Dust Collector Filter PSA

[packerguy®]

Lots of dust accumulates in there, even regular spins with the fin cleaner.

Ive noticed a reduction in suction the past week....so I investigated the filter.

There was a 5 gallon bucket of dust built up in there...even with daily spins of the cleaner. I was amazed how dust kept coming down....it was like 2-3 minutes of spinning and banging.

Good news its like a new DC now.

Another PSA...only do if you have a good filter box in the shop.

[Cdshakes]

sounds like it's time for a 2stage setup for ya...someone call phil thien.

[fredhargis]

I've heard others say the dust flap doesn't do as well as one would like. You might get even more out of it if you lay it on the floor, pick up one end about 12" and drop it. That's one of the things i used to do...need to rotate it about 1/4 turn and repeat.

[Steve N]

A spin spin while also doing a open palm thumpa thumpa lightly from the outside makes a lot happen too. Just know when the DC suddenly is just that loud noise over there, you are getting filled up, and service is required. I think you can throw money at it, or just know it's not perfect and needs some help occasionally. I like throwing the $$$$ at more wood


I looked at several different brands in my very long search. Jet DC units, and the spinners on those are junk, flip it, and it will freewheel for a long time. The Laguna's, and the Grizz offered the most resistance, and you really needed to crank both to move them. Other brands fell in between. I am NOT a rokeeet scientist, but I think the difference is the Griz and the Laguna are either tighter fitted to the drum, or just have longer bristles Anyhow, Ima thinking if there is resistance, perhaps you are getting more bristle contact, and therefore more clean per spin WhatdoIknow........

[packerguy®]

Yea, I think its going to soon be my next capital improvement.

Its a makeshift cyclone. I got a metal cyclone, put a 30 gallon metal can below, took a Jet 1200 DC split the motor and mounted above the cyclone, and put the filter and bag off to the side.

I got Oneida's optical sensor and mounted it to the can. Normally I get nothing in the bag unless the can over fills....it happens a few times where the light goes off, and I plane a few more passes and some gets sucked through.

But with it constantly running, I have been thinking about upgrading. Ive been waiting for the motor to jump the shark, you can hear the bearings click on shut down.....but it still going strong. Shocking really. I bet I have close to 7 or 8k hours on it......

I guess I just dont want to put down money twice. I am working to buy a building in the next few years, and when I do, Ill probably get a 5HP or larger cyclone.

[Curlycherry]

My friend has the 5 Hp Grizzly with the bags at the bottom of the pleated filters. One day while he had been putting in a lot of hours in the shop (like 80+ hour weeks) he forgot to rattle the filters for a while. All of a sudden ka-pow one of the bags blew up. Turns out when the filters get plugged the pressure goes up and the next weakest link is the plastic bags. He learned to be more diligent with running the rattle bar around them.

[Steve N]

I had a KAPOWWWW at the old shop. It was an uninsulated barn, and it was about 6* outside. I had a 220K salamander diesel heater going full on, and it was a toasty 65* inside. I had no DC at all in that shop, I just did the "Rhino clean up" once in awhile with the door open, and a leaf blower

I had been sawing almost nonstop for the best part of an hour, and the air was just absolutely filled with dust. MY Kapowww was from the open flame of the salamander, and all that perfectly mixed airborn dust. It flashed, BOOM, and totally burned it all off in a heartbeat, almost needed to change my shorts though

Really fortunate for a really quick, complete burn, nothing caught on fire. I probably had 6K bd/ft of hardwood in there. I bought a cheeeep HF DC unit the next day, just something to knock it down a bit. I have seen people swear on here it can't happen. I can attest it can, and I never want to see that again.