Thread: To cyclone or not to cyclone?

Originally Posted by RSD

What are the drawbacks of not having a cyclone?

You’ll be emptying the plastic bag constantly and your pleated filters will be buggered in no time.

A stir with the paddle regularly then a 3 or 6 monthly reverse flush (depends on use) keeps the pleated filter in good condition IMO.

I’ve heard (no personal experience) that any small chips of wood that don’t get separated by the baffle can punch tiny holes in the filter medium thereby allowing very fine dust to escape. I’ve also read that the cleaning paddles can damage the pleats.

No problems with mine. It’s in a self contained extractor shed and very little if any dust in the extractor shed. My filter would be approx. 5 years old. THe filter material is very tough - not like a vehicle air filter.

Without a cyclone, everything it sucks goes through the DC... passing thru the impeller blades on the way.

The stuff a cyclone separates out is generally the heavier stuff that settles to the bottom of the DC bag first.

I can't say that I've ever heard of anyone having splinters of any size puncturing filters, whether pleated medium or fibre bag, unless some serious mishandling or lack of maintenance had occurred.

Punctured liner bags on the bottom, yeah... that's where the splinters gravitate to, after all. But the upper stages?


Where cyclones are good is in the fact that they do separate out the particulate. Heavier pieces in the cyclone and the nasty fine stuff in the DC.

You basically end up with a bin of waste that can be used quite safely on the garden... and as a side benefit is much more user friendly when it comes to fossicking for geegaws and doodads that were accidentally sucked up

And the second bag of waste from the DC? That bag contains pure unadulterated evil. Fortunately, with a cyclone you don't have to mess with it anywhere near as often as one does without a cyclone, as most of the bulk goes out in the cyclone bin.

One possible option that has come to mind tonight is to have the dust collector in the small space outside, and the cyclone inside the woodwork workshop. I think that the cyclone is largely a sealed unit so hopefully that might work out OK.

Originally Posted by RSD

One possible option that has come to mind tonight is to have the dust collector in the small space outside, and the cyclone inside the woodwork workshop. I think that the cyclone is largely a sealed unit so hopefully that might work out OK.

This is what I do. Mind you... my 'cyclone' is not a cyclone. It's just a cyclone shaped baffle box sitting on a wheelie bin. It does need modification to make it more practical but it does work!