DUST COLLECTION QUESTIONS

[jmeyer]

I have a grizzly 2 HP DC with a remote control from Penn State (sweet). I have always used this as a mobile unit, but those days are over. My new shop is very spacious (30X20) and will soon sport a dust collection closet with a “trash can style” separator. I plan to insulate and seal the closet as best as possible (for the unruly noise and dust) and install a quality furnace filter in the closet wall to allow air out of the closet. I also have a delta air cleaner installed in my new shop. Am I missing anything in this setup? I plan to run grounded PVC pipe across the ceiling with individual drops to each machine (perhaps 8-10 pieces of equipment with gates on each) I never run more than 2 -3 machines at once (planner & joiner being the most CFM) Should my main lines be 4 inch or can my DC handle 6” and will this be more efficient? Thanks!

[Lou_williams]

Go to this web site, I am not telling you to buy from here but they have the right information on the design of your system. Flow rates for each tool. Right size piping, resistance of pipe and elbows. Etc.

http://www.airhand.com/index.html

Lou

[Glen]

Lou gave you a great site for info. They will tell you to stay away from PVC. I agree with them but still use it. It's easier to make blast gates w\ pcv and its quieter. Grounding as you mentioned is critical. Be sure to gorund it inside and outside.
When I first put mine in I scoffed at the grounding issues thinkin hey its connected to my grounded machinery right? WRONG
I took a couple little zaps, but admittedly it took one healthy wholop one morning and now we're grouned. A tell tale sign of inadequate grounding is that you'll see dust or 'fuzz' stuck to your pipes.
Another lesson I learned. I also enclosed my collector to dampen noise and keep residual dust out of the shop. Out of site-out of mind right? well I perhaps didn't tighten the bottom bag enough or let things fill up to much but the bottom bag came free. Yes it was a mess indeed. The trashcan seperaters work great I have two, one on each port.

Glen

[Sonny Edmonds]

Well sure sounds like a nice big shop to me.
I wouldn't recommend "furnace filters" for your returning air since it sounds like you may want it back for heat purposes.
Furnace filters simply can't catch enough of the fine stuff that can escape the DC. Nothings perfect.
Even if you never had an experiance like Glen did with the bag separation, the fine stuff gets out anyway here and there. So you cannot put 100% trust in even the "tight" bags with the low micron cleaning claims.
In fact, the tighter the filtering of the bag, the more the likelyhood of the finer stuff finding it's way through the "cracks" in the presure side of the blower and system. Where the discharge connects, the bag joints, even the seam in the blower houseing itself.
The air filter is a great thing to run. But with folks being so concerned with dust masks, it runs across my grain to keep the "dirty" air in the shop going round and round with the DC.
Golly, how much can an air filter stand?
I know the DC will leak micro fine dust. That's the stuff we all have around the shop, no matter what. And my DC systems are both drawn on from the outside of my shop and the micro fine dust can be found inside anyway. Part of the play.
You might get some ideas about 4" plastic from my web page. Good, bad or indifferent. Your also welcome to use any and all pictures or text for your shop if you'd like.
I rarely ever have more that one machine delivering to the DC at once. But often have all three systems on at the same time. The 4". the 2 1/2" shop vac, and the air filter. Even if the big door is open.
It keeps the mess down to minimal. And I use x-10 stuff to operate my auxillary equipment, myself. Makes better use of my shop time for me.
Anyhow, that's how I did it.
Good luck and work safe!
Sonny
http://home.earthlink.net/~sonnypie/

[todd.crow]

You want to use 6" for your main lines, and gradually work down to the 4" at the mackines. Keep your flex hose runs as short as possible. To the best of my knowledge, the Griz has a 5" intake port, convert that to 6". I have the Delta 1200CFM unit, and have built the Wood Magazine designed cyclone. Works great for my 20x20 shop.

http://members.telocity.com/~todd.crow/Cyclone5.jpg

If you want the best CFM that your blower can put out, you need to replace the stock bags with some aftermarket felt ones, and the bigger the better! The Oneida bags I have are twice size of the stock bags, and they are felt so they breath much easier.

Todd Crow

http://members.telocity.com/~todd.crow