Originally Posted by
BobL
Good to hear you have a DC.
In case you are unaware;
If your DC uses 100mm ducting then no matter how powerful the DC is, this size ducting is too small to allow sufficient air flow to grab the dust at source.
The minimum diameter ducting that should be used is 150 mm and this requires at least a 3HP unit to use over some distance of ducting.
The 1 micron filter rating means very little without the efficiency rating at that micron size. Most so called "1 micron" rated filters are 70% efficient at 1 micron. This means 30% of the fine dust at 1 micron passes straight through the filter and out into the shed. for sizes smaller than 1 micron the percentage passing through will be much greater.
The main problem with all DCs and VCs is not usually the filter but that they all leak, some quite badly, and this cannot always be detected without expensive test gear and testing on a regular basis and who wants to be doing this instead of woodworking? If you can't locate the DC outside then an alternative is putting the DC inside an enclosure and venting that outside the shed.
Room air filters are a bit like masks, something to use after the DC system is fully optimised. Most wood working machines like sanders and routers will fill a shed with fine dust far faster than it can be removed by a room air filter. It's much better to grab the dust at source before it spreads that trying to round the dust up after it has reached every nook and cranny in the shed. It's more efficient $ wise to build an effective DC system than trying to patch things with a room air filter.
Room air filters are very useful to use in areas in which finishing is applied since they remove not just wood but all other dust as well.