Air compressor Installation Ideas/Help

[Mike Deschler]

Well, it only took 4 business days to receive my new IR 2 stage 60gal air compressor. The delivery driver backed right up to the shop and off she went right into my warm shop in a manner of 10 minutes. Now comes the hard questions for you guys who have gone through this before.

Since the compressor is going to be in the corner of my shop and knowing how much noise they make while running and since I can't enclose the unit, I need to minimize as much as possible its noise making capabilities. At best I plan on mounting the compressor on hockey pucks which will be placed over 2x6's bolted to my concrete floor. Has anyone tried this and is it effective or is there a better solution?

The distribution system is planned to be 1/2" cast iron black pipe with a main filter and secondary filters at the critical outlets along with their associated regulators.

The one thing I really need advice on is the automatic drain valve for dumping tank condensation. Which device do I use and how do they work? Where does one get them from? It seems like they appear to be a solenoid operated valve operated with a timer. Is the timer active all the time or only when the compressor is running? Do you install a drain line for the valve or just dump the moisture on the floor? Do you get that much moisture to make this feature worth the cost or do you just manually drain the tank when you think of it? From what I have seen so far, these valves appear to be rather expensive hence the questions about them.

Any ideas or comment would be appreciated.

[Ken Whitaker]

The soleniod tpye drain valves are pricy and tend to leak after they get some age on them. I use a stainless steel ball valve piped out for easy reach on all my compressors. If you do want the soleniod type you can get them from Grainger or McMaster-Carr. Unless you use your compressor a lot or there is high humidity in your shop there will not be a lot that comes out of the drain, however what does will be dirty so you may want to pipe it out for that reason. Make sure to have a flexible hose (I use a one inch hydraulic hose) between your compressor and the pipe system, that will help with noise.

[Bruce Page]

Mike, why not go with copper instead of the black pipe? I plumbed my shop with ½” “L” grade pipe. Copper doesn’t rust, it’s a lot lighter, looks better (IMHO) and it is cheaper to boot. I installed two runs of about 15’each with several twists & turns and 3 coil hose connections and it only cost me about $33 and 2 - 3 hours to install.
I bought my IR automatic drain valve off a guy on EBay for about $50 plus shipping. It was brand new and still in the original shrink wrap packaging. I couldn’t come up with a clean way to wire it into the compressor and have it cycle only when the compressor was on, so I just hooked up a lighted switch and turn the ADV on whenever I’m using air. I set it to cycle for 15sec every 45 min. I bought a 5gal kerosene can and ran the tygon drain tube to it. Sometimes there is quite a bit of moisture draining but I have never needed to dump the 5gal can.

I’m a big fan of the ADV. It’s well & good to say that you’ll drain your compressor each week but I wasn’t very good about it. With the ADV, you flip a switch and your done.

[John Haberle]

Mike,
I installed mine with copper pipe, I also put hard rubber (1/2") thick pads under the legs...that really seemed to help with the floor vibration and noise.

[Matt Meiser]

I think I've seen isolation mountis in the Grainger catalog. I didn't mount my compressor, which is probably considered unsafe, but it doesn't seem unstable to me. I cut eight pieces of anti-fatigue mat about the size of the feet and put two layers under each foot. This made the compressor considerably quieter.

I bought an automatic drain kit from Harbor Freight that I've been happy with. It splices into the unloader line and drains moisture whenever the compressor stops. I replaced their nylon line with copper tubing and fittings from the hardware store and it works great with no leaks. I think the total cost was in the $15 neigbhorhood

[Chris Parks]

The best thing I did was pull the original dump valve out and screw a pipe bend into the tank then added a piece of pipe to that with the valve attached. The whole thing is about 8 inches long. This allows the water condensate to gather in the pipe and not the tank which I thought would save the tank. It also has another advantage in that I do not have to crawl under the tank to drain it.

