Air Intake Plumbing

[btierney]

Greetings. I recently purchased a 1996 Bauer Utilus 10 compressor. It was tested in December and was producing oxygen compatible air with just the P0 Triplex filter. I wired it up in my garage, but I am a little concerned about the air quality there. I haven't noticed anything at the compressor output, but the garage itself does have an odor to it. I was wondering what the experts thought about running 1/2" PVC from the compressor intake up the wall and outside. Are there any dangers to doing this? Would I be better off just opening the doors and running a fan while pumping?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Brian

 

[Surface Tension]

What kind of an odor? You're typical oil and musty garage stank I presume. If you think you might have some solvents leaking out of paint or gas cans it might be a good idea to run your pick up somewhere else. The AC in your filter should remove that stuff by why take chances. If you're going to the trouble though, I would run the pick up to the nearest interior air conditioned location of the house, and use 1" to reduce drag.

Dave

 

[Isaac-1]

I think you would want something bigger than 1/2 inch, I have a gasoline powered Bauer Purus, wanting something more portable than PVC, I found some cheap ($10) 20-25 ft 2.5 inch or so ribbed black plastic hose at Home Depot, it is just about the right size for the Bauer intake fitting (just a little large so I used a 3 inch section of clear hose and a couple of hose clamps to make an adapter). The hose I used was being sold as part of a kit for basement sump pumps. Also whatever you end up using make sure the end faces down to not collect water, and put some sort of screen on the it to not pick up debris.

Ike

 

[btierney]

I should have mentioned that the garage is not attached to the house. It is a 40'x80' metal shop with concrete floor. There is not really any way to get to the house air. The odor is, as far as I can tell, just the standard garage oil type smell.

Thanks.

Brian

 

[rjack321]

1/2" is way, way too small. You want something in the 3-6" diameter range. The longer the snorkel is, the larger its diameter needs to be. You don't want to be starving your compressor for air.

Use this as an opportunity to clean out all the old paint, etc. too. Dispose of that gunk properly. Keeping a compressor clean, cool, and dry is they way to make it last and consistently produce good quality gas.

I would not trust the PO filter by itself. When new they are fine, but they go from "ok" to "used up" really fast. Less than 1 tank. A second filter will allow you to reliably produce OCA.

I would also add a "eyeball" humidity detector like this:
http://www.scubacompressor.com/shop/product_info.php/products_id/278

With proper RH cards like these:
http://www.texastechnologies.com/humplug.htm

You want to be changing the primary filter when the RH hits 20%

 

[oxyhacker]

I was talking with a Bauer tech about this a while back, and he said they recommend using pipe at least the size of the inlet fitting on the compressor for a run of up to 10', but increasing it one pipe size for each additional 10 feet, with each elbow counting as 5 feet. so if your inlet is 1" and you have a 18" run with one right angle elbow you'd go up 2 sizes and use 3" for the entire run. He also cautioned to use a drip leg at the base of vertical runs.

 

[pescador775]

The PO uses a sophisticated triplex cartridge which, while relatively small, is well matched to the Utilus 10. Humans are capable of detecting solvent odors of 80 ppb and at such small concentration, the AC in your filter will be able to filter quite effectively. The primary source of odor and contaminant is compressor oil and the small contribution from a funky garage will have no effect on filter life. If you are asking the question because of uncertainty, that is one thing; the other is guilty knowledge. If your garage is exuding dangerous chemical vapors then it will be necessary to install a remote intake. PVC, styrene, ABS and other plastics contain plasticisers such as the poisonous chemical melamine and Lord knows what. I don't care but I provide information partly as entertainment and for paranoids on the board. Moreover, rigid plastic tubes may not like vibration too much. It is better to use food grade flex tubing of 1 inch ID to fit your compressor intake. This is good for a ten foot run. This will also accomodate vibration, provide visibility and thus, safety. Install a cheap engine intake filter to protect the hose from bird nests and wasps or little kids who want to push a stone into it.

 

[rjack321]

Thanks Vance, I think those recommendations might actually be in Bauer's installation guide too. I saw it once, don't have it handy now.

The biggest hassle for me with remote plumbing was the increase in noise. Tubes between the inlet filter/muffler and the actual intake seem to act like a drum.

 

[btierney]

Thanks for all the great info. I am convinced now that I'll have to use something bigger than 1/2" if I want enough air flow. I really don't think there are any harmful fumes present, just the standard dust and oil garage smell. The routing I had planned has 6 90 degree joints, including going up then back down before going outside (to eliminate water intake).

Anywhy, I think you talked me out of the PVC due to the chemicals present. I might consider the tubing. By the way, the intake on my Utilus 10 is only 13/16". The 1/2" PVC is too big to fit in the intake.

Am I better off just opening the big doors and running a fan? (I did already cut a 2" hole in my garage!)

Thanks for the help.

Brian

 

[rjack321]

You'll probably want to run a fan anyway. The cooler the compressor the better. I have my garage doors open whenever its >55F outside. I have no outside intake.