Thread: pvc air lines?

Tweet

Hello-
I frequent another board but in some research I was doing I saw this subject come up on your forum.

PVC must NOT be used for airlines because it shatters like glass when stressed or something hits it. It can also spontaneously shatter. The pressure ratings listed for PVC are for liquids only. Liquids are essentially incompressible. Gas pressure on the other hand is like a coiled spring and will throw fragments with high velocity. Neither schedule 40 or 80 PVC is rated for gas pressure. PVC explodes just like a grenade or stick of dynamite. There is a certain grade of ABS that can be used for air lines but it is not available at the Home Box stores. Please be safe and use copper or iron pipes for your air line systems. Copper seems to be the best and is inexpensive. Metal lines also cool the air properly which allows moisture to condense out and drain into traps in a properly designed system. There is a lot of information out there on air line systems for shops. Just do yourself a favor and don't use PVC for shop air lines. The life you save may be your own or the neighbors kid... Think about it.

For more information:
Click Here