a couple (more) dust collector questions

[ed kerns]

I'm in the beginning stages of setting up my used - but new to me- Super Dust Gorilla cyclone in my shop. I've made a couple of decisions so far. I think I know where I want to put it, and I think I'm going to vent it directly outside. As I'm walking through the installation in my mind, I have 3 initial questions that I'd appreciate some help and opinions on.
1) This used set-up came with a stand and a 35gal. fiber pack drum for collection. The ceiling height in my shop would allow be to raise the unit high enough to accommodate a 55gal drum. Basically I would just have to modify the stand and get a bigger drum, not much cost involved, but a little fiddling around. In your considered opinions, is this worth doing?
2) My understanding about efficiently running ducting requires just a few basic principals; Use as large of duct as possible, with as few and gentle turns as possible in as short of runs as possible. The question is, is that basically it, or should I pay someone to design my system? There is nothing remarkable about my shop, it's a 28'X 32" building with most of the usual equipment inside. I know folks like Oneida will design the system if I buy my ducting from them, but I have a bunch of stuff already that came with the collector.
3) Where I would like to put this collector requires that I hang some ducting underneath garage door track. There shouldn't be an obstruction problem, but it doesn't seem ideal either. My shop is not used as a garage and the door isn't opened often, but is there something here I'm not seeing? There are other places I could locate the collector and avoid this problem, but the ducting runs would be a bit more convoluted. Lastly, the bonus question, will venting the collector outdoors significantly increase the volume outside the shop? Neighbor's house is about 100' away with a few tree between, but I anticipate this thing to be loud enough already without adding extra noise in his direction. Thanks!

[fredhargis]

I have an SDG, and the first 4-5 years I used it I had a 55 gallon drum for a dust bin. We moved, and I lost ceiling height forcing me back to the factory 35 gallon. I really appreciated the extra volume the 55 gallon drum held and wish all the world I could still use it. That said, with the 55 gallon, I didn't line it with a bag, just wheeled it out to the yard when it was full and dumped it (we live in the country). With the 35 gallon, I can use 40 gallon yard waste bags and pull them out when it's full; quite a bit handier in the winter. Even so, I'd still go with the 55 gallon if I could.
My current shop is 24'x 32', and doing the duct work yourself shouldn't be a problem, especially if you use what you got. You have the basics, be sometimes you can't avoid a 90º el or some other less-than-perfect layout...don't fret it. Don't forget to do everything possible to get the largest ports on your tools as well.

The garage door thing will look a little funny, but to me it comes down to do what you have too. I can't imagine it not being a clearance problem, but you seem to have that aspect solved.

I've never vented my unit outside, so can only guess what the sound will be. But it seems to me like the noise outside will be mostly rushing air, which should be too bad. Compared to the motor running, tools running, and the rushing air through ductwork and the cyclone body inside the shop. But that's a guess; I just can't imagine it being too bad outside. You've thought through the heat thing (?) I guess, but I would think that would be a bigger problem in Michigan.

[ed kerns]

Thanks Fred. I live in the country too and have a little low land behind my shop where I've dumped chips for years. Its not quite as low as it used to be, but some day should be good compost - 55 gal it is. I agree that the duct running under the door track will look a little weird, but it should still be a bit over 6' high and it won't obstruct the door. I know I'll lose some heat in venting outdoors, it's a compromise, but I'm willing to deal with that.

[jteneyck]

1) Think about how you are going to empty the drum, and into what. To me it wouldn't be worth the effort to upsize to a 55 gal drum because it would be hard to move when full. But if you have an easy way to move and empty it then maybe the answer becomes yes.

2) The ducting diameter and length needs to be sized proportional to the CFM of your cyclone to maintain low static pressure but also to move the air at a minimum velocity. It's a balance. If the piping is too large the chips and dust will fall to the bottom of the piping and plug it up. Too small or long and the static pressure will get too high for the DC to move enough air to transport the dust and chips. There are on-line calculators, books, and folks selling DC equipment that will do the calculations. Don't wing it.

3) As long as the garage door can clear the ducting I think hanging it from the door track should be OK, but that's just a guess.

4) The noise will definitely go up outside. Whether it will be an annoyance to your neighbor is hard to say. I vent my DC outside when I use the fan of my DC as my spray booth exhaust. It's not really loud at 100 ft, but I know it's on. If you plan to vent it w/o going through a bag or filter, relying only on the cyclone to remove the dust, the neighbor might be more annoyed with the fine dust that drifts his way.

John

[ed kerns]

Thank you John. I will look into the online calculators for duct sizing and I have ordered a book on the subject. Frankly, I can't think of a duller subject, but I really want to get the best results I can. I think I can direct any fine dust so its not an issue for the neighbor. It'll vent into a brushy area well behind my neighbors house.

[fredhargis]

What Ken said about air movement, if you have the manual it will spell this out: but you need to check the amp draw on the unit after it's set up. Which brings up: venting outside will allow the unit to move more air (all other things being equal) and may increase to an motor overload. My system was overloading the motor from the getgo, only one of the many things that went wrong with mine (I'm in the minority with problems with an Oneida).

[ed kerns]

I really appreciate the input guys. This system had been in use by a previous owner for some time before I bought it, and I'm quite sure it was vented outside at that time. Unfortunately when I saw it, it was a pile of parts. The owner was vacating the building and selling out wall to wall. I have his word that everything was functioning well...but y'know.
There is a part of me that thinks there are guys who design systems for a living and a whole lot of those systems look remarkably similar to what I'm trying to do. It would be pretty easy for one of those guys to make a couple of tweaks without having to start at square one and reinvent the whole thing. I'm all about educating myself, but I'd like to get this thing up and running so I can get back to the business (well hobby) of woodworking.

[Ken Vick]

In addition to what John and Fred said, the motor will draw more current the larger the ducts. Make sure it doesn't draw more current than the motor is rated for. I'll also second what Fred said about enlarging your machine ports. A port proportionately small compared to the ducting is like putting a restriction in a water line. It is going to significantly impact the amount of air you move. It is easy to replace machine ports with larger home made ones. Ken