running a compressed air line to a detached garage

[dale rex]

just bought a pre fab 14 x 28 garage and want to run a compressed air line from my 60 gal compressor in the basement. The line will run through the basement then underground out to the garage. My main concern is condensation in the underground portion and how to properly deal with it. My plan is to run Rapid Air nylon air hose through a PVC conduit to help protect it and give me access to it in case of failure in the future. I could then pull it out easily and route a replacement hose if needed. Anyone have any experience doing something like this? How did you deal with the condensation in the underground line? I plan on sloping the underground portion towards the garage( in the direction of airflow), but am not sure how to drain amy condensation at that point before it travels vertical into the garage.

[Jeff Nicol]

Dale, Depending on how deep you are going to bury it (At least 18-24" but deeper is better, I would either get some foam insulation to keep the cold to a minimum so it won't freeze up. Pitching it back to the compressor side is a good thing and when you get to the garage put in an elbow to a tee with drip leg down from thr tee with a valve you can open to let out any codensate that makes it out to the garage. I also would put in a dryer/moisture separator before the line heads out to the garage to keep as little moisture from going into the line, and the air will be warm from being in the house so that will help too.

Good luck,

Jeff

[Bruce Wrenn]

You pitch DOWN, going away from compressor. If you don't every time you use air, you blow moisture back up the line. Stop air use, and moisture drains back towards compressor, to only be blow back with next air usage.

[Stephen Cherry]

condensation is your friend. A small tank with coalescing filter, regulator and drain should do the trick. I would maximize heat transfer to the ground to encourage condensation,

[ray hampton]

I would slope the line downhill from your basement to your garage into a what some people call a dry well that is big enough for you to work in to drain the line,bring the line about a foot above the floor of the hole and installed a tee and valve to drain the water OR INSTALLED A VALVE WITH A LONG HANDLE SO THE VALVE CAN BE UNDERGROUND

[Bill Davis]

Manufacturers sites frequently have lots of good info. Here is an example. http://www.sharpe1.com/sharpe/sharpe.nsf/Page/Air+Piping+Layout
Though it doesn't deal directly with your question you may find some good ideas.

[dale rex]

thinking about possibly using a sump basin(18" x 24")in the ground to house some sort of drain valve at the low end right before it travels vertical into the garage. Then after entering the garage a general purpose filter/regulator. Not sure if I really need a coalescing filter or not.

[Stephen Cherry]

thinking about possibly using a sump basin(18" x 24")in the ground to house some sort of drain valve at the low end right before it travels vertical into the garage. Then after entering the garage a general purpose filter/regulator. Not sure if I really need a coalescing filter or not.


If you are not painting, you don't need a coalescing filter. You would want to consider a tank with the drain valve. The tank allows the air speed to slow down so the water can fall out.

[Ed Hazel]

The two things that come to my mind are, possibly freezing and loss/reduced air pressure from the cold.

I had considered doing the same thing and ended up just putting the compressor in the shop my shop is about 100 feet away.
I don't have to remember to turn on the air before I go out to the shop and remember to turn it off when I come in. Also I know when it is running and operating properly out of site out of mind. I ended up purchasing a small portable compressor to keep in the front garage for working on cars ect. If I need more air I run a line from my shop.

[Jerome Stanek]

I would put a storage tank in the shop to help keep constant pressure out there.

[Callan Campbell]

About 21 years ago I dug a shallow trench from my house to my garage. Laid 1/2" iron pipe , added regulator and filter to the line inside the garage. The garage only gets warm in winter from my feeble Propane Torpedo heater. I had a single stage compressor with a 60 gallon tank, and now have a 2 stage commercial unit with an 80 gallon tank. No problems with water freezing or condensation either way all these years.

[dale rex]

Im just wondering if the air pressure in the line going underground isnt enough to force any traces of condensation up and out of the vertical line in the garage itself? Maybe a drain valve underground is overkill? If I would simply run the line in the trench around 20-24" deep inside PVC conduit then elbow vertical into the garage right into a filter/regulator then off to where ever else Im going to put outlets in there. The filter/regulator will have a blow/drain valve on the bottom that I can blow off every time I use air out there. Not going to use the air for paniting at all, simply for filling stuff and blow gun use, and possibly a nail gun at times.

[ray hampton]

that is easy to check out if you wish to, fill a air hose with water and hang one end of the hose with the hose end in a bucket that will catch the water from your hose from your ceiling, plug the other end into the compressor ,WILL WATER FLOW UPHILL ?