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I have a compressor that at 40 psi it has 8.6 cfm. I want to use an air drill, nail gun. Some folks say only 1/2 hose others say 3/8 will do. I believe i will be using a maximum of a 100 feet of hose.
Any brands of hose that work better? Comments on 1/2 versus 3/8. suggestions? I live in California so freezing is not a big issuse.
Thanks
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I have never heard of 1/2" air hose for small tools. The choice is always 1/4" or 3/8". Larger hose is better for continuous demand tools, such as air chisels, where you need good flow. Smaller hose is better for intermittent demand tools, like nail guns, where you need constant pressure.
*Just ran to the shop to check my hose size. It is 3/8". Never heard of 1/2" but maybe someone does sell it. As a practice I always get my compressor within 50' of the nailing site because I don't like snaking all the loops and kinks of a longer hose.
*Go 3/8ths. With 3/8ths couplings.
*I've got 3/8ths and wish I had gone with 1/4. Less bulk and cheaper fittings.
*Air drills, and other tools that use lots of air need much more continuous air then nailers do...I know cause I build docks and work underwater with all kinds of airtools...3/8" hose works but I have 1/2" too and use it for all the high air demand tools including a custom 12" spike driver I made.Roofing with 1/4" lines...nice and light!J
*Kind of thought you might be the kind to use an electric drill with grounded drop cord for that underwater stuff.Dennis
*DennisTried that but its hard to let go of the trigger!!!Near the stream using air,J
*Must be nice not having the freezing hoses in california... here in Chicago seems that the 'blue stiffie' never gets rolled up in winter!!
*Kerry: I agree with everyone who distinguishes between continuous demand (drills, sanders, grinders) and intermittent (nail guns). At 8.6 cfm, I calculate the pressure drop in 100 feet of 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2" hose as 112 psi, 15 psi, and 4 psi, respectively. Half that much pressure drop for 50 feet of hose. So clearly 1/2" is plenty big enough and 3/8 is okay unless you are working at low pressure (10-40 psi) because while your regulator will maintain the set pressure at the A/C outlet, the distal end of the hose will vary with flow rate. And 1/4" is just to small to run multiple tools. Okay for one nail gun, but then your average flow isn't usually 8 cfm.
*"distal end of the hose"?
*In California we work so fast that the hoses freeze solid from the expanding air.
*Let's see, David, 1/4" hose @ 100 feet with a supply pressure of 100psi and 112 psi drop....can I use for a shop vac?
*Sorry, Fred. My wife's an MD and sometimes the jargon is contagious. Your fingers are the distal end of your arm. Opposite of proximal. One new "medical" term: suboptimal, used as an understatement. Example: "The patient took aspirin ( a blood thinning stomach irritate) for his bleeding ulcer pain. That was suboptimal self-treatment."Mike: My calc for pressure drop in 1/4 hose was just to show that it was undersized. It couldn't actually flow at 8 cfm unless more pressure was applied. But, yes, you can use compressed air as a shop vac. Venturi are available to create high vacuum (you may have used a water-powered venturi as a vacuum pump in chemistry class) and other styles of nozzles use compressed air to induce flow in a larger volume of air and can function as vacuums or blowers. Handy in potentially explosive environments where you want to avoid the use of electric motors.
*We're sounding more and more a like jack!I use 1/4" for as much as possible.I used my 3/4" drive wrench to set some lag bolts underwater, and it rusted up! Of course I had to buy a newer better one.How do you keep the tools from intaking water?Blue
*Probably that would be appropriate after Blue had Chili Dogs for lunch.Dennis
*Hey!!!Blue
*Now that I think about it, I have picture of myself, standing in chest high water using my Milwaukee 3/8 drill, parallel to the water drilling some holes. Guess the ground cord was in good shape.Dennis
*David:I knew what you mean't but it was such a strange term in this context that I wasn't sure you did:-)
*Now who would have thunk that a thread started on air hoses would break down into "wordsmithing" with medical lingo!!! I too have a group of medical friends and am just learning to understand their unique vernacular...Near da stream I be,J
*Blue,I use lots of oil just after the tools come out of thwe water to clean them out...Their is biodegradable oil availabe now for the tree huggers too.Near the stream and lovin my air chainsaw,J
*I oiled the crap out of mine, but it wusted up anyways. I took it apart, fixed it, but it froze again a year later.Maybe your water is better!Blue
*Blue,I have had one 3/4" impact brand that would seize too easily but the rest of the scuba diving tools have worked fine for over ten years....I leave em oiled and do check one last time before I toss them on the shelf to get dusty...Love shooting 16s under water...thunk!...thunk!..watch out James Bond...Near the stream, cutting down half my neighbors trees,JIce out yesterday in Lake George and headed out now to do a damage estimate...water temp around 35 degrees.