Should I swap my airchucks from general ones to auto ones?

[hawkeye08]

The HF impact gun I have says warranty void if over 90psi is used. I was able to get the bolts holding mower blades on rear finish mower with HF gun that my other impact guns would not. My wife commented that the look on my face was worth the price of the HF impact gun when the bolts came loose finally.. blades cut much better when sharp. I need to plump shop for some airlines, seems there is always something else needing done.. or a nap.

 

[sixdogs]

There are times when I hook up 100 ft of 3/8" air hose. What is the effect, if any, of air pressure at the outlet compared with the inlet?

 

[ray66v]

The size of the inlet on a tool, tells you what you need for air supply.

If the inlet is set up for 1/4" plugs, that's all the tool needs. Use 1/4" plugs and 3/8" hose. You can go bigger, but it won't affect performance.

I have used many different HVLP spray guns professionally. I have tried high volume fittings. I really don't see any difference. Most painters don't use them.

If you have a 3/4 impact, not running it on larger fittings, and 1/2" air hose, will cost you 25% of it's power.

Yes, tools are all built to run on 90psi. Most people who use them for a living, do not run them that low. I always used full line pressure. And, we always did the same even at the tool repair shop, when we tested them. To each his own. But, if you have a 1/2" impact, you give up a lot of power reducing the pressure to 90psi. If you don't need to remove tight fasteners, then perhaps it's no big deal.

Having more than 50' of 3/8 hose can cause a pressure drop, but, it's not necessarily a big deal, depending on what you are doing.

If I am running a spray gun on 100' of hose, I just pull the trigger and watch the gauge on the gun. The drop occurs a few seconds after you pull the trigger, so just wait for it and open the valve at the gun, to compensate for it.

 

[sixdogs]

Maybe I mentioned this in other threads but I normally use air tools at full pressure--maybe 150-165 psi. In decades, I've ever had a problem. I HVLP spray paint at the 25 or 40 psi that it says but for impact tools, no reduction.

I have 100' of hose on the reel normally and can easily connect another 100' to reach something obscure. In the old days, that was a way to store extra air for a job and the habit just sort of hung on. We could give the small compressors of the time an extra boost with lots of hose.

 

[jwmorris]

If you look at the flow rates of a give ID of supply line and most tool requirements you can see why 1/4" couplers and plugs M,A, and others have been fine for decades.

MAXIMUM RECOMMENDED AIR FLOW (SCFM)
THROUGH ANSI STANDARD WEIGHT SCHEDULE 40 METAL PIPE

The flow values in the table below are based on a pressure drop of 10% of the applied pressure per 100 feet of pipe for 1/8", 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2" pipe sizes; and a pressure drop of 5% of the applied pressure per 100 feet of pipe for 3/4", 1", 1-1/4", 2", 2-1/2", 3" pipe sizes.

The table gives recommended flows for pipe sizes at listed pressures and should be used to determine appropriate piping for air systems.

Applied Pressure PSI Nominal Standard Pipe Size
1/8" 1/4" 3/8" 1/2" 3/4" 1" 1-1/4" 1-1/2" 2" 2-1/2" 3"
5 0.5 1.2 2.7 4.9 6.6 13 27 40 80 135 240
10 0.8 1.7 3.9 7.7 11.0 21 44 64 125 200 370
20 1.3 3.0 6.6 13.0 18.5 35 75 110 215 350 600
40 2.5 5.5 12.0 23.0 34.0 62 135 200 385 640 1100
60 3.5 8.0 18.0 34.0 50.0 93 195 290 560 900 1600
80 4.7 10.5 23.0 44.0 65.0 120 255 380 720 1200 2100
100 5.8 13.0 29.0 54.0 80.0 150 315 470 900 1450 2600
150 8.6 20.0 41.0 80.0 115.0 220 460 680 1350 2200 3900
200 11.5 26.0 58.0 108.0 155.0 290 620 910 1750 2800 5000
250 14.5 33.0 73.0 135.0 200.0 370 770 1150 2200 3500 6100

It you have 100 ft of 3/8" ID @ 100 psi your not going to get 30 SCFM out of it with any style coupler, despite the fact they all can flow more than that even the 1/4" ones.

