Thread: Jet 3HP Cyclone Dusty

I was quoted $2600 for the Baileigh 3hp Unit - My real reasoning looking at going for the baileigh unit and upgrading the motor to a 3ph 60hz was because of the noise as this is something that will be a real problem with neighbours.

The only thing that is holding me back on the clearvue is noise...

Originally Posted by jms_8087

I was quoted $2600 for the Baileigh 3hp Unit - My real reasoning looking at going for the baileigh unit and upgrading the motor to a 3ph 60hz was because of the noise as this is something that will be a real problem with neighbours.

The only thing that is holding me back on the clearvue is noise...

The clearvue is noisy if you don't do anything to attenuate the sound. However, I assume that any machine that flows as much air and uses a 15" or 16" impeller at 60 Hz would create a similar amount of noise.

With a bit of work, it isn't difficult to attenuate the sound from the clearvue in my opinion. At least for a vented setup. Not sure if it's louder when using the filter stacks.

I used R 2.5 acoustic rated HVAC ducting for my exhaust, then wrapped that in gaffa tape (the outer duct layer was easily torn), then wrapped that in some acoustic batt material and a layer of aluminium house-wrap stuff from bunnings (those last two layers actually didn't do much at all - the HVAC and tape on their own were enough). I also used some bitumen tape around the exhaust port as the perspex there was resonating a bit and this dampened some of the high frequency noise from that area.

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The noisiest areas after that were from the impeller housing and the inlet. I used some floor acoustic matting around these areas, which helped reduce the higher frequency noise coming from these (maybe 3 to 6 dB total reduction here).

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With the Cyclone running at 60Hz it's quieter than my old 2HP Carbatec unit, and is not annoying and well below the need for hearing protection in my garage. My table saw and thicknesser (helical head) sound noisier (even without cutting).

Outside the garage, directly outside the wall on which the Clearvue is mounted, the noise level is very low; below a quiet conversation level. I can actually hear my thicknesser nearly as much (when it isn't even cutting but with the dust port open). If any of my machines are actually cutting then these are far louder than the Clearvue. As previously stated, there is virtually no noise from the actual exhaust point on my roof; about the same as an air-conditioning or heating unit. Just rushing air.

If I run the cyclone at 50Hz it's very very quiet both inside and out. My shop vac would be WAY noisier.

There is a bit of work involved in setting the thing up and even doing the simple attenuation mods, but it's no big deal. The hardest part is actually just figuring out the bits and pieces you need and finding a source for them rather than the actual work.

One other thing I did that may or may not help the noise levels is I mounted my Clearvue on additional rubber isolation mounts to reduce mechanical vibration transfer and any resultant noise due to vibration into the wall studs etc.

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I think I am almost convinced, Did you go for the 1800 or the max ? I never thought about the fact I could run it at 50Hz should I need to late at night.

If you ran it at 45hz it would probably still be more efficient than most other models.

Despite an obvious knowledge of dust collection it still amazes me that manufacturers sell dusty's with large intakes then show them working with one 4" hose connected to a 3 port choke. Amazing
just saying!

Cheers, Ian

Originally Posted by jms_8087

I think I am almost convinced, Did you go for the 1800 or the max ? I never thought about the fact I could run it at 50Hz should I need to late at night.

I went for the cv1800 but with the 16" impeller from the cvmax. Theoretically this would provide more total pressure and higher flow through 6" ducting than the 15", albeit at a higher amp draw.

If you have any inclination to run 8" main lines then go the cvmax.

Also, make sure you have a 15amp outlet or preferably a 20amp. My cv1800 with 16" impeller pulls about 19amps. The electrician told me the wiring and breaker are rated at 20amps in my circuit.

The VFD allows you to run at any frequency you want between 0 and 400hz that is adjustable with a dial. You can program it with limits eg. 65hz at the high end to ensure you dont accidentally send your clearvue to space ��.

In hindsight. Maybe I'd just go the CVMax, even if I wasn't planning on running 8" ducting. I don't really see any disadvantages. In the USA the cost is higher, but here the cost difference between the two is really negligible.

Originally Posted by DomAU

Longer cyclones are supposed to do a better job of separating the dust all other things being equal...

That is why I built the longer Pentz design (Cone Length Ratio of 3). Not difficult to do, although I did get a local sheet metal firm to roll the cone for me as they had larger enough rollers for that. I'm still amazed at how little dust gets through to the drop bag below the filter housing. The only time I have ever found any sign of dust there is when I have let the bottom of cylone cone get plugged from an overfull bin.

Back when I made mine quite a few years ago there were no 15" impellers available here. Bill suggested I run a pair of the smaller locally available units in parallel (dampened separately for load balancing and to regulate max overall flow) to achieve optimum performance, but I didn't have the space to implement his suggestion. This may be a solution for someone.

I'm planning on a second workshop (don't ask) and will go with the Clearview for that, although it only has the shorter cone ratio (understandable given the workshop sizes in which it is typically installed), the fan unit and controls are the deciding factor for me. The actual cyclone is secondary as you can always construct that yourself from whatever to the Pentz specification.

Originally Posted by DomAU

The noisiest areas after that were from the impeller housing and the inlet. I used some floor acoustic matting around these areas, which helped reduce the higher frequency noise coming from these (maybe 3 to 6 dB total reduction here).

Dom - thanks for sharing your experience of the Clearview.

Have you done any actual dB meter readings?

Originally Posted by NeilS

Dom - thanks for sharing your experience of the Clearview.

Have you done any actual dB meter readings?

Yes i have. With proper calibrated equipment. I get less than 80dB(A) at 1m and less than 75dB(A) at 3m inside my garage. Outside the garage its less than 50dB(A).

Originally Posted by DomAU

Yes i have. With proper calibrated equipment. I get less than 80dB(A) at 1m and less than 75dB(A) at 3m inside my garage. Outside the garage its less than 50dB(A).

Thanks, Dom.

Those are very good numbers. The background level outside where I will have my next unit (it's in a very quiet area) is up to 50dB(A) on a still day and more when it is windy, so that augers well for venting outside.

I called the number on the clearvue site last week a couple of times and the number wasn't switched on..

The little envelope beside the Aussie flag gets you to a page that lets you send a message. Their North America toll free number works but that likely doesn't help you much. Catherine Currier replied to my questions by email and by phone when I made some inquiries a little over a month ago. I found a Canadian company that puts in an order to them when they have a few orders and then ships them to us. Odd as it sounds I will save several hundred bucks through them over a direct order from ClearVue.

Pete

Catherine Currier invented the words "customer service".