Book: Compressed Air Operations Manual (Brian Elliot)

[John Poole]

I'm installing a compressed air system in my shop. Amazon has a book titled Compressed Air Operations Manual by Brian Elliot. The reviews are 5 stars, but I wonder if they are friends of the author and/or publisher.

My local library and regional library interlibrary loan system does not carry it. I'm thinking either of buying it or ordering it through nationwide interlibrary loan.

Has anyone here seen this book and have an opinion about it?

[Chris Parks]

A lot of people think it is easy to install a compressed air system but that is not so. I would buy and read though the $52 is a bit daunting, I bet it is the cheapest part of the system you install because it will save you making common mistakes.

[John Poole]

... I bet it is the cheapest part of the system ...

You're absolutely right. Thank you for bringing me back to my senses. I've ordered it and will provide a review to this forum in a few weeks. I'll try to keep track of what I didn't know and learned from the book to contrast with an education one acquires searching forums and postings (which do have a lot of excellent information).

[ray hampton]

installing pipes for compress air or other gas is easy BUT MAKING A MISTAKE THAT CAN KILL is easy too, I bought the pipes and hook -up a gas dryer which refuse to work so I took it out and remove the pipe and found that the pipe were stop -up with mud

[Bruce Page]

John, it will be interesting to see if you glean any truly significant info from the book. I looked through the index & first chapter last night and it seemed like it covered a multitude of compressed-air subjects but many of them were covered in 1 page or less.

[Chris Parks]

installing pipes for compress air or other gas is easy

The installing is easy but installing the RIGHT pipe is not so easy. Installing the right pipe and installing it properly is another hurdle again. Quite simply most water in the system is there due to bad design, nothing more and nothing less.

[ray hampton]

I did not install the pipes to the gas meter {a license plumber are require for this } but buying the pipes and fittings cut to size, turning the gas OFF and painting the pipe ends before screwing them together is easy but having the FORE sight to check the pipe for mud that stop it up / everybody make mistakes, SOME MISTAKES HURT OR KILLS

[John Poole]

I have the book, and I"m about 2/3rds the way through. I have learned a lot from this book, some of which are important safety tips. I think people working with or designing a compressed air system would benefit from a reading of this book. It's expensive at over $50, but learning just one safety tip, e.g. hoses end couplings and the danger they pose if they come off, and a practical tip such as "replace an external seat drain valve with a quality manual valve or an automatic electronic drain with strainer" makes the $50 worth it. And, then there is a whole lot more in the book. I really enjoyed learning about air cylinders and pressure amplifiers -- I'm thinking of building a vise assembly for my chain saw mill that can handle smaller pieces, so learning about what solutions may be available using compressed air was very timely.

I've tried to learn about compressed air systems visiting forums and web sites, the problem with that approach is that it is piece-meal. This book provides a complete picture filling in the gaps one make never realize exist. I confess, when I bought a portable compressor back in the early 1980s, I didn't know I had to drain it regularly -- I somehow missed that salient point. I guess I figured if they were available so easily at Sears, all I had to do was plug it in and run it. No doubt the instructions cautioned about draining, but I forget or did not pay much attention to that. Reading this book provides a more thoughtful approach and context, I was especially taken with such statements as:

if you fill a tank to 125 psi at 160 degrees F and then allow it to cool to 80 degrees F, the pressure will drop to 60 psi!

temperature has a profound affect. The compressed, high temperature air is saturated and may be as much as 25 percent water by volume.

Did you know that around 1890, Paris offered compressed air to the public as a municipal service? I sure didn't. Not that such information will make me a better woodworker, but this does serve as evidence of providing a comprehensive survey of the field, in this case providing an historical perspective.

Bottom line: recommended

[Sean Nagle]

Did you know that around 1890, Paris offered compressed air to the public as a municipal service

I wonder what people were expected to do with it?

[ray hampton]

is that Paris ,Texas