Venting

[Jared Greenberg]

I am in the process of purchasing an Epilog Mini 24 and could be here as early as next Thursday.

I have read through many posts and threads about the venting process and really haven't found much that suits my situation.

This was my plan:

Put the laser in the laundry room downstairs. I would have the mini dust collector in the same room. I would box in the blower to reduce the noice in the room while working. I would then vent the laser through the dryer vent outside rather than cutting holes in the house.

My two main concerns (as everyone elses) are outside noise and smell. I live in a residential area and there's about 25 feet between houses. So we're pretty close, separated by a fence.

I have read about mufflers (which I understand the concept-but would have no idea how to make) and I understand there is the smell that is being brought outside.

We are going to be engraving, maple, birch and ashl 100% of the time. We won't be doing any acrylic or rubber stamps that give off a very strong odor.

I don't necessarily needs suggestions as to which blower to get (as I've read many of those), I understand how to get a box around it and apply some noise reducing foam. I will get getting one of the Christmas light switches for automatic on/off.

I guess here are the questions:

1) Can I just use normal dryer duct and hook it up to the dryer vent outside? I would say the blower would be about 10 feet max from the outside vent
2) What are the ways I could reduce outside noise and odor
3) What other recommendations/advice would you pass along to building this?

I have appreciated the help in the past on the forum when I started looking and thinking about this purchase back in 2007. Its time now.

[Doug Griffith]

A few things off the top of my head:

1) mount the blower on rubber vibration mounts
2) plumb the vent using hard tubing with as few bends as possible
3) install a couple shut-off valves to prevent backflowing into the dryer
4) if just etching wood, you probably don't need to worry about the smell
5) use an industrial rated switch instead of a christmas light switch

Cheers,
Doug

[Darren Null]

3a) Ditto the laser- you don't want all that moisture blowing back into your laser.

[Joe Pelonio]

I'd say no to the dryer vent!

If I had time I'd take apart my vent hose and show you the buildup of reside on the inside. I have to take it apart annually to clean or replace and it's only 5' long. Dryers need a clean shot of tubing to prevent overheating and fire, their own debris (lint) is bad enough, add wood debris to it and you are asking for trouble. Especially if the dryer vent is ribbed, the laser vent is best with smooth tubing like metal or PVC/ABS pipe. As for the smell, it will be much like a fire in the fireplace and not likely that people will notice during the cooler times of year, but in summer you might get some raised eyebrows.

[Dan Hintz]

See my posts in this recent thread... since you're doing wood (which gives off quite a bit of particulate matter), I suggest including the electronic electrostatic precipitator to cut down on filter replacement frequency.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=118310

[Jared Greenberg]

See my posts in this recent thread... since you're doing wood (which gives off quite a bit of particulate matter), I suggest including the electronic electrostatic precipitator to cut down on filter replacement frequency.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=118310


Thanks for the replies and suggestions.

Dan have you had time to snap a few pictures of your scrubber? And the set up in relation to the laser itself?

[Michael Simpson Virgina]

As far as noise goes the mini will probably be as noisy as the blower. In any case my blower is mounted outside inside one of those deck boxes. Works pretty good.