still have tons of flex pipe left and some random fittings I didn't end up using. I may run another outlet box on the back wall of the garage but for now I'm covered in all of the main work areas in my shop. I can get an outlet box kit complete with all fittings for about $30.00 and just use what I have left in my kit to get it installed. for now I'm good and very happy about the entire kit and ease of install. Well worth it and if I didn't get it as a Christmas present I would have dropped the $100+ for the kit myself.

[green-lantern]

Nice setup, I've wanted to do something like this.

[CoopKill]

Awesome, let us know what you think of the pipe and fittings onc you've had a chnce to use it at pressure for awhile. What is the max pressure you plan to use?

[DrGonzo]

Max pressure for me would only be about 100 psi for some air tools. Blast cabinet runs at 40-50 psi and paint guns don;t go over 40 psi. The system is rated at 150 psi max so it's well within my working range.

[CoopKill]

Cool, may have to get this for myself!

[Chris@Rvengeperformance]

That's really nice, I'd like to run something smaller, but similar so I'm not always dragging a dirty 50 ft hose around, not great to work on the interior...