Hypertherm 30 air hose diameter question

[gator9329]

I have a 30 that I want to hook up a retractable air hose to. What is the required diameter that I need? I have 1/4 "one on hand. Is that enough for 25 feet?

[gator9329]

What I'm trying to find out is if the retractable spool air hoses flow enough air to run a plasma cutter?

[frieed]

put a pressure gauge at the input to PM30 and set the air pressure to the upper number on the recommended pressure range. Pull trigger and watch the gauge. If it stays at or above the lower limit, you're good.

[jimcolt]

A 1/4" hose 25' long will create a 5 to 10 psi pressure drop (including fittings) between the compressor output pressure and the plasma...at the flowrate that is required by a Powermax30. With a 3/8" hose (up to 50' long) you will get a smaller pressure drop....and 3/8" hose is what Hypertherm recommends for the Powermax30. I have a 50' auto retract hose reel, with 3/8" ID hose in my shop that is over 12 years old....it came from Harbor Freight. They sell around $59 when on sale....and the ones they sell today look just like the one I have had with no issues for years.

I recommend for every plasma user to go to the hardware store and by a few 1/4" pipe fittings and make up an input pressure gauge like the one in the attached pictures. Watch the gauge when the air is not flowing...it will be essentially the same as the one at your compressor (unless the gauge calibrations are off a bit!)....trigger your torch and you will see the pressure drop at the plasma...yet the one at the compressor will likely stay at the same setting....it will drop more with a. smaller hose ID, b. longer hose length, c. more fittings, d. If you have a plasma that can use a larger nozzle.

Jim Colt Hypertherm