What size air hose for onboard air system?

Incarcer8r

Incarcer8r

New member
Have been looking at onboard air systems, any suggestions as to what size (diameter) air hose I should use? Probably going with the single ARB High output compressor but kind of like the speed of the dual compressor as well not sure if that makes a difference?
 
I have been using the same coiled hose that came with my PowerTank for over a decade now. It just stays in the Jeep and I use it on both the C02 tank and ARB Dual compressor. it's got the PowerTank coupler on the end so I can use the air gun, tools, and monster value or Schrader valve couplers.

The ARB hose kit is alright too. It came with an ARB Dual portable kit I bought and that stays in my Nissan Patrol and gets a lot of use. That hose (non-coiled) takes up less space storing it in the case, but takes an extra minute to coil/uncoil.

If you haven't bought your compressor yet, I'd wait to see what kind of money the ARB Brushless compressors are going to be. The Performance numbers are impressive. Placement, space, heat, and noise are all things to consider besides price. I have the ARB dual under the passenger seat of my JK and it's a monster. While it's a better choice airing up 42" tires, it's really damn loud.

And while on the subject, I bought one of the LOCKNFLATE air chucks a few months back out of curiosity, and it's awesome - Highly suggested.
 
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1/4 inch ID is plenty for airing up tires. 3/8 inch takes up too much room when coiled up & stowed. 25 ft should be long enough if you air up one tire at a time. If you want to air up all four at once, use 50 ft. Use an air chuck that clips on the valve stem and closes when disconnected.

I like airing up all four tires at once. I don’t have to babysit each individual tire, the tires air up evenly and it gives me more uninterrupted time to look over my Jeep while airing up. Downsides are there’s more hose to roll and unroll and it’s more work when it gets tangled. For me, the advantages of the four way outweigh the disadvantages.
 
There's a video somewhere that used 3/8" and 1/4" hose on a 4 hose system and they found the 1/4" hose filled faster.
 
bobfriesenhahn said:
How many times faster? Filled using a pump or a CO2 tank?
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It was during the testing of a variety of compressors, using 4 hose systems. I don't recall how many times faster, but it was surprising and enough different you wouldn't buy a 3/8" system if buying new. But then again, the difference would be unlikely to drive people to toss their 3/8" hose system.
 
bobfriesenhahn said:
Why did the 1/4" hose fill faster?
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The 4 hose system acts like a plenum. As Ddays stated, the restriction is the valve stem or more specifically the Schrader valve. So, the more volume your hose system has, the more it "absorbs" the pressure impulses from the compressor, causing the average pressure in the hose to be lower, leading to lower flow rate through the Schrader valves. If you want to validate this, put a tank between your portable compressor and a tire and try to fill the tire without pre-pressurizing the tank. The bigger the tank, the more time it will take to fill the tire.

In theory, using one short hose of small, yet big enough, diameter, will fill the tire faster than 4 long hoses of the same diameter. In practice, it may be a wash, due to having to uncoil and attach all the hoses and then coil and stow all of them.
 
Jeeper99 said:
The 4 hose system acts like a plenum. As Ddays stated, the restriction is the valve stem or more specifically the Schrader valve. So, the more volume your hose system has, the more it "absorbs" the pressure impulses from the compressor, causing the average pressure in the hose to be lower, leading to lower flow rate through the Schrader valves. If you want to validate this, put a tank between your portable compressor and a tire and try to fill the tire without pre-pressurizing the tank. The bigger the tank, the more time it will take to fill the tire.

In theory, using one short hose of small, yet big enough, diameter, will fill the tire faster than 4 long hoses of the same diameter. In practice, it may be a wash, due to having to uncoil and attach all the hoses and then coil and stow all of them.
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So you are saying that the total internal volume of the 4 hoses is similar to a pressure tank?

If the pump emits one "pump" action (1/2 of a cycle), and temporary increases the pressure in the hose, what happens during the time until the next "pump" action?

It seems that you are saying that eliminating the Schrader valve is the best solution for the problem.

It seems like a simple test to compare the fill times when using a long hose with a very short hose. Then we would know if your theory is correct.
 
bobfriesenhahn said:
So you are saying that the total internal volume of the 4 hoses is similar to a pressure tank?

If the pump emits one "pump" action (1/2 of a cycle), and temporary increases the pressure in the hose, what happens during the time until the next "pump" action?

It seems that you are saying that eliminating the Schrader valve is the best solution for the problem.

It seems like a simple test to compare the fill times when using a long hose with a very short hose. Then we would know if your theory is correct.
Click to expand...


Bob, please, please go to your room
 
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