Super Easy DIY 3/4" Pex Shop Air System ($400) 

I used 3/4" Maxline Rapidair and it works well. The piping has an aluminum layer in it making it semi-rigid. It comes in a roll and has to be unrolled and straightened first. It was a little difficult to install but once I got the hang of it, it wasn't too bad. PEX would have been my next choice. Your video was worth watching and well presented.

You’ll thank yourself later for using 3/4”. High volume everywhere and there when you need it. Try 4200 sealer on that tank fitting. JB is a bit more permanent. What happens with those compression fittings is the copper tube will collapse in from heat and vibration. Stress relieving loops help too. Good luck.

Great video, I'm happy it got pushed on my feed. I just moved my compressors out of my compressor room so that room can become my powdercoating room and installed my compressors temporarily using PVC, I wish I had thought about 3/4 pex as I have 1/2 pex in my house garage and not once have I given it a second thought. I have lots of black pipe and a threader, maybe I'll swap over to pex and use the black pipe for a cooler. I wonder if the cooler would be more efficient if you wrapped the first few pipes with crumpled up aluminum foil.

Compression fittings always shake looks on refrigeration systems. We always prefer to braze everything when we can get away with it. The JB weld was a good call. Great idea going with PEX.

Doesn't the whole floor vibrate being on the second floor? Shouldn't it be on the first floor on concrete? Thanks mate ☺️👍

Understandably, I'm late to the show and you've no doubt fixed this but you're problem with the 'copper' connections at the compressor is that you're actually using the wrong interface. You should be connecting them with a FLARED fitting instead. High vibration connections and 'gas' based ones require flared fittings. Common mistake many people make but I share this strictly constructively. You're setup and video are wonderful.

Nice 👍

I must have missed it in the video but what PSI are you running? I'm looking to do something similar as I have a lot of 3/4" pex but everything I see online says it's rated for 160psi at 73 degrees. I'm in texas so it'll be seeing 100+ regularly. My compressor is rated for 175psi. I can dial it down of course. Any type of pressure testing I have found on Pex online has just been on 1/2" not 3/4"

After watching several videos of shop air set up and proper air compressor usage/maintenance I’m sold on your method of cooling the air before going into the air tank. I remember growing up how much water our compressor would accumulate. And it was always rusty, so we knew our tank was dirty. I think the only two things I’m going to different is add a desiccant air filter coming out of the copper cooling lines prior to entering the tank (for just more added extraction) and my lines will be simple so using copper throughout wont be too cost prohibitive. Thanks for the great ideas.

FYI.. depending where u live..in hot or cold parts of this country..after about 10 yrs I've seen it peel from the inside out..is it caused by the up and down of wheather? It's wierd.. I have old school steel piping.. anytime u run piping..always rule of thumb.add drip legs with ball valves..on them..if u paint..it's a must with air filter system..and air regulars. Nice shop..and wall s...u could add a lift...if u open the 2 nd floor..over a stall . I've got a inground lift..in my home shop..it gives me open floor space.. if u have issues with your compressor..with slud and muck. Replace it ASAP...u have a Chinese built unit..cheap Steele..the bottom could explode..from getting weak over the years if u had muck build up..pls replace..it could save your Life..an exploding tank will tear up your whole shop..under pressure....seen it ..a small 20 gal tank tore up a whole garage..in the middle of the night ..go with a new American made compressor..

Invariably in videos where PEX is used in an air system, there is at least one warning about the risk of UV exposure from sunlight and fluorescent light fixtures. Then there are comments to the contrary. So, what is correct? I have no idea. But for my shop system I bought a bundle of convoluted tubing, that black (in my case) ribbed material split lengthwise. It easily slips over the PEX runs. Is it really necessary? Beats me. Does it look sorta cool? Possibly. Will it protect against UV exposure and whatever risk that poses? If it doesn’t, what the hell would?

Bout an hour before I watched your video I jb welded my compressor output line. :)

One thing I would do is put drains at each drop point. I use the rapid-air tubing and blocks so they have built in ports for the drains. Moisture is the enemy with compressed air.

❤❤ I like the way you’ve done the dryer to keep only dry air going into your compressor. I’ve noticed a lot of other people do the dryer on the output of the air tank, which makes no sense to me. The way you’ve got it done is done right making sure that the air compressor is only pumping dry air into the tank. Most people don’t get that. I got a two-stage V-twin air compressor from Lowe’s 60 gallon tank and I put a digital hour meter on my air compressor The reason I did that it gives me an operating time as to how long the compressor has been running. When the air compressor shuts off and I’m done using it for the day, I turn the switch off the digital hourmeter gets turned off, but it’s still remembers the number of hours that I’ve used the air compressor. I was surprised when I drain the bottom of my air compressor. I got 8 ounces of water out of the bottom of the air compressor so I went to Home Depot and bought everything. I need to build myself a dryer somewhat like yours and the air was going to go through the dryer before it gets put into the air tank. I will also have an air pressure gauge on my dryer. ❤❤. If I had your shop, I would have a switch downstairs where I can turn the air compressor on and off so I did not have to go upstairs to turn it back on all of the time. ❤❤❤

Keep the sun light off the pex. I’d use plumbers putty before JB-Weld on air fittings.

Oh dear Lord. J.B. Weld as a "temporary" hack? Why not something much easier to remove like teflon tape? You're gunna have to cut the copper tubing and toss the brass if you want to remove the J.B. Say goodbye to the check valve.

Glad to see this system, especially the cooling arrangement between the pump head and the tank. Good call on the drop ear fittings and the 3/4" pex. You've convinced me to do the same. The leaking you experienced on the soft copper pipe is because compression ring fittings are not suitable for soft copper pipe - at any pressure. Flare fittings will work, no JB Weld required. If the JB fails going forward, you might want to consider swap out those compression ring fittings for flared fittings. No sweating required, no additional union couplings. You will need a flaring tool for the copper.

In the bottle gas business we use the other style clamp (the one with the locking mechanism or ear) on CO2 bulk system tanks. While I’m not certain what pressure it could hold on PEX, on rubber lines these clamps will hold 300 psi with ease.

I’ll admit I was watching this to see what fitting is used between the pex and the quick disconnect. Thx for showing that part. My next issue is the dryer filters. I’ll watch your vid on that. Thx for sharing.

🍺 it’s pretty nice that you got an upstairs for storage. I think all of us that are mechanically inclined need storage.🍺

Thanks for the videos I plan on going with pet as well

🍺 I love the looks of your garage with that wood in the background on the walls. It looks really nice kind of makes me want to do my laundry room just like that it looks really good and you’ve got easy places to Mount anything you want. 🍺

Could u do 200psi?