New barn build – compressed air question

[JJT]

Just buy another compressor. I have a big/expensive compressor in my attached garage and a cheap $100 harbor freight unit in the shop, 150' away from the house. It's worked well for me for 20+ years. I have an even cheaper small compressor in the basement to run a brad/finish nail gun.

 

[SPYDERLK]

Careful: PEXALPEX will hold shape. Bad if you need to unclamp a connection to change, move, etc. The metal bends every time. A dent will not reform to round thus degrades the pressure capability. Poly will be cheaper, easier, more forgiving, more versatile, and present no metal fatigue issues.

 

[Rustyiron]

Wireless or Bluetooth compressor?
I'd second the idea of a spare (or 3) conduits between the 2 points.
You never know what the future might bring and being able to pull a new line through a previously installed conduit for a repair or a new "need".

 

[Patrick Herd]

The HDPE piping system I use for compressed air at work and home says the product is suitable for underground use. Recommendations are to surround the pipe in sand, and to sleeve the pipe where it goes through foundations. I too am a fan of installing multiple ducts to allow for future changes.

 

[grsthegreat]

How much moisture gets into the air at those distances? The air may be warm while compressor runs, while underground pipe is cold. It depends on equipment running.

I run plasma cutter, have electronic dryer and 2 mechanical dryers inline.

 

[Patrick Herd]

I'd guess a lot will condense in the underground line, a drop leg as it comes into the barn will catch a lot of it. Maybe a big valve for making noise on the 4th of July to remove water that's sitting in the pipe underground.

 

[Jeepnford]

If you haven't seen it already look up RapidAir Maxline. It's some of the pex al pex. A little pricey bit it works well. You'll definitely want a moisture separator where it comes out of the ground.

 

[jigs_n_fixtures]

I may consider this, I have to run water, gas, and electric to the new shop and was thinking of running the gas and electric and conduit anyway. The water needs to be 4 foot down due to frost in my area.

Uponor make an insulated PEX with an integrated heat trace. Depending on where you’re at, and how stable the soils are it makes a lot of sense, because you don’t have to bury it as deep.

Where I’m at the soil is mostly large cobble and rocks, with just enough sand and clay to fill the voids. So, the back slope is 1.25 to 1, meaning a 6-ft trench depth results in a top width of at least 12-ft. So, the insulated PEX with heat trace starts to make a lot of sense, particularly if the city makes you back fill with 3-inch minus.

 

[chim]

Where I worked we had an air line that ran to a dry sprinkler system in an unheated building. The air line was black steel. A few times we received a Low Air Pressure alarm on the sprinkler system because condensate had frozen in the pipe and blocked the air. Since this air was only a makeup for very tiny leaks there wasn't any velocity to flush it out and through an air tool. My concern would be that the cool ground around a buried line would cause condensation. For a pneumatic chisel it probably wouldn't matter much - and perhaps even help eliminate water by blowing it through tools. It could be a problem for any more sensitive equipment.

 

[oldtimer 66]

I wanted to mention that iron or metal piping would cause more condensation versus poly/ plastic piping with your air compressor system Here is a quotation from the internet that explains why "Plastic pipes have lower thermal conductivity than metal pipes, which means they transfer less heat between the fluid and the air." I put an extension air line over to my car lift. I just used air line / hose versus any poly, plastic and or metal piping. No more condensation than normal. Later

 

[gstrom99]

Just buy another compressor. I have a big/expensive compressor in my attached garage and a cheap $100 harbor freight unit in the shop, 150' away from the house. It's worked well for me for 20+ years. I have an even cheaper small compressor in the basement to run a brad/finish nail gun.