Maximum Recommended Air Flow (SCFM) Through ANSI Standard Weight Schedule 4� Metal Pipe - Technical Reference - Technical Literature - JGB Technical Information Center - JGB Enterprises, Inc.

FWIW lots and lots of old tire machines also had a tank in them for bead seating, a lot of air instantly.

 

[sixdogs]

Good chart.

 

[jenkinsph]

Maybe I mentioned this in other threads but I normally use air tools at full pressure--maybe 150-165 psi. In decades, I've ever had a problem. I HVLP spray paint at the 25 or 40 psi that it says but for impact tools, no reduction.

I have 100' of hose on the reel normally and can easily connect another 100' to reach something obscure. In the old days, that was a way to store extra air for a job and the habit just sort of hung on. We could give the small compressors of the time an extra boost with lots of hose.

I have used extra hoses for reach many times, usually I haven't seen any issues doing this. I did make up a 1/2" 100' hose for high flow needs many years ago but find it is seldom used. Last time I used it was over five years ago.

While I have a two stage IR and a heavy duty pancake I find the newest addition (and the cheapest) gets the most use. I bought a $100 PC pancake which weighs about 30 lbs. for airing up tires and other small jobs. This pressures up to 150 psi and has a 6 gallon tank so about the same as a portable air tank in weight and volume. I have a 20 ft. premium Gates air hose and Milton air chuck with built in gauge I use with this. No air leaks I can tell so this works great for carrying on my pickup or service truck, very convenient.

 

[sixdogs]

I have used extra hoses for reach many times, usually I haven't seen any issues doing this. I did make up a 1/2" 100' hose for high flow needs many years ago but find it is seldom used. Last time I used it was over five years ago.

While I have a two stage IR and a heavy duty pancake I find the newest addition (and the cheapest) gets the most use. I bought a $100 PC pancake which weighs about 30 lbs. for airing up tires and other small jobs. This pressures up to 150 psi and has a 6 gallon tank so about the same as a portable air tank in weight and volume. I have a 20 ft. premium Gates air hose and Milton air chuck with built in gauge I use with this. No air leaks I can tell so this works great for carrying on my pickup or service truck, very convenient.

Me too. I find using a small pancake compressor rather than firing u a big two stage compressor makes more sense.

 

[CincyFlyer]

I have used extra hoses for reach many times, usually I haven't seen any issues doing this. I did make up a 1/2" 100' hose for high flow needs many years ago but find it is seldom used. Last time I used it was over five years ago.

While I have a two stage IR and a heavy duty pancake I find the newest addition (and the cheapest) gets the most use. I bought a $100 PC pancake which weighs about 30 lbs. for airing up tires and other small jobs. This pressures up to 150 psi and has a 6 gallon tank so about the same as a portable air tank in weight and volume. I have a 20 ft. premium Gates air hose and Milton air chuck with built in gauge I use with this. No air leaks I can tell so this works great for carrying on my pickup or service truck, very convenient.

I have the big two-stage (dropped it on my leg a couple of years ago, which delayed installing it for, oh, a couple of years.) I gave away my little compressor. I have plenty of large hose, and a good-sized portable tank for field work (and a little 12 volt compressor if that's not enough).

 

[jenkinsph]

I have the big two-stage (dropped it on my leg a couple of years ago, which delayed installing it for, oh, a couple of years.) I gave away my little compressor. I have plenty of large hose, and a good-sized portable tank for field work (and a little 12 volt compressor if that's not enough).

Lots of ways to address the portable air issue and what works best can vary greatly. I considered buying a portable air tank and/or another small tire compressor. For my use the little PC has worked out well for me, I have an Onan diesel genset on my service truck and have had poor luck results with the small 12v compressors. For $100 bucks this has been the best set up for me. simple and fills a low tire quickly. This allows me to keep all the long hoses rolled up and put away for large jobs.