Kobalt Garage Air Line Kit

[DWSmith]

Don't waste your time, every joint I tested leaked. I wasn't able to do anything to stop the leaks.

 

[Endless Pursuit]

Thank you! I was considering one. Saved me some $

 

[merrill77]

I'll be curious to hear what y'all think about it. The review on LJ was less than flattering.

 

[Phil S]

David, I have about 70 feet of surplus IR alum air line, some say the best made. just add some quick connect fittings and your done with zero leaks.

 

[DWSmith]

Returned the kit back to Lowes this morning. I asked for a store credit so I could get some air line and 2 gallons of glue but the idiot behind the return counter refused, said store policy required them to refund back to the credit card. So now I have to wait for the refund to show up. Went to Home Depot and bought the air line.

Now I need to find a good source for glue and let Lowes watch their TiteBond III sales fall at that store.

Phil - I might just take you up on the line. I have a new IR 60 gal 2 stage compressor arriving on Tuesday. Might be a good match. Let me know how much you want for the air line.

 

[KenOfCary]

I used the Rapid-Air kit (think I got it at Northern Tool, but it's sold by several) and had no problems with the installation. Several fittings leaked initially and I discovered every one that leaked was not fully seated in the connector. So quickly fixed.

 

[thsb]

I have had the same response. lots of time i just want the store credit to go buy something else. i guess there must be some kind of fraud protection reason for it?

 

[Phil S]

Returned the kit back to Lowes this morning. I asked for a store credit so I could get some air line and 2 gallons of glue but the idiot behind the return counter refused, said store policy required them to refund back to the credit card. So now I have to wait for the refund to show up. Went to Home Depot and bought the air line.

Now I need to find a good source for glue and let Lowes watch their TiteBond III sales fall at that store.

Phil - I might just take you up on the line. I have a new IR 60 gal 2 stage compressor arriving on Tuesday. Might be a good match. Let me know how much you want for the air line.

Sorry I missed your question. The air line is surplus and of no value to me. I just want it used. The price is zip, zero, none. Hope that helps

 

[jazzflute]

My whole shop is plumbed with the Rapid-air stuff as well; very good system, although I found that I needed to retape every fitting thread with higher quality teflon tape. Other than that, it's worked great. I have about 100' of hose and seven outlet stations, each with its own regulator, and I have very few parasitic leaks, with the compressor only kicking on every 30 minutes or so, and I leave the system pressurized at 125psi.

K

 

[merrill77]

... I have very few parasitic leaks, with the compressor only kicking on every 30 minutes or so, and I leave the system pressurized at 125psi.

That seems like a significant number of leaks. What would be considered a LOT of parasitic leaks

Maybe my expectations are too high. I'm annoyed that my system leaks enough for the compressor (60 gal) to kick on every few hours (if I left the compressor on...which I don't). I'm assuming you have, hmmm...a 600 gal tank?

 

[jazzflute]

Just a 57 gallon tank, which I am sure works out to a more sensible metric something number in its native Germany. Having the compressor run every 30 minutes for 45 seconds or so isn't actually a bad thing for my type of compressor (twin screw). The oiling system actually works better when the compressor is hot, as it vaporizes the water that would otherwise contaminate the oil, so making sure that it runs every once in a while is preferred.

I could easily fix most of the parasitic leaks that are in the rapid-air parts. The tougher ones are the quick coupler seals and swivel joints in some of the coiled nylon hoses that I have. Those are just crimp joints with O-rings and there is no way to tighten them up. As a rule, the bigger the system, the more parasitic loss; so much so that industrial compressors in factories and large shops run continuously, as there is simply no practical way to seal a system with hundreds of junctions and connections. All the printing plants I worked in had compressors that ran all the time, even when all the presses were not running. Granted, it's far from efficient, but it is just a practical reality.

K