Pressure lost in the pipe
Piping that is too small, or too long, loses pressure before the air reaches the tool. A well-designed system loses only a small fraction of the pressure between the tank and the point of use.
Sample project
Compressor room
Pressure drops, wet air and a noisy compressor in the middle of the shop. A new compressor room fixed all three and gave every bay steady, clean air.
- Shop
- Six-bay repair and tire shop
- Equipment
- Rotary screw compressor, receiver tank, dryer, piping
- Time on site
- About three days
- Work
- Design, install, piping and start-up
The job
The shop's compressor lived in a corner of the bay, loud and hot, and the air at the far bays was weak and wet. Tools slowed down and moisture caused trouble in air tools and paint.
The goal was to move the compressed air out of the working area into its own room, and to pipe it so every bay gets the pressure it needs.
How it went
Size the system to the shop
We look at which air tools run, how many at once, and how the shop will grow, then choose a compressor type and size. Two common types are rotary screw and piston compressors; which fits depends on how much air is used and for how long.
Build the room
A compressor puts out a lot of heat and needs cool, clean air to breathe, so the room is planned with ventilation, and with the intake and exhaust air kept from recirculating.
Install the receiver tank
The tank is fitted with a visible pressure gauge, a spring-loaded safety valve, and a drain at its lowest point. No valve is ever placed between the tank and its safety valve.
Add the dryer and filters
A refrigerated dryer removes moisture so water does not travel down the lines, with filters ahead of and behind it.
Pipe the shop
We run piping rated for compressed air, labeled as such, in a loop where possible, and sloped to drop legs and drain points so water has somewhere to go. Drops with shutoff valves serve each bay.
Start up and test
We check for leaks, set the pressure, and measure the pressure at the far end of the shop.
What can get tricky
Water in the lines
Compressed air carries moisture. Dryers, slope, drains and drops taken off the top of the pipe keep it from reaching the tools.
Heat and ventilation
A compressor room that cannot shed heat makes the compressor work harder and shortens its life.
What we did
- Sized the compressor, receiver tank and dryer to the shop
- Built out the compressor room with ventilation
- Fitted the receiver tank with its gauge, safety valve and drain
- Installed the dryer, filters and shutoff valves
- Piped every bay with compressed-air-rated piping, sloped and drained
- Tested for leaks and measured pressure at the far bay
The shop is quieter, the air is dry, and the far bay now matches the near one. The tank drain and filters are on a simple maintenance schedule so it stays that way.
Specifications vary by lift model and manufacturer. We always work from the manufacturer's installation instructions.
Photos
Tap a photo to enlarge it.
The finished room Compressor, tank and dryer Piping and shutoff valves Gauge and automatic drain Dryer and filters
A sample project written for this demo. The shop, timeline and details are illustrative and will be replaced with real jobs. AI-generated sample images for this demo, to be replaced with photos of our own installs.
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