Dust Removal vs Dust Collection

[Billy Alexander]

I'm new here so this is my first post. I've looked at other dust collection posts but didn't see my question discussed. My shop is set in a wooded/rural location and I'm wondering why not just design a system using info from this site to exhaust the dust to the outside of the shop and not collect it? Seems that would result in higher air flows if the dust wasn't "filtered".
Thanks in advance

Billy Alexander

[Dave Gaul]

By ALL MEANS, if you can vent directly to the outside without filters, you will have maximum performance.

If you can just use a standard 2hp + DC motor & blower, and send the chips & dust outside into a pile, it would be just about perfect!

Many do not have this option! As long as you can without disturbing neighbors and such, go for it!

Someone on here has done it, they ran a large pipe off the discharge of their DC over a long distance to the back of their property into the woods in a big pile...

[Philip Rodriquez]

Yes, this question does come up. If your area allows it, it is a great way to go because you won't have any filters to clean!

[Charles Wiggins]

Billy,

If you have the option to exhuast outside go for it. There are a couple of reasons to consider a closed system that returns the air through a filter rather and blowing it outside.

1) Heating & Cooling - If you live in an area with extreme temperatures you may want to consider a closed system so you aren't blowing your warmed or cooled air outdoors and sucking cold or hot air in from outside. It gets hot and muggy here and I work in a nice cool basement with a dehumidifier running so I would not be too keen on pulling hot moist air in from outside just to avoid using a filter.

2) Fumes from gas appliances (furnace, water heater). My shop space is in our basement along with our gas hot water heater. I was concerned that running a DC system would pull the exhaust from the water heater out into the room, until I was assured that would not be a problem with a closed system. Of course the fumes would eventually be exhausted with all of the rest of the air, but in the meantime if that exhaust was coming right through your workspace it might lead to some unpleasant ill effects.

My 2 cents,
Charles

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi Billy, there are a few issues with that approach;

- noise

- dust emissions

- make up air

I understand that in your situation the first two issues may not be an issue.

The third item may not be an issue for you if you aren't concerned about losing heated/chilled air from the shop and have no fuel burning appliances such as furnaces, water heaters etc.

If you don't have a problem with those three issues, go ahead and blow the dust outside.

Regards, Rod.

[Billy Alexander]

Dave,

Thanks for your reply. What would be a typical 2 hp motor set up are they available pre-built or would I have to fabricate the motor/blower?

Billy

[Bruce Seidner]

Tennessee is pretty temperate most of the year and my brother-in-law has a large cabinet shop under roof with one long side of the building open to the outdoors. Now that is a system.

[Travis Gunn]

Billy,
I'm in a similar situation in Central Tx. I used a HF 2hp dust collector. (Search this sight, others have posted pix of similar set ups.) Just used the moter & blower, built a Thein seperator using about a 30 gal. plastic barrell. (that collects all chips & most dust), then piped the exhaust outside. It eliminates the need of a filter. Only a small amount of dust ends up on the ground outside. (Stirs up a good cloud when you run your lawn mower over it:). )
When my barrell needs to be emptied I can put it in my designated "burn" pile to dispose of what I collected.
Hope this helps.

Travis

[michael osadchuk]

Billy,
I'm in a similar situation in Central Tx. I used a HF 2hp dust collector. (Search this sight, others have posted pix of similar set ups.) Just used the moter & blower, built a Thein seperator using about a 30 gal. plastic barrell. (that collects all chips & most dust), then piped the exhaust outside. It eliminates the need of a filter. Only a small amount of dust ends up on the ground outside. (Stirs up a good cloud when you run your lawn mower over it:). )
When my barrell needs to be emptied I can put it in my designated "burn" pile to dispose of what I collected.
Hope this helps.

Travis

Ditto what Travis is clarifying: capture the chips and most dust in a chip bin below the metal ring of a single stage collector, consider building in a Thein separator baffle in the ring of the collector, plug the top of the collector ring and put a 8" 'stovepipe' type ducting thru this plywood plug to exhaust the fine dust particles outside.
Google something like 'thien baffle separator' to get to the forum that some various homemade separator installations, along on this site a few people have posted photos of their ducting to the outside.

good luck

michael

[Michael Koch]

Bill, I did just what you are thinking about. I used a 1 1/2 hp blower motor mouted to the outside of my shop, changed all my machines to accept a 6" pipe and ran a 6' s&d pipe to the woods. I put blast gates with automatic switches. It has plenty of power. Now I never have to empty a bag. Hope this helps....MK

[Steve Peterson]

You should get great results if you can suck all the dust away from your machines and vent it outside without the restictions caused by cyclones and filters. Try to position the exhaust so the prevailing winds blow the dust away from the shop.

One caution: You might not be able to just buy a 2HP HF dust collector and run it wide open. Removing the filters might move too much air, causing the motor to burn out. An unrestricted blower requires more power (larger motor) because the amount of air that is being moved. Most ready-made DCs have motors that are just large enough to power the blower when the filters are in place.

Steve

[Mike Cruz]

I would say that you have three issues with directly shooting the dust outside: The first is that you are taking all the hot or cold air from your shop and "wasting" it, unless it is a comfy 70 something outside; Seconly, you will have no way of controlling the humidity in the shop...whatever it is outside is what it will be in your shop; And lastly, depening on how much saw dust you create, you will be making a "pile" outside that WILL attract termites. Believe me, I used to spread the dust/chips from my old shop at my old house and thought I was doing the neatest thing in the world...until I rustled up a bit of it one day to find a really nice thriving nest of termites... So I checked a couple other locations of my spreadings... more termites...

Just some food for thought.