I am hopefully going to be buying a compressor within 6 months or so.
My problem is that there isn't a whole lot of room in the garage for a decent size compressor (to handle sandblasting and such). I would have to rearange some work benches and shelves to fit one in where I would want it to go.

I was wondering if it could be stored in a shed or somthing outside and have the air lines run into the garage. If I was in worm climates I would do it no questions asked but I live in New England and it gets cold here. Would this be a bad idea or would it be ok as long as I let all the air out in the winter after I was done using it.

I tried to search for this and had no luck in finding an answer.

Thank you

 

My garage is unheated when I'm not using it. So is the little shed on the side that houses my compressor and various stored items. I've never had any trouble with the compressor. I do tend to drain water from the tank on a VERY regular basis...

Oh yes...I live in Canada (used to live in Northern Ontario with this same setup) so a cold winter climate shouldn't be an issue.

 

If you do operate the compressor in a cold climate, below freezing, make sure the oil you use has a pour point above the expected temperature. These box store compressors are splash lubricated and heavy oil, greater than 20 wt will not splash properly in low temps.

 

I live in Buffalo Ny ...it gets cold here.
I used to have a 2 hp craftsman -splash oiled cast iron w/ 20 gallon tank...didnt really seem to bother it too much in unheated garage..until it got below about 15...then let you know it didnt like it.... by making more noise than usual...sometimes squeeling the belt....lighter oil in winter may have helped....didnt use a lot in winter....lasted me 30 years.

Now have a 7-1/2 hp Ingersol-Rand 2 stage w/80 gallon tank.....tried it once...it squeels the belt when cold ...even with the factory I/R synthetic oil...wouldnt risk a rod thru the block....after that...read the manual....it says dont operate below 40 degrees

 

IR makes a heater to keep the oil warm for below 32 degree operation.

 

This is all good news. Things are starting to look up and I don't think I will go def due to compressor.

Ok now next. What about the plumbing from the compressor to the inside. If I burry a copper line would it be fine or would it freeze due to condinsation in the line. I know a compressor makes condinsation but would there be enough in the line to freeze it up. I am thinking of putting this compressor about 20 feet from the garage. The land layout only allows it to be here. I got a portable drive through tent on teh side of the garage and want to put the shed/enclosure on the side of the tent so I can still use it as a drive through to the back yard.

and thank you so far for all the info. I am yet again amaized withthe knowledge on this board and the helpful people.

 

For a pipe to freeze and break, it would have to be full or nearly full of water. It's doubtful that you would ever get that much condensation in it. You can get what condensation is in there out by applying pressure to the line and having an outlet such as a nozzle. The other thing you could do is pitch the line toward the house/garage and put a drain in it - a petcock or a ball valve should work fine. When you depressurize the tank, open the valve and leave it open until you use the compressor again - the water will drain out.

Also, if you are going to be driving over your air line, burying it deeper would be better or put it inside a bigger piece of pipe such as Schedule 40 or 80 PVC. That way you won't have to worry about crushing it. Probably want to put stone dust or sand around the pipe and not backfill with rocky soil. Probably overkill but beats digging it up again.
What part of Cow Hampshire you in?

 

Mechanics garage and some friends that live out in the country all have unheated/cooled spaces with compressors. The said to treat them like you would pumps, put a light out there and keep it on, to put out a little heat. They recommended putting it sideways and close enough to the oil pan to heat it so it would remain warm and circulate quicker when you need the compressor.

 

Thanks guys.

I was planning on burrying it and had a thought last night of putting the copper line inside PVC before burrying. I have a propain line already burried in the same area. It dosen't get driven over constantly but will still be driven over on occasion.

I was also thinking of somehoe tapping off the prorain tank(probably call the propain co. for this) to power a small heater or somthing. I could probably just run a cord also and light a heat lamp.

I'm 20 minutes north of Hav-er-hill

 

You will probably have more problems in summer with that buried line than in the winter. Cold winter days in NH tend to be fairly dry, with less water condensation.

On hunid days in the summer, the difficulty is that the earth acts as a very good heat sink, and lots of water will tend to condense inside the underground run of pipe from the shed to the garage. You can pitch it towards the garage, but since the line is already underground it will end up being 2 feet down at the garage end. But now you need to bring the air into the garage and up to a level that you can use a regulator/filter/quick connect. If you don't do anything to drain the water, you will end up bubbling all your air through the puddle of water which will inevitably collect at the low point.

My solution to this was to use one of those plastic irrigation valve boxes, a tee, a two foot stub of copper line, and a ball valve, all installed at the low point as the line enters the building. This provides a place with some volume for the water to collect, and access to allow me to drain it out periodically. Still, it is a pain to go outside and reach down into the box to drain the water, especially on rainy days.

 

My little vertical home depot special uses Mobil 1 and I keep it in the heated basement in my split level house.

I want to pipe the air up into my garage. A pipefitter at work whom I respect tells me he has run PVC pipe into his garage and not had any problems versus black pipe that people traditionally use.

Has anyone else had experience with this?

 

Noooo. Not again. Don't use PVC for compressed gas service. Read the FAQ post at the start of this forum.

PVC has a low energy of fracture, and shatters like a pipe bomb if struck while it is pressurized. To demonstrate, obtain a piece of PVC, put on safety glasses, and smack the PVC with a hammer. Note how easily it breaks. Note the shards and slivers of broken plastic. Try the same thing with copper or steel and you will see the difference.

Sch 40 PVC does have an adequate pressure rating for air compressors. It is weakened by any oil that gets past the compressor rings, and heat from the compressor is not good for it, but it doesn't tend to fail unless struck by something. This is why you get anecdotal reports of "not had any problems".

But PVC is unrated for this use, and downright dangerous for any compressed air application except buried underground. Don't run it exposed inside your house.

 

On the PVC, better safe than dead, no no no no no on the PVC KILLER

 

Because the original place I was thinking of putting the compressor might cause a water build up problem how bout this:

take a look at rough sketch I did of the layout
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v252/fx390/pics/shedplacement.jpg

 

As small 1/4" copper line with a blow off valve coming from the bottom of a reservoir at the low spot can effectively drain the reservoir. Many people use a pipe "T" at the low spot with a large diameter pipe collection reservoir on the bottom side. Neck the pipe down to the 1/4" line for the drain. Bring the 1/4" line to a convenient spot for drainage.

Never use PVC for air lines.