Installing a Shop Air System

The way that air plumbing used to be done in the interest of decent condensate management is to have all your long overhead horizontal runs with rigid pipe (steel or copper) at a slight slope, with a purge line descending at the far end. All your other descending lines (going to tools and outlets) would tee upward off the top of the horizontal runs and do an immediate 180 bend to head downward to the outlets. Whenever I see installations made entirely of flexible tubing, it seems like there are always problems with accumulating liquid where the tubing sags between supports. After the system has been in service for a while, try bypassing/removing the lubricator and just shoot a blowgun into your hand. If it quickly ends up wet, you're probably blowing a lot of collected condensate.

Great video! Having been in the auto repair industry for over 19 years, I can state that we did not have oilers in our air supply system. Per manufacturer specifications, any air tool that needs oil will work fine with two or three drops of oil added each day. This saves the cost and inconvenience of having an oiler in the air supply system. All the air lines remain free of oil. The most important piece in the supply system is the air/water separator. No tool or equipment should be used on a supply line without one of these  devices. And yes, if you intend to paint with a spray gun, you should also have a particulate filter installed on that line. As to air pressure regulators, one must understand that dependent on the air hose i.d., there is pressure loss from the supply side to the device end. Having an air pressure regulator installed close to the compressor can make it difficult to maintain proper pressure for various tools. Most air tools work fine on full system pressure without issue. Our shop air line pressure was about 160 psi. at the compressor and dispersed over a 200’+ length of air line (black pipe). The only air tool that needs pressure regulation is a paint sprayer. This is best achieved by having the pressure regulator on the sprayer so that one can be absolutely certain that the tool is operating at the correct pressure. And to answer another question that was asked, no you cannot prevent moisture buildup in the compressor, tank, or lines with any type of filtration device. Water in the system results from compressing air to a high pressure – Physics 101. It would not be cost effective to “dry” the air entering the system. A system like that would cost far more than the compressor , all of the piping and air tools combined. ¼” i.d. hose should never (at least rarely) be used for any tool applications other than blowing off parts. The pressure drop over the length of the hose is too great. 5/16” hose is generally good up to 50’. 3/8” i.d. hose is the generally recommended hose for most uses. It is generally good for up to a 100’ run. Last, the overall performance of any system is directly related to the maximum pressure that is created at the compressor. The lower this is, the poorer the performance of the system will be.

Love the quick connect system! it makes it so much easier to work with! Great ideas all around!

This is exactly what I was looking for. Thanks, April, for making it look so easy. You did a fine job! I have air filter, regulator, and desiccation filter because I want to sandblast so you have to remove any water from your line so it won’t clump up the media in your nozzle.

I learned so much from your channel --- I am a beginning woodworker and setting up my shop, watching a ton of videos on Youtube and your channel is one of my favorites

For spray painting, I'd suggest purchasing a separate filter only to separate out additional moisture/metal particles. Moisture can kill paint job just like oil will. It works well in my shop. Love the vlog btw...

Watching this kind of channel I'm amazed that no matter how well laid out a creator's shop is nothing ever comes close to Jimbo's Garage in my mind. And his shop is arguably the least fancy. No cleat walls or anything. Something about that shop just feels so simple yet perfect.

This is a great idea, I've been struggling with a good solution to the air hoses in my shop. Thanks for the tutorial April!

Good evening, I had watched this video , I think a year or so ago, thankfully I found it again to show my son who is putting his workshop together and we were discussing what all we need to run air in the shop. Great video... thanks

I've been looking for an easier way to plumb air in my new shop. I have copper from the garage to the basement, but didn't like the idea of having to install copper all over the basement. I ordered this system and LOVE it! Easy to put together, literally flexible too. Thanks for the introduction to it!

I believe April if you install another "T" fitting between the air inlet line and your f-r-l about midways and run an extension down towards the ground and add a 90 degree shut off valve, you have a more convenient and double duty water trap so to speak for any moisture from your air compressor as the moisture doesn't like to travel in a gravity defying upwards motion and most will collect at the shut off at the bottom of the extension. This also work very well for your future addition for the paint sprayer system on the other side and help keep the water out of your paint system. This will help keep your moisture traps more free and clear and cause less problems in case of foreign particles that may come from your air compressor as they will more than likely be heavier and travel down to the drain valve as well as the water. Love your vids and please keep em coming!

Shop tip. You can gain all that wall space back if you get a couple large tall tool boxes, then turn the wall space into a large shelf, for power tool storage, and parking for roll away tools. Cheers from Oregon

thanks for the shout out - well done plumbing it all in - always having air nearby is handy to say the least - looking at your FRL, it is modular - it'll give us something to discuss on the next podcast ;)

This is really helpful, thanks for posting this video. I'm mounting a similar system on concrete walls and it was good to see that the tubing is taught enough to support its own weight without necessitating brackets every couple of feet to keep the tube on the wall

I love the $418.72 step stool. Triton should put that in their commercials. Great stuff April and as usual you're not just blowing (hot) air. Cheers!

Great video. That soft plumbing system looks way faster and easier than soldering copper pipe. A centrally mounted overhead air hose reel, and a power cord/worklight reel are two of the best things you can do for your shop.

For spraying paint you will still need an air filter/dryer and a regulator you don't do much spraying anyhow, as for the lubricator you may not like it because you will get oil mist coming out of your tools and possibly out onto your projects. Oilers are mainly designed for mechanics tools like impact wrenches where they require oil. Brad nailers and staplers like you are using are able to run dry air.  You will find out when you try finish one of your projects with stain or paint and you say WTF why is there spots where the paint didn't stick that would be from the oil.  Barely hear the compressor your floor probably vibrates a little when its running.

I've been watching your workshop develop in so many ways whilst mine has been static. . . Time for a mid-year resolution as soon as I get around to it. . .

Yes, you don't want oil in the lines if you run a sprayer, but you DO want to have a water seperator! The biggest mistake I see most people make in installing an air system is to not test for leaks with a spray bottle and soapy water. While many of your fittings are push lock and should be fine I would check them all. Air leaks kill compressors prematurely, yours is quiet so sound is not an issue but even a tiny leak can shorten the life of a compressor. A Red Sox shirt!!! I'm in love! ; D

Saw the comment about painting. It is correct, but instead of adding a tee in the air inlet, just put a tee in the outlet where the gauge is and use that for painting. You will be able to use the same regulator. (Most painting will require a lower pressure so you will save the cost of another filter/regulator.) Great Videos, Thanks