Air hose fittings

[Quaddog]

I have to take an airline across the yard to supply a machine and I’ve been advised to use 15mm blue alkathene water pipe. I’m going to put it underground. My question is what kind of fitting do I need to get from blue pipe to air hose. Never done much with air hose and I googled it and it’s a bit confusing, so much stuff out there. Need to get to the male fitting on the machine in the picture, so presumably a bit of flexible air hose and then a female fitting?

 

[Netherfield]

I think you want 20mm MDPE pipe, one of these https://www.screwfix.com/p/jg-speedfit-ugpwb2014-mdpe-wall-plate-elbow-20mm-x/1599v and a 1/2" x 1/4" bsp male /male adaptor

or


Search for 'john guest airline fittings' plenty of other ways to do it.

 

[Hilly]

I’d use bigger than 15mm as well bigger the better as it doubles as storage .

 

[pycoed]

Your air connector (PCL) will have a 1/4BSP Male fitting thread by the looks of it. MDPE blue pipe is ususally 20mm in the smallest size and fittings that terminate in a 1/2BSP thread are widely available. If you get a 20mmMDPE to 1/2 Female BSP fitting, all you then need is a 1/2 to 1/4 BSP reducing bush & you can screw your PCL connector into that & away you go

 

[tomlad]

So plumb up blue pipe around walls just like a water pipe?
Is this the safe way then , there a pipe option that exploded isn't there, not being clever genuine question.

 

[shumungus]

So plumb up blue pipe around walls just like a water pipe?
Is this the safe way then , there a pipe option that exploded isn't there, not being clever genuine question.

MDPE (blue water pipe) up to 63mm is rated to 12bar most compressors max out at 10bar. All good quality fittings will be rated to the same. If it was me I would use 25mm pipe and plasson fittings.

 

[Quaddog]

I think water pipe is pretty safe, it was recommended by the manufacturer of the bit of kit I’m running with it. They also said they have had stuff running on a line as far as 2kms away from the compressor, which is impressive. Most of my line will be buried underground anyway.

 

[tomlad]

In side pipe will be smooth eh

 

[David.]

Be safer if you use above ground spec black mdpe above ground, it doesn't degrade and go brittle in UV light like blue eventually does. As above, go 25mm minimum whilst your doing it too, and lay a spare length alongside.
I'd go bigger than 1/4" on the airline fittings, the flow through then is not very good for for eg, air tools

 

[Timbo]

Be safer if you use above ground spec black mdpe above ground, it doesn't degrade and go brittle in UV light like blue eventually does. As above, go 25mm minimum whilst your doing it too, and lay a spare length alongside.
I'd go bigger than 1/4" on the airline fittings, the flow through then is not very good for for eg, air tools

Connect your compressor feed end via 1/2 or 3/8 flexible hose direct to your MDPE underground pipe and at the far end via a water separator to some female quick release PCL connectors .

I would not use this line for any kind of paint spraying without a very food air drier as the underground pipe will be a bugger for condensation and water collection.

 

[Quaddog]

None of the line is exposed to direct sunlight so I think blue pipe will do. I will maybe go for a bigger size pipe after reading the suggestions on here. The air is for an automatic sheep drafter and I don’t think it uses a lot. The rams are pretty small, and some of the feed pipes to them are tiny. I thought they were wires at first. The spec was for a 12cfm compressor and minimum 50lt tank.

 

[Nearly]

Be safer if you use above ground spec black mdpe above ground, it doesn't degrade and go brittle in UV light like blue eventually does. As above, go 25mm minimum whilst your doing it too, and lay a spare length alongside.
I'd go bigger than 1/4" on the airline fittings, the flow through then is not very good for for eg, air tools

PCL 100 series are high flow but the females are expensive! (such is life )

 

[tomlad]

Females generally are

 

[Netherfield]

PCL 100 series are high flow but the females are expensive! (such is life )

Just be careful not to damage the nipple on the end.

 

[rob h]

PCL 100 series are high flow but the females are expensive! (such is life )

We have a couple of them for running the 1inch impact gun
The difference in performance over standard plc is noticeable.so last year I needed some extra fittings as half our old pcl air flow were loosing air.i decided to replace them with new pcl xf fittings.even the 1/2 inch windy gun now has more torque. Not too expensive from screwfix