Safe use of Air compressors, airtanks, pipeing and hoses.

[Len Petterson]

I am writting this as a warning to all what are useing or installing a compressor in their shops, proffesionaly or in a hobby shop.
Compressed air can KILL, A open hose end will fly around the room damageing a aircraft, injuring pepole etc.
I was a industrial pipefitter for 30 years and I seen and heard off many wrong things pepole do with compressed air.
And I did some myself.
Are the system I am working on shut down and drained?
Is it feed from more than one point?
Is the elecrical power of to the compressor?and locked out?
Yes you are in your shop but what abut you GRANDKIDS what hangs around and watches every move you make, sometime they TOO helpfull!
I had thing come apart under pressure, Pressurized unknown to me, not fun!
If you are not shure: Ask your self is the treads in this joint moving as easy as they should? A pressurizes thread is hard to turn! and may not leak at first!
If you are instaling equipment new or used, what is the operating pressure in PSI and capacity in CFM. Cubic feet per minute.
What type and size of piping do I need?
Many off us are purchasing and instaling a new system for building and restoring aircrafts, so let's do it right, it does not cost any more.
There is a very good booklet from a hydrualic textbook printer.
I have only a old one without cover left so i can not give you the printers name.
See your local hydrualic supplier. (Parker Store or similar)I would be suppriced if they don't have it. TSC in Canada have it. Cost max $2.50CDN is what I paid for them 4 years ago.
I keep giving them away in my trainign classes or to friends what I think need one. What is why I dont have a new one! They are to good.
The booklet handels Air and oil hydrualics. it containes tables with force/pressure calculation, flowrates of pipe and tubings etc . Basic formulas for all fluid power calculations.
If you are doing anything wrong it can injuring you and/or somelse,
so, please treat compresed air with greath care.
Len Petterson

[Ron Coleman]

Re: Safe use of Air compressors, airtanks, pipeing and hoses.

You are not just a kiddi'n Len. Compressed air can be a killer. When I working my way through college I worked at a furniture factory. We made super high quality hand finished hardwood office furniture. In the early days the plant produced propellers for WW1 military aircraft. The plant ran on a steam engine and compressed air. The place was full of floating sawdust and so we hosed off with a compressed air line before lunch and before we left at the end of the day.

One day one of the guys hosed off his hair as we always did but he missed and hit his ear and blew out his ear drum and messed up something else. He never came back to work because he could no longer stand or walk.

Just before I quit that job I was in the line to hose off and a couple of new guys were screwing around with the hose and before anyone could stop them, one guy goosed the other with the hose and gave him a blast and killed him.

Ron C
N96995

[Forrest Barber]

Re: Safe use of Air compressors, airtanks, pipeing and hoses.

Amen to all that! Compressed air is lethal. For the other thread on "testing" a potential bad tank, throw it away if rusted, a pressure relief valve needs to be in the system at all times, drain the tank quite often, thanks for the reminder , I will do that Today in my shop!!
My shop uses black 3/4 pipe all around , I am curious about that water pipe idea, any direct knowledge on that one....
I hope Mike is still alive after testing old tanks.....

[mhorowit]

Re: Safe use of Air compressors, airtanks, pipeing and hoses.

I hope Mike is still alive after testing old tanks.....

I'm OK; too busy with a friend in the hospital to get into trouble - Mike

[AndyDuke]

Re: Safe use of Air compressors, airtanks, pipeing and hoses.

I'm in the process of putting a compressor into my new workshop - thanks for a very timely warning!!

[Forrest Barber]

Re: Safe use of Air compressors, airtanks, pipeing and hoses.

Yes Mike PLEASE stay out of trouble, I have just been too busy to keep a close eye on you. hope all goes well!
bye Forrest, Patty & Kelli-Belle

[N96337]

Re: Safe use of Air compressors, airtanks, pipeing and hoses.

Whatever you do, DO NOT use PVC to plumb your air around the shop..that's another killer... I don't care if it's sched 80 or not... we had one blow in a shop I ran for a while (luckily while nobody was there, during lunch) and it sent shards of PVC through wings, walls, fuselages and alot of other things in the shop.... If anyone had been there, I'm sure it would've been right through them too..
JH

[fearofpavement]

Re: Safe use of Air compressors, airtanks, pipeing and hoses.

OK, regarding PVC air lines. I did some research today on this and discovered that OSHA prohibits it use for that purpose. The exception being in applications where it is enclosed to prevent injury in case of a rupture. I will have to rethink my plans to plumb the new hangar for air with it. Copper is frequently used but with the price of copper being ridiculous now, I may go to rubber hose which I have used in the past. Cheap and easy to run but not a lifetime installation. I have also used iron pipe in the past and have the tools to cut and thread it but it is time consuming, expensive, and rusts.

[Richard Boyer]

Re: Safe use of Air compressors, airtanks, pipeing and hoses.

I have seen pvc used and it does work, but it always gives me the shivers when I see it. Although it can handle up to 800psi (I think that was the number used), that is STATIC. If you use an impact wrench or air hammer the loads increase astronomically. I'm sure UV has a bit of factor on it's longevity too.

I hadn't though about the rust factor on those iron pipes......

[Len Petterson]

Re: Safe use of Air compressors, airtanks, pipeing and hoses.

Do not use Glued PVC pipes for anything but draines and Water lines.
There is plastic Polyethylene tubing, Polyflow (from Parker) you can use with puch-on fittings but you have to go to a industrial supplier. 1/2" should be less than 1$ a foot so it is low cost.Remember it is tubing!
Tubing is mesuard outside diameter. Pipe is measured inside Diameter.
1/2" tubing = 3/8pipe. in flowrate.Yes it is mother inside so a bit better when 3/8 pipe.
And Yes Forrest is right! A pressure wessel has to have pressure relifevalve set for max system operatingpressure. Sytem operating pressure means the part in the system with the lowests operating pressure, it could be what old elbow you had laying under the bench for 25 years!
Thanks for the remimder, Forest.
I been away from work for 4 years, we fast forget things.
Time is flying then you are "flying"= having fun.
Len

[Len Petterson]

Re: Safe use of Air compressors, airtanks, pipeing and hoses.

Father kills and injures sons post humasly with home built log spliter!

True story from eastern Canada!
The father past away and the two brothers travels back home to sells of the estate.
The father has build a hydrualic log spliter with a gas engine, and a interested customer ask for a demonstration.
The logsplitter has a Aircylinder on it (Commonly rated for max 250 psi)
During the demo the cylinder blows apart! the flying parts kills and injurers the sons!
One of the sons was firechief in city lose to Toronto.
A person with a higher technical edjucation one can assume.
A log spliter with a 5 -6 hp gas engine can go to 3000 psi easly!
Len

[Dick Smith]

Re: Safe use of Air hoses.

Quick disconnect fittings should be installed on flexible air hoses in high fire hazard areas; the hoses can be disconnected quickly, preventing whipping actions that might not only cause injury and damage but also stoke a fire.
We've all started a fire by blowing on a few embers...you can imagine the boost a fire can receive from a large supply of high pressure air.

[tcraft]

Re: Safe use of Air compressors, airtanks, pipeing and hoses.

Does anyone know if you can use PEX tubing for compressed air, as in is it rated and certified for this use? I am dreading hanging 3/4 iron pipe in my shop. 175 feet of it, 20 feet off the floor. yikes!

Bob.