Best home shop dust collector with outside venting

[davco]

I am in the process of assembling a ClearVue Cyclone that vents outside.  I have done a lot of research, but since it's not running yet, my practical experience is lacking.  Anyway, here's my research summary.

The best forum for dust collection is in Australia:  https://www.woodworkforums.com/f200  In particular there is an active member there named BobL who worked in clean room technology at a university and has a wealth of knowledge.  Most of what I have learned is from that forum.  It's much easier to digest than Bill Pentz.

Often the most inexpensive way to improve the air quality in your shop is through ventilation.  You want fans at one end and inlet at the other end with as few dead spots as possible.  Most of the fans are far too optimistic in their ratings, so target 20 air changes an hour.  Centrifugal fans work better than axial fans.

For duct work, you want 6", either metal or PVC.  Don't assume PVC is cheaper.

That forum has a lot of details on how to modify a 2HP dust collector to work better:  https://www.woodworkforums.com/f200/gene...-dc-171247  Even after all the work, it won't be great, but venting outside covers a lot of sins.

Cyclones rob a lot of static pressure from the system, so effective cyclones start in the 4-5HP range.  If that's too expensive, then I would stick with a bag collector, especially since you are venting outside.  Put the DC outside protected from the weather or inside an air tight closet that vents outside.   You can use 30 micron bags to maximize air flow.  The Powermatic PM1900 is a 3HP bag collector with a 14" impeller and 8" inlet is supposed to work well.  I have seen these come up for sale on Craigslist list in my area several times.  The collector needs at least a 13" impeller.  Just because a collector is rated for 3 HP, if the impeller is small or the inlet is restricted, the HP is wasted.  My impression is that the Powermatic would be roughly equivalent in power to a ClearVue Cyclone.

In your pricing consider duct work because it often costs as much as the collector, sometimes more.  In the used market, look for people who setup their entire shop and then have to move.  Now they have all this duct work to disassemble, which you could help with for a significant discount.

I looked and looked and looked for "simple and effective" solutions for dust collection and concluded that other than ventilation, there is no free lunch.

Good luck.

Mark

Thanks Mark, I'm already using metal stove pipe throughout my shop.  I just recently read on one of the product sites never to use PVC piping due to fire hazard, something about static electrical charge I forget now. I'd have to dig up the site where I read it.  If I find it I'll let you know.

Here's a bit about it:  https://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/P...ot%20exist.

[jteneyck]

I am in the process of assembling a ClearVue Cyclone that vents outside.  I have done a lot of research, but since it's not running yet, my practical experience is lacking.  Anyway, here's my research summary.

The best forum for dust collection is in Australia:  https://www.woodworkforums.com/f200  In particular there is an active member there named BobL who worked in clean room technology at a university and has a wealth of knowledge.  Most of what I have learned is from that forum.  It's much easier to digest than Bill Pentz.

Often the most inexpensive way to improve the air quality in your shop is through ventilation.  You want fans at one end and inlet at the other end with as few dead spots as possible.  Most of the fans are far too optimistic in their ratings, so target 20 air changes an hour.  Centrifugal fans work better than axial fans.

For duct work, you want 6", either metal or PVC.  Don't assume PVC is cheaper.

That forum has a lot of details on how to modify a 2HP dust collector to work better:  https://www.woodworkforums.com/f200/gene...-dc-171247  Even after all the work, it won't be great, but venting outside covers a lot of sins.

Cyclones rob a lot of static pressure from the system, so effective cyclones start in the 4-5HP range.  If that's too expensive, then I would stick with a bag collector, especially since you are venting outside.  Put the DC outside protected from the weather or inside an air tight closet that vents outside.   You can use 30 micron bags to maximize air flow.  The Powermatic PM1900 is a 3HP bag collector with a 14" impeller and 8" inlet is supposed to work well.  I have seen these come up for sale on Craigslist list in my area several times.  The collector needs at least a 13" impeller.  Just because a collector is rated for 3 HP, if the impeller is small or the inlet is restricted, the HP is wasted.  My impression is that the Powermatic would be roughly equivalent in power to a ClearVue Cyclone.

In your pricing consider duct work because it often costs as much as the collector, sometimes more.  In the used market, look for people who setup their entire shop and then have to move.  Now they have all this duct work to disassemble, which you could help with for a significant discount.

I looked and looked and looked for "simple and effective" solutions for dust collection and concluded that other than ventilation, there is no free lunch.

Good luck.

Mark

Cyclones do result in substantial SP loss but a 2 HP unit may still work fine.  It does for me.  I have a 2 HP Grizzly with, I can't remember, an 11 or 12" fan that was rated for 1200 cfm, IIRC.  Anyway, I mounted it on top of an aftermarket cyclone and duct the exhaust out a window.  It works well enough to handle any of my machines, one at a time, including my new 17" Grizzly bandsaw with 16" resaw capacity which generates an amazing amount of sawdust.  I lose 4 to 4-1/2" of SP through the cyclone, but that still gvies me something like 800 CFM and that's more than enough for any of my machines.  Getting rid of the bag filters gave me back most of the SP I lose to the cyclone.  When I had both the cyclone and bag filters the performance was too low to handle the bandsaw.  

Bigger is often better, but cost often dictates a compromise.  

FWIW, I live in NY, too, and have no issues with it getting too hot or cold in my basement shop even if I run my DC for an hour straight, which I often do.  In full disclosure, I do have heat in my shop, and a dehumidifier in the summer to deal with the RH.

[rwe2156]

I'd be looking hard at Clear Vue CV 1800 You can buy them without filters. Designed by Pentz isn't a bad thing, either. Be aware 5HP requires a 30A dedicated circuit, and remote on/off is not included.

The bit about PVC/static/dust explosions has been thoroughly debunked.

With PVC you can get static build up with low humidity climate, so it pays to ground any flex with wires and metal blast gates.

[davco]

I'd be looking hard at Clear Vue CV 1800  You can buy them without filters.  Designed by Pentz isn't a bad thing, either. Be aware 5HP requires a 30A dedicated circuit, and remote on/off is not included.

The bit about PVC/static/dust explosions has been thoroughly debunked. 

With PVC you can get static build up with low humidity climate, so it pays to ground any flex with wires and metal blast gates.

Looks like a great machine, but the vertical footprint maybe too much for my garage ceiling, need to measure when I'm back home again.