Keep in mind that if you use copper pipe for your air lines, you have to know how to sweat and solder joints to connect lengths of pipe. It’s possible to use steel or aluminum pipe for air lines, but these are harder to work with because you have to thread them to connect them. They are also less practical than copper because they can rust if moisture gets inside them.
Flexible tubing is more forgiving if you decide you want to change the layout of your air lines down the road. Rubber tubing is also easier to connect than copper pipe if you don’t know how to sweat copper joints.
PEX and PVC tubing are both types of plastic tubing that are meant for running water lines.
CFM stands for cubic feet per minute. It indicates how much air the compressor can move in a minute. Simply Google “air compressor pipe size table” and click on images to see a bunch of tables you can use to find the right pipe size. For example, if your air compressor has a CFM of 80 and you’re running 50 ft (15 m) total of air lines, you would need 1. 25 in (3. 2 cm) pipe for the lines. Using the right size of pipe reduces the PSI drop, or drop in air pressure, from the air compressor to the point of use.
It’s also a plus if the space is vented to the outside air for even better circulation. Consider the location of your air lines and the layout of your shop as well. Don’t put the air compressor somewhere in the way or where it’s hard to connect to the air lines.
If you choose to do this, make sure the compressor is still easy to access. Also, consider whether its location means you have to add a lot of length to your air lines.
If you’re sweating and soldering copper pipes as you run them, use stand-off brackets for the plumbing cramps to keep the pipes about 4 in (10 cm) off the wall and give yourself room to work.
For example, if you tend to use compressed air nail guns in one part of your shop, that would be a good place for one air connection station. If you use a paint gun in another part of the shop, that would be another good area. You can always add to your air lines later on, so don’t worry too much about adding a ton of hose connection stations right now. A quick-connect air hose connector is a small metal box with an air valve built into it that you just press an air hose into to connect a tool to the air lines. You just screw the box to the wall wherever you want to be able to quickly connect a tool to the air lines in your shop.
Make sure you also put a shut-off valve above the main air hose connection that your compressor connects to. Shut-off valves are just rectangular levers that you turn 90 degrees to open or close the line.
For example, if you have 3 hose connection stations along 1 long wall, run 1 main air line along the top of the wall. Put a T-connector in the line above each connection station and run a length of pipe or tubing down from each T-connector to each connection station. Or, if you just have 1 hose connection station on a wall, run the main air line along the top of the wall to just above that station and put an elbow on the end of it, facing down. Run another length of air line from the elbow down to the hose connection station. For copper pipe, use copper T-connectors and elbows. For flexible rubber tubing, use air hose push fittings.
This also makes it quick and easy to disconnect the air compressor and drain the moisture from it. Install a pass-through filter between the end of the hose and the beginning of the air line to trap water and contaminants and keep them out of your pipes or tubing.
