home garage compressor: how many CFMs?

[james accordino]

If you've already used iron pipe, that's fine, but
copper is actually the standard for commerical and
industrial shop compressed air.  The brothers just got
done running about a thousand feet of copper
distribution pipes at Tiffanys Customer Satisfaction
Center in Parsippany, NJ.  Air supplied by 2 IR
watercooled V-twin compressors at 175 psi.  I used to
also think copper wasn't up to the task.  They told me
that "N" pipe? (green coding) can do 250 psi.

Jim Accordino
ps-fwiw, they also do all their high and low side ac
plumbing with copper and silver solder.

--- cobram at juno.com wrote:
> Huw Powell <audi at humanspeakers.com> writes:
>
> As long as we're rambling, I'll chime in.
>
> > Speaking as someone who has had on more than a few
> occasions opened
> > up copper house plumbing and played with (and
> someone who has seen
> > copper building roofs...) copper *does* corrode.
> In fact, that house
> > copper piping can have a pretty thick layer of
> oodge inside it.
>
> Copper corrodes, but that very corrosion is what
> protects the uncorroded
> copper.  The thin patina that copper develops keeps
> the oxygen and other
> elements from eating the rest of it.  IF you find
> "oodge" inside an
> active water supply copper pipe, you'd find that
> same "oodge" inside any
> type of pipe used at the same location, that stuff
> isn't from the copper.
>  Get your water tested.  I've removed copper and
> brass plumbing that had
> been in service for 50-100 years, no "oodge".
>
> > There is another potential disadvantage to copper,
> if it is
> > solderer together, one we bring up to John next
> door at Carworks about
> once
> > a year or so.  In case of a fire, the solder could
> melt, and then
> > what heppens?  Your compressed air does a great
> job of fanning the
> > flames, and keeps going as long as the electricity
> (or belt...) holds
> out.
>
> If it gets hot enough to melt the solder joints,
> fanning the flames is
> the least of your worries.  Not much air would
> escape, as the solder
> joint would develop a small leak,  the compressed
> air being released
> would cool the solder and copper at the leak point.
> I would hope that
> John at Carworks doesn't leave his compressor on
> when he leaves the shop.
>  I don't know any shop that leaves the compressor on
> after closing.
>
> > I used a bunch of 3/4" black pipe, not terribly
> expensive and
> > fairly easy to work with (except if you need to
> add threads at home -
> but
> > Home Depot does it for free...).  Anywhere I ran
> the pipe outside, I
> > switched to galvanized pipe and fittings.
>
> Lots harder to work with or modify.  Watch the pitch
> too, loose support
> etc. could make a low spot for water to accumulate
> and freeze.
>
> Either material is just fine for compressed air, the
> added work and
> lessened flexibility of steel are definite
> disadvantages, with no
> advantage over copper in this application.
>
> If, as some have suggested (and I use), you go with
> the flexible hose,
> disconnect or shut it off at the compressor when
> you're not using it.
> Should it get cut, or have a catastrophic failure,
> it will whip around
> pretty good.  Compressor can put out some serious
> heat if it runs for
> hours due to a leak,  keep combustibles at a
> reasonable distance.
>
>
>
> BCNU,
> http://www.geocities.com/cobramsri/
>
>
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