New barn build – compressed air question

[JJT]

Just buy another compressor. I have a big/expensive compressor in my attached garage and a cheap $100 harbor freight unit in the shop, 150' away from the house. It's worked well for me for 20+ years. I have an even cheaper small compressor in the basement to run a brad/finish nail gun.

 

[SPYDERLK]

Careful: PEXALPEX will hold shape. Bad if you need to unclamp a connection to change, move, etc. The metal bends every time. A dent will not reform to round thus degrades the pressure capability. Poly will be cheaper, easier, more forgiving, more versatile, and present no metal fatigue issues.

 

[Rustyiron]

Wireless or Bluetooth compressor?
I'd second the idea of a spare (or 3) conduits between the 2 points.
You never know what the future might bring and being able to pull a new line through a previously installed conduit for a repair or a new "need".

 

[Patrick Herd]

The HDPE piping system I use for compressed air at work and home says the product is suitable for underground use. Recommendations are to surround the pipe in sand, and to sleeve the pipe where it goes through foundations. I too am a fan of installing multiple ducts to allow for future changes.

 

[grsthegreat]

How much moisture gets into the air at those distances? The air may be warm while compressor runs, while underground pipe is cold. It depends on equipment running.

I run plasma cutter, have electronic dryer and 2 mechanical dryers inline.

 

[Patrick Herd]

I'd guess a lot will condense in the underground line, a drop leg as it comes into the barn will catch a lot of it. Maybe a big valve for making noise on the 4th of July to remove water that's sitting in the pipe underground.

 

[Jeepnford]

If you haven't seen it already look up RapidAir Maxline. It's some of the pex al pex. A little pricey bit it works well. You'll definitely want a moisture separator where it comes out of the ground.

 

[jigs_n_fixtures]

I may consider this, I have to run water, gas, and electric to the new shop and was thinking of running the gas and electric and conduit anyway. The water needs to be 4 foot down due to frost in my area.

Uponor make an insulated PEX with an integrated heat trace. Depending on where you’re at, and how stable the soils are it makes a lot of sense, because you don’t have to bury it as deep.

Where I’m at the soil is mostly large cobble and rocks, with just enough sand and clay to fill the voids. So, the back slope is 1.25 to 1, meaning a 6-ft trench depth results in a top width of at least 12-ft. So, the insulated PEX with heat trace starts to make a lot of sense, particularly if the city makes you back fill with 3-inch minus.

 

[chim]

Where I worked we had an air line that ran to a dry sprinkler system in an unheated building. The air line was black steel. A few times we received a Low Air Pressure alarm on the sprinkler system because condensate had frozen in the pipe and blocked the air. Since this air was only a makeup for very tiny leaks there wasn't any velocity to flush it out and through an air tool. My concern would be that the cool ground around a buried line would cause condensation. For a pneumatic chisel it probably wouldn't matter much - and perhaps even help eliminate water by blowing it through tools. It could be a problem for any more sensitive equipment.

 

[oldtimer 66]

I wanted to mention that iron or metal piping would cause more condensation versus poly/ plastic piping with your air compressor system Here is a quotation from the internet that explains why "Plastic pipes have lower thermal conductivity than metal pipes, which means they transfer less heat between the fluid and the air." I put an extension air line over to my car lift. I just used air line / hose versus any poly, plastic and or metal piping. No more condensation than normal. Later