Man, that PVC pipe we got from Home Depot was really cheap and easy to
put up. Now we're ready to get this body shop up and running.
Cheap and easy now could turn into expensive and deadly down the road. PVC pipe is not designed for compressed air.
In fact,
it's not even legal (unless you bury it or encase it in a shatter-proof material, which gets rid of the whole cheap and easy part).
There are very good reasons:
1. The maximum temperature of most PVC pipe and fittings is 140F, and
even at 110F you derate the pressure rating in half (so a pipe rated for
150 psi is now only good for 75 psi). Most small piston compressors
can have air coming out 200F or higher, especially in the
summer.
2. PVC becomes brittle when exposed to the oil vapor in the compressed air and UV light.
3. A PVC pipe cracking or failing at 100 psi can easily kill or injure you or your employees.
Don't just take our word for it - here is what the pipe manufacturers themselves have to say about it:
Charlotte Pipe: Testing with or use of compressed air or gas in PVC / ABS / CPVC pipe or fittings can result in explosive failures and cause severe injury or death.
GF Harvel: "GF Harvel's PVC and CPVC piping products are "rigid" thermoplastic
materials. As a result, GF Harvel does not recommend the use of PVC or
CPVC piping products for the testing, transport, or storage of
compressed air or gases.
Warning! The use of rigid thermoplastic plastic piping in
compressed air or gas applications can result in severe bodily injury or
death."
Silver Line Plastics: "PVC PIPE IS NOT RECOMMENDED FOR AIR PRESSURE"
Don't let cheap and easy now cost you a lot later. Don't use PVC pipe
for compressed air, and if you have it, replace it immediately.