[tod evans]

years ago i was instructed to never bolt a compressor to the floor because it would stress the tank welds, so i don`t. i do trap the legs with 2x shot to the concrete though. i isolated the piping in my shop with short lengths of 3/4 rubber airline so any vibration from the pumps wouldn`t be transferd to the shop framing. i recomend the time tested black pipe for air just because "that`s how it`s done". my tank drains are controlled manually via a simple light switch hooked to redhead brand stainless solenoids(25$). draining your tank will not keep moisture out of your air you must install some sort of separator/drier or your tools will be short lived. the ideal setup is a refridgerated drier before your plumbing but who can afford those? not i! what i did was run floor to ceiling "loops" of black pipe with float activated drains at the bottom of each loop, then at each tap i installed simple bowl separators. where i draw my air for painting i also installed a "toilet-paper" separator made by motorguard. good luck on the install. tod

[Bob Nazro]

When I first installed my air compressor I used the hocky pucks and it rattled just as much. The rubber was too hard. I have a horse farm and we use stall matts. 3/4" rubber. I took some cut offs and placed them under the feet and it's been perfect ever since. Grainger sells insulator pads as well. Do install a section of hose between the compressor and the main piping. My system is coper pipe with compression fittings. It was scrap from a big rip-out job so the price was right. I do like the copper over the black iron. You should also use a dedicated breaker for the compressor. Check and see if you can run the motor on 220 vac. Startup on compressors is the worst and will dim lights and anything else. The 220 helps eliminate a lot of this. As some of the other fellas have said extens the drain line out and put a ball valve on. I have some vinal tuving on the outlet to help control the water. The auto units are great if you constantly run the machine, but it's one more thing to maintain and wonder if it's working. I drain my system every Monday and get a little bit out of the tank and open the low point drains in the system as well. I also have oilers and dryers at each station. This keeps me from oiling the tools and really helps with drying out the air. My compressor is in a shed outside the shop, but it still makes me jump when it kicks in and I'm near by. Good luck.

[Rick Lizek]

When you do your drops, point the T upward then run the pipe back down. I rarely see this mentioned on running air lines!!! Pitch the main pipe to drain back to the tank. Can't count the amount of times I've had to redo systems because no one thought to ask a professional how to properly set up a system. I'd contact a local company to get their input or conact IR. They used to have a pamphlet on how to run the pipes. It's not like running plumbing in a house. I see more home shop guys fussing over auto drains than commercial shops. Just drain the water every day for now.

[Bob Wilkerson]

FWIW here is the way my system is setup:

5hp 80 vertical tank, 220v wired via flexible conduit with disconnect on wall

Manual valve on bottom - I'm going to change to an automatic valve as I don't check it often enough....

Type L soldered copper thru shop - We used this method at work

Flexible line from compressor to wall - I had 1/2" ID hydraulic lines made up at NAPA. I used the fittings that swivel to allow ease of removal. Less than $30. This runs to a water seperator/pressure regulator mounted on the wall. After this I have a T that has a down leg to allow me to bleed the pressure if I need to work on the system followed by another section of hydraulic line.

Tank sits on simple 3"x3" coasters (rubber pad for furniture) and is not bolted down. Vibration has not been a problem nor does it walk.

Added Tees with drains every time I changed from sloping horizontal to vertical.

Bob

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[Mike Deschler]

[quote=Bruce Page]Mike, why not go with copper instead of the black pipe? I plumbed my shop with ½” “L” grade pipe. Copper doesn’t rust, it’s a lot lighter, looks better (IMHO) and it is cheaper to boot. I installed two runs of about 15’each with several twists & turns and 3 coil hose connections and it only cost me about $33 and 2 - 3 hours to install.

Bruce:

Thank you my friend, I was absolutely brain dead when I wrote the post. Yes, copper is what it will be.

[Tyler Howell]

3/4" copper pipe. I left my IR on the pallet it came on. Easier to move Some noise isolation and a secure footing. Easy access to the drain (also remoted for access) I did put a metal band around it for security but that thing ain't going no where.

[Michael Gabbay]

Well compared to the rest of the gang here, I have a whimpy 15 gallon PC compressor. I would/will move to copper pipe. The iron pipe is actually harder to install IMHO. I added a street Ell and a ball valve to drain the tank. Under $8.00 at HD and it works great.

For the filters and such, Andy Charron's book on spraying has a great diagram for drains and filter placement.

Mike

[Barry O'Mahony]

IMHO a vertical tank must be (loosely) bolted to the floor to prevent tipover accidents. Mine came with rubber/steel isolapads; the suggestion to use horse stall mat material is a good one.

