help me with my air hose problem


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Old 12-05-09, 12:16 PM
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help me with my air hose problem

okay all you guru's out there i might be getting alittle O.C.D. with this but here it goes. at my motor pool we have a huge I. R. compressor think 75 gal or some crap its huge. the hose coming off the tank says its a 3/4 " I.D. hose it is then routed to a 1" hard line at the ceiling and then as it runs down to our work stations it slims down to 1/2 I.D. hard line then it meets up with a air dryer and a 1/2 regulator i am assuming. cause the connecting hoses dont change size. hope i havent lost any one. this is were it gets confusing for me. all i have right now at my dispossal is 3/8 I.D. black hose. so why are there male couplings and female couplings 1/4 NPT if i am using a 3/8 hose????? so now in order to hook my 3/8 I.D. hose up to the 1/2 I.D. hard pipe after the regulater i have to get a brass reducer and further restrict the air flow from 1/2 to 1/4 to fit the coupler back to 3/8 I.D. hose then back down to 1/4 coupler so it can go into the gun. a gun that says by the manual it uses a 1/4 NPT. OKAY I KNOW I DID A LOT OF RAMBLING BUT I HOPE YOU GOT THE GIST OF IT. i have looked on numerouse web sites and cant find a danm thing on whats the best set up or if i am just loosing my mind and i am over thinking it. please help
 
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Old 12-05-09, 03:05 PM
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Welcome to the forums!

Generally the quick disconnect fittings are the same with both size hoses. 3/8" on both - I think. You want to use the same size/type disconnects for all the tools. If an adapter is needed, put it on the tool and then your disconnect that matches all the others.
 
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Old 12-05-09, 03:25 PM
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i see what your saying

i see what your saying but that really does not answer my ?? about how come all the impact tools 1/2 or 3/4 say they use a 1/4 NPT ( i know NPT is about thread). and i know a 1/4 I.D. hose will not run a 3/4 impact. i need to know, absolutly what hose I.D. with what size disconnect fittings with run my 1/2, and what other size set up will properly run my 3/4 .... again thank your for your help.
 
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Old 12-05-09, 03:37 PM
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I've read your question 3 times and still do not understand what you want to know.


the 1/4 npt is the thread size of the fitting that goes into the tool. there are many different quick disconnect fittings. Find the QD style you want. Then get a hose barb that will fit into the female fitting that fits the size of hose you want to use.

was there something else?.
 
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Old 12-05-09, 04:14 PM
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i really do get what you are saying but i guess i am being OCD about it. I got a 3/8 inner diameter hose took a 1/4 NPT quick dissconect fitting and compared the inner diameter of the two and the 1/4 NPT QD is smaller than the 3/8 hose it attatches too. im not trying to make this harder than it seems but i might be . i guess i am just trying to figure out what size hose and QD i need to feed enough scfm at 90 PSI to run my tools to full capacity. i now compressor has everything to do with that and its a big enough compressor. i just dont want to be starving my gun with the wrong hose. hope thats a little more clarification.
 
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Old 12-05-09, 04:35 PM
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im confused by your question too but will try to help. i use 3/8 hose on all my air tools except my 3/4 and i inch guns. they use a 3/4 air hose. if any tools need to be reduced i reduce them at the tool so my quick disconnects will fit all my tools without having to use any other adapters. hope this helped.
 
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Old 12-05-09, 04:44 PM
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watch out for that compulsive disorder. It will keep you busy.


i have never needed anything larger than a 3/8" hose to run my 1/2 impact as it was designed to run.

I have run a 3/4 impact on a 3/8 line and it was fine as well but I could not imagine needing anything over a 1/2" hose for the 3/4" impact if you have any doubts.

the problem isn't just the diameter of the hose. It is the diameter of the hose, the length of the hose, the pressure in the accumulator tank, the CFM capacity at any given pressure of the compressor and the instantaneous demand on the entire system at any given time.

the smaller a hose is, the more resistance it imparts on the air within it so the smaller the hose, the higher tank pressure you would need a to achieve the desired result at the gun. the longer a hose is, the same.

to the fitting being smaller than the hose; the fitting is a very short restriction and although it does cause a restriction, it is not enough to be concerned about. If the tool needed more airflow, they would have designed it for a larger fitting.

ever see the fitting on an air powered jack hammer? There is where I would worry about not enough air pressure and/or volume.

here is a page I think will keep you busy for quite some time

Recommended Air Hoses - AirTXInternational
 
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Old 12-05-09, 05:53 PM
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your absolutely right nap. the 1/2 inch hose will run a 3/4 gun pretty well in a home garage or small shop. i work at a trucking company and most of the time im using 3/4 and 1 inch guns. some of the nuts and bolts on these rusty old trucks are pretty tough to remove and the bigger air line helps a bunch.
 
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Old 12-05-09, 07:28 PM
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Wow

WOW, Thank you NAP. oh my god finally that web site is exactly what i have been looking for . i didnt really pose the question very well but you answered it perfectly man i could kiss you. just a metophor. ill buy you an online beer. Beer 4U2 now i just gotta concentrate on finding qd fittings as a 3/8 size with the 1/4 npt thread type. and so on for the bigger hoses. man once again thank you so much Beer 4U2
 
 

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