+1 Depending on the capacity, if you're putting in 220v, these are good: Husky 60 Gal. 3.7 HP 1-Phase 175 PSI Oil Lubed Belt Drive Stationary Electric Air Compressor C603H - The Home Depot

 

[5030]

Not going to comment except to say, I completely plumbed the machine and fab shop I own in black pipe. Bought it in mill lengths from my steel supplier and I own a Rigid pipe threading machine so I cut and threaded the mill lengths as required and all the main runs are in 1.5" diameter, drops are 1" and all terminate in WOG valves with QD fittings and an additional WOG valve at the bottom of the drops to drain off any condensate. I have 2 compressors, a 10 horse Quincy pressure lubed reciprocating unit and a Sullaire Screw compressor as well as 2 150 gallon receivers and an IR refrigerated dryer on the Quincy's outlet but I still use Motorguard cannister separators on both the CNC plasma table as well as the plasma torch that sits on the TIG welding cabinet and I run a 'Tsunami' auto drain valve on the bottom of the Quincy receiver. The Sullaire screw compressor has it's own built in refrigerated dryer. When you have 2 employees and mostly air operated tools plus the plasma table, air demand is very high. One thing I did was I dialed back the maximum pressure output to 135 psi which is plenty for any air tool and the lower pressure results in less heat generated in the pressurized air thus less condensate generated as well as longer compressor life due to less carbon buildup on the reed valves in the Quincy. The screw compressor don't suffer from carbon buildup as it's design precludes reed valves.

My air system has been in almost daily operation for over 15 years now and no failures ever.

Not a fan and never a fan of anything but black iron air piping, but then I do own the tools necessary to install it.

 

[ultrarunner]

I ran industrial air for the Hospital all in copper pipe in 1995.

The 2 stage 175psi compressor now has a greatly reduced load so I dialed back the setting to 65psi max in 2010.

I did notice the auto tank drain had a lot less condensate during the purge cycles... air still goes through a dryer and the old rooftop Quincy compressor is now just a holding tank for air but also an auto drain...

Talk is eliminating the need for any compressed air so I may end up with a free for the taking speedaire.

 

[TerryKing]

Hi, Vermont USA..

1 Hp compressor in home basement. 3/4" black Poly to barn 100 ft. Surge tank added to use 3/4 Impact socket. 20 years works well. Compressor in outdoor temps in Vermont is trouble.

 

[Renze]

As some said above, plastic is not your ideal option.

Most trucks and trailers use it for decades. Sometimes even directly to the brake boosters, instead of plastic to a fixed point and then rubber to the moving brake boosters.

In industrial pneumatics plastic is the norm too.

 

[bigtiller]

Hi, Vermont USA..

1 Hp compressor in home basement. 3/4" black Poly to barn 100 ft. Surge tank added to use 3/4 Impact socket. 20 years works well. Compressor in outdoor temps in Vermont is trouble.

Wow, how big is that surge tank?

 

[TerryKing]

Wow, how big is that surge tank?

I think about 10 gallons... Can't run 3/4 Impact for more than about 10 seconds.. BUT only used to break things free like rotary cutter blade nut..

 

[stucknutz]

I currently have 60' in-between my 2 buildings and when I ran my airline I used Airnet pipe. AIRnet Piping system AIRnet

That was 10 years ago and no problems yet!

 

[threepiece]

I ran an underground steel pipe to a remote building 30 feet away. I pitched the pipe down hill to the building being fed. I also added a small reservoir and drain valve to each vertical end to trap and drain water. It worked reasonably well for several years until the pipe cracked from a combination of bending stress and ice.

 

[MoArk Willy]

If you are filling a tank in the new workshop the you probably won't have a problem unless you are consuming a lot of air.
The biggest issue I can think of is moisture accumulated along that line.
You will need a trap at the workshop before the tank with a valve to purge the line.
And you will probably have to to that often.
As long as you are able to keep the moisture out of the tank from the line you should be fine.
And a buried line, unless you go very deep will be subject to temperature changes that will contribute to condensation.
Drain it daily and keep an eye on your new tank moisture.
You can get an auto-bleed device that can be set up on a timer.
Every build pipe will accumulate moisture...guaranteed.
If you plan on spray painting...you may actually need a drier.