Using T's, risers and drains is very useful for managing mositure in the lines. See http://www.tptools.com/statictext/airline-piping-diagram.pdf While that link recommends not using copper, the thick grade stuff is widely used; use lead-free solder for the joints (it's stronger), and even with 3/4" pipe the joints will be pleanty strong.

[Ken Garlock]

When I installed my 5hp, 40 gal., IR, I put it in the garage. It is a really noisy puppy. I used 1/2" L copper throughout. I bought some #400 rated vibration isolation mounts from McMaster & Carr. The thrust of the compressor starting causes the entire unit to rock a little, but no big deal. I also got a 2 ft. length of teflon and stainless steel flexible pipe to run from the compressor tank to the copper line.

I think you will be sorry that you mounted it in the shop unless you put it in a sound proof closet. Did I mention that they are noisy? :eek:

I think Jim Becker has a good sound proofing setup for his IR. Jim, where are you????? :confused:

[Steve Stube]

Mike since you are looking at copper (now) you may find my previous post in this thread helpful.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=16321&highlight=line+installation

Post #8 is a snapshot of how I put my system together. Incidently I have been waiting 3 weeks now for my new IR compressor from TSC and that will be the 5 HP replacment compressor mentioned in the thread.

[Steve Clardy]

My two 60 gallon compressors are still sitting on the original small pallets they came on. They never have walked around.
With them sitting on the crates, it gives you enough room to put a ball valve on for a drain, and place a shallow pan under there, [roller brush paint pan] to catch the water.

[Mike Deschler]

When I installed my 5hp, 40 gal., IR, I put it in the garage. It is a really noisy puppy. I used 1/2" L copper throughout. I bought some #400 rated vibration isolation mounts from McMaster & Carr. The thrust of the compressor starting causes the entire unit to rock a little, but no big deal. I also got a 2 ft. length of teflon and stainless steel flexible pipe to run from the compressor tank to the copper line.

I think you will be sorry that you mounted it in the shop unless you put it in a sound proof closet. Did I mention that they are noisy? :eek:

I think Jim Becker has a good sound proofing setup for his IR. Jim, where are you????? :confused:

Ken:

I really had to comprimize on the compressor. I originally wanted an 80gal version but due to space constraints, 60gal is what happened. I realize these guys are noisy that's why I am looking at everything short of enclosing it. If I didn't live in such a harsh climate, this guy would have gone outside in my lean to. IR says to operate it at 32F or better.

[Ken Garlock]

Mike, I believe I read somewhere that most of the noise is from the air input part of the compressor. If you could find a way to muffle the air intake of the unit, you may be able to cut back on the noise. Give the IR people a call and see if they have some ideas on noise reduction. Heck, it only costs a phone call and your time.:)

[Brian King]

Mike, copper is a good choice. Black pipe will rust and then it is like being sandblasted if you use an air nozzle. The rust will also work its way into everything else unless you put a filter on every drop. Has anyone here tried PEX?? A plumber told me he was going to use it in his garage. He said its rated at a high pressure and it is easy to work with? Although you'd have to buy or rent a crimping tool.
This is my first post here as I am a newbie to this forum. Seems like many good people here with good ideas.
Brian

[Jim Becker]

Mike, I picked up an IR autodrain from a fellow on "that auction site" awhile back for about $70. Works like a champ.

Pic of package in this thread: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=16667&highlight=drain

Pics of installation in this thread: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=20030&highlight=drain

[Steve Jenkins]

Mike, I believe I read somewhere that most of the noise is from the air input part of the compressor. If you could find a way to muffle the air intake of the unit, you may be able to cut back on the noise. Give the IR people a call and see if they have some ideas on noise reduction. Heck, it only costs a phone call and your time.:)
Ingersoll Rand makes a muffler for the input of their compressors. It looks sorta like a car muffler. I put one on my 7-1/2hp and it made a big difference. Still noisy though.I made an open topped enclosure from duct board with the faced side out and a bit higher than the compressor. It also helped a bit. i'm going to put the compressor ouside if I ever get the new shop finished.

[Bob Johnson2]

Mike, the compressor co. that did our recent install at work (3 - 30 hp units) used all cast iron, supposed to cause the moisture to gather on the sides of the pipe for draining back to the compressors. If it were me I'd use 3/4" for any main runs.