E5RSY
Doctor of Teleocity
Which one do I want, and why?
RSY
RSY
Air compressor hose: 1/4" vs. 3/8"???
- Thread starter E5RSY
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Gardo
Friend of Leo's
I've got both. It really depends on how big your compressor is and what you want to use it for.Harbor freight has good prices on 3/8"x 50'but they take up more storage space
E5RSY
Doctor of Teleocity
Just looking for something to use with my extra-small Lowe's compressor. General home use, tires, etc. Gonna get a 25-footer, just wondering which diameter.
I have a 3/8” but my compressor only goes to 80psi. I’m sure. 1/4” would work if you need the pressure
E5RSY
Doctor of Teleocity
Mine will go over 100 psi. Not sure how much, I just keep it at that setting.
Gardo
Friend of Leo's
the recovery rate of the compressor is an issue. 3/8 can move more ar but if you have a small compressor it won't keep up. I use the 3/8 for pumping up tires. It's long enough to reach around a car in the driveway. I use 1/4 with an air nozzle to clean parts . My compressor is not big enough for air tools. 1/4 would be fine for an air brush
E5RSY
Doctor of Teleocity
Agreed. That's what I'm replacing...the one that came with it.
I guess I could measure the inside diameter of that one.
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Gardo
Friend of Leo's
Those curly plastic things are OK for blowing the dust off of your clothes but not much else.
MarkieMark
Poster Extraordinaire
Depends on the intended use.
Do you need volume or just pressure. Or both?
Inflating tires, blowing off parts, irrelevant. Either will do.
Spraying paint, using high capacity air tools, you will need both the larger hose and a larger compressor.
Another situation is HVLP spraying equipment, which requires even more volume than the 3/8 hose. But I think thats out of the scope of this question.
Small compressor, light use, 1/4" is fine for most anything you are likely to do.
Watch those poly coiled hoses. The termination fittings have a habit of blowing off and the hoses can whip around violently and break things or hurt you. Been there.
Do you need volume or just pressure. Or both?
Inflating tires, blowing off parts, irrelevant. Either will do.
Spraying paint, using high capacity air tools, you will need both the larger hose and a larger compressor.
Another situation is HVLP spraying equipment, which requires even more volume than the 3/8 hose. But I think thats out of the scope of this question.
Small compressor, light use, 1/4" is fine for most anything you are likely to do.
Watch those poly coiled hoses. The termination fittings have a habit of blowing off and the hoses can whip around violently and break things or hurt you. Been there.
TelenTubes
Tele-Holic
Agreed. However, the hose I have has become so dang stiff.... No matter what temperature. It's super stiff. Makes it hard to store and manage when you're moving a tool around.
I use a 1/4" for blowing up tires and so forth and I like to keep it around 10' or so. Longer hoses are hard to coil up. Some air tools will require 3/8" hose for 25' lengths, CFM is important for tools. If you can find a real rubber hose all the better, most of the hoses you see at Harbor Freight or big box stores are some form of plastic. If you don't mind spending a little the Flexilla hoses are awesome.
If you're not using high-volume (high CFM) air tools, the smaller 1/4" hose will reduce the cycle time of your compressor because larger hoses have greater internal volume.
If you're using a tankless compressor to inflate stuff, get the smallest/shortest hose that's practical for you. The little coily 1/4" polyurethane hoses are ideal for this.
If you're using a tankless compressor to inflate stuff, get the smallest/shortest hose that's practical for you. The little coily 1/4" polyurethane hoses are ideal for this.
A 3/8" hose is good for higher volume needs like a framing gun that has a bigger piston and has to deliver more force in the time interval. For finish guns and smaller stuff I prefer the thinner and also more flexible hose.
The capacity of the hose is a real thing, you don't want your 100psi to drop way down as the nail is setting, or the neail head will not be sunk. You actually get a framing gun pushing back at you when the pressure drops if you hold the trigger and use the safety to fire, IOW bang the gun down to fire, multiple nails in succession, because the lower pressure cannot drive the nail, but there is still an action requiring a reaction, which ends up being the gun kicking back at you.
But a finish gun on 1/4" hose can fire as many nails in quick succession as you can reasonably prepare for.
I reckon if you had to inflate big truck tires all day you'd want the 3/8".
The capacity of the hose is a real thing, you don't want your 100psi to drop way down as the nail is setting, or the neail head will not be sunk. You actually get a framing gun pushing back at you when the pressure drops if you hold the trigger and use the safety to fire, IOW bang the gun down to fire, multiple nails in succession, because the lower pressure cannot drive the nail, but there is still an action requiring a reaction, which ends up being the gun kicking back at you.
But a finish gun on 1/4" hose can fire as many nails in quick succession as you can reasonably prepare for.
I reckon if you had to inflate big truck tires all day you'd want the 3/8".
Check the individual tool spec.
100psi is too much for some tools.
Also check to see if the tool requires oil dripped into the fitting daily or if it's an oil free tool.
You don't want to mix up those specs.
