Thread: Choices, Choice, Which dust extractor?

I'm getting my head around this (and have read quite a lot of threads!) - but put me straight if necessary;

I'm building a new workshop (thread in the sheds section) and my original intention was to get a DE on wheels inside the shed to connect to whatever I was using with a short hose - at least in the short term. But the thought of leading it all outside makes more sense from a noise POV as well as not having to deal with the dust that is released back into the air. So I was looking at getting a cheap but powerful DE like the DC7. If I run it first through a Thien cyclone made with a 44 gallon drum, from what you were saying I could then dispose of the filter bags as well as the catcher bags and just have the rest of the (much smaller) unit in a vented box (protected from the elements and to reduce noise)? And I could have this box at the other end of the shed away from the window and away from the house (up to 10 metres from the machines)? And it would make sense to connect the two (cyclone and DE) with a 150mm solid pipe even though the inlet to the dust extractor is presumably 100mm? (as would be the outlets from all the machinery).

BTW - I have a 5 acre block so I am a long way from our washing let alone anyone else's!

TIA

Cheers,

Malcolm

10 metres is a long way and there will be ducting losses. One thing I can assure you is it won't be cheap to install 150mm pipe. Simply put, I reckon DE requires a lot of folding money to be truly effective so just forget the word cheap and get the best. You might be best to do some duct loss calcs on BP's site to see if the machine you intend to use will have the capacity to work over 10 metres. If I was on five acres I wouldn't need a DC, I would build a shed with opening sides and big eaves so it had crossflow ventilation and when used it would be completely open down both sides. The concrete pad would go right out under the eaves and a lot of work could be done out there. Dreams......

Thanks for your help Chris.

I think for the time being I will locate both the DE and the Thein as close as possible to the machines, while still being accessible to empty etc. Probably with 4 inch pipe because that is easy. This will place them under the window I got from the tip shop (nice just needs the reveals replaced) but it is no big deal to close if it looks like dust is being blown back inside. But do you think just using the DC7 just for the motor is reasonable? If I use the filter bags you have the clogging/lowered efficiency issues, and also the height - I'd rather it was under the floor - don't want a lean to on my new shed! - and I'd have to dig quite a hole to fit a DE with filters and collection bags.

The outside thing is what I do at the moment (and still can if I wheel things out onto the new deck - but I think I have been fooling myself that this solves the dust issue unless there is quite a breeze blowing. And while I do live in paradise, we do have some cooler weather when its nice to be inside and bloody mozzies ... when its nice to be inside!

I don't know what the specs are on the DC7. All the specs on these things are dodgy anyway, you either have to measure them yourself or take the chance that it will work. It should work but how well over 10 metres is anyones guess. In theory by not using the bags and venting to the atmosphere the DC should give you a better performance, that is if the original measurements were done with the bags and the figures weren't fudged and the sun aligns with the moon on the 15th of the month at 1 AM. I do wonder if the fan figures are done on 240V or 110V, the line frequency giving differences in CFM flowed. They all come out of the same factory, they just bung a 240V motor on ours instead of a 110V motor for the US/Canada.

I think I will give it a go on the 'suck it and see' principle as I am now not doing the 10 metre thing ... if it works well enough it frees up a bit of cash for more exciting things (you can't really invite your mates around to have a play with your fancy dust extractor can you?)

The only specs quoted are 3hp and 2300cfm and as you say I doubt if anyone is actually checking that.

Originally Posted by mcsblues

I think I will give it a go on the 'suck it and see' principle as I am now not doing the 10 metre thing ... if it works well enough it frees up a bit of cash for more exciting things (you can't really invite your mates around to have a play with your fancy dust extractor can you?)

No, but if you are crook from sucking wood dust will you be able to invite your mates around? Overly dramatic? Bill Pentz wouldn't think so. Maybe we get carried away with all this DE stuff, but 30 years ago I like most Australians smoked and a lot of people said it was safe. It stands to reason that wood dust can't be anything but harmful based on what we know now. Just an observation from my POV, read nothing more into it.