Just cut up my Dust Gorilla...long

[Rick Potter]

Well, I have been debating for months about running my Onieda 3 HP dust gorilla through the outside wall of the shop, eliminating the filter.

Couple days ago I started sanding a bunch of park bench slats to refinish them. The DC hardly picked up anything. Barrel empty, ran compressed air over the outside of the filter, tapped the outside of the filter. This gave me a little bit in the bottom pan, but not much, so I removed the filter. It didn't really look all that bad at all. A lot less dust than I expected.

I decided to run a test, put some water in a trash barrel and wet the sides, to catch any dust in the system, put the barrel under the open 8" elbow where the filter goes and let 'er rip. Lots of air flow, but no dust, thank goodness. While it ran, I took a stick and rapped all the fittings while opening gates one at a time, to see if anything was clogged. Nothing.

Then I scientifically tested for suction, holding my hand over the gates, one at a time. Big difference from when the filter was on, noticably more flow than with a clean filter.

Soooo, I decided this was the time to do it or quit talking about it. Today, I took off the big yellow 8" elbow that the filter hangs on, and cut out all the spot welds with my trusty $15 HF muffler cutter, breaking it loose from the square to round adaptor on the DC. This will allow me to rotate it on the adaptor so that the elbow will be horizontal and aiming toward the wall. I plan to get it situated, then put some pop rivets on to hold it, covering the junction with foil tape. Then a couple of 8" elbows, and a three foot piece of pipe through the wall.

Tomorrow I will decide whether to cut off the flange for the filter, because it is in the way, and looks pretty silly, hanging there on its side. If I can get the spot welds without making it irreversible I will go for it.

What tipped me over the edge on this project was the 38" drum sander. Years back, I had an 18" Delta drum sander and a 1 1/2 HP Onieda with the internal filter. At that time, they noted that sanding dust would clog the filter much more rapidly than anything else in the shop, so I never used the Onieda on the sander, and used a bag collector instead. Don't have one anymore.

Stay tuned. I will let you know how it works out. If it doesn't, I'll 'fess up to that too.

Rick Potter

PS: It's SoCal, heat loss is not a problem, the windows are open most of the time anyway. I do have an AC unit in the wall, but seldom need it.

[Keith Outten]

Rick,

A 3hp DC without bags and filters should give you amazing performance at the source. I am thinking about upgrading my old 1.5hp DC pump to a 3hp so I can run two CNC machines at the same time. Make sure you let us know what level of performance you get from the new configuration.
.

[Daryl Henderson]

I had the exact same problem you did with my 3hp Dust Gorilla losing suction. I talked to Oneida tech support several times. They were very helpful and we were to the point of them sending me a new filter.

Last ditch effort, I cranked up the compressed air to 100 psi and blew out the filter one last time (4th time in all) and it worked.

My system was less than 6 months old at the time and it had a HEPA filter with the metal cage.

Now I just turn up the pressure and blow it out regularly. Oneida surmised that the metal cage deflected enough air that it would not hurt the filter at that psi.

[Rick Potter]

Today I finished installing the exhaust pipe to the outside. As previously stated, I was gonna check and see if I could get the huge flange the filter hangs from off of the 8" elbow. I couldn't do it without ruining the elbow, so I attached it backward with the flange close to the cyclone, where it is not in the way. The elbow is now running horizontal, and I added one HD 8" elbow and a 3' length of 8" HVAC pipe going through the stucco outside wall. It worked perfectly, sticking out of the wall about 4".

I cut the stucco by drilling holes as closely as possible around the circle. I have about 1/2" of gap to caulk on the stucco, and the drywall inside was almost a perfect fit around the pipe.

After taping up the seams with HVAC foil tape, I fired it up. The first thing I noticed was that the Gorilla was MUCH quieter, how much I cannot know, but I can now carry on a conversation when it is on. As stated yesterday, the suction is noticably greater according to my hand-O-meter over the gates, but of course I don't know how much.

I tried using my 38" drum sander to check for improved operation and could tell it was eating sawdust somewhat better, but not a real great improvement. Then I noticed I was testing it with the 6X5" gate to the Unisaw open, as well as the 4" and 2 1/2" to the RAS. I shut the Unisaw gate, and there was a marked increase in flow at the sander (6" gate). Now it works much better, as I was hoping.

Final conclusion: It definitely helped, both in performance and noise level. If anyone is local and wants to check it out, I give paid tours.

Rick Potter

PS: An interesting side note: I had a 1 1/2 HP Onieda with the internal filter in my old shop, and removed the filter, and ran it through the wall also. For some reason it didn't make nearly the difference this one did, and also seemed to GAIN in noise level. Go figure. I modified that one because I had no intention of ever taking the whole darn thing apart to clean the filter again.

[Jim O'Dell]

I've never had filters on my Clear Vue...always ducted outside. My noise level in the shop is not bad. Easy to carry on a conversation with it running. Sounds like a small turbine running outside though. I can even hear my stereo with it, the TS and ear muffs on, but just barely. Glad the neighbors that direction are about 60 yards away and across a creek!! :D Jim.

[Dan Friedrichs]

Rick, you might want to check the motor's current draw to make sure it's still within the rated amperage. Some manufacturers rely on the filter restriction to keep the motor from drawing too much current.

I vent outside (using a baffle to separate out the big chunks) and would never do it any other way!

[Van Huskey]

Rick, you might want to check the motor's current draw to make sure it's still within the rated amperage. Some manufacturers rely on the filter restriction to keep the motor from drawing too much current.

I vent outside (using a baffle to separate out the big chunks) and would never do it any other way!

Interesting and potentially useful info, thanks!

[Rick Potter]

That's a thought. I have an electrician friend. I'll ask him, and put in on the thread...might be a week or longer though.

Wouldn't the restriction in my system be enough?

Rick Potter

[Phil Thien]

Wouldn't the restriction in my system be enough?

Rick Potter

Probably, but still worthwhile to check.

[Jim Becker]

Rick, when you can exhaust outside like this, it's a really nice thing. Do be sure that you have protection over the vent to insure that critters cannot enter your cyclone system from outside...but I suspect you already thought about that!

[Rick Potter]

Yup, putting some hardware cloth over it.

I also found out that you don't close all the windows and doors then use the collector. The effeciency went down after a couple minutes. I checked everything and it was ok. It didn't dawn on me what had happened until I opened the door, and almost got hit in the face, as air was sucked in.

I will write a 'Village Idiot' post about that later.

Rick Potter

PS: First time in months I have shut all the windows.

[Chris Parks]

Yup, putting some hardware cloth over it.

I also found out that you don't close all the windows and doors then use the collector. The effeciency went down after a couple minutes. I checked everything and it was ok. It didn't dawn on me what had happened until I opened the door, and almost got hit in the face, as air was sucked in.

I will write a 'Village Idiot' post about that later.

Rick Potter

PS: First time in months I have shut all the windows.

If the amperage did not go over the top then it most probably never will. The legendery smoke is still trapped in the motor isn't it?

[Ed Labadie]

Oneida sells an adapter to hook an 8" pipe to the outlet if you don't use a filter.

Ed

[Angie Orfanedes]

Amen. I've had my HF dust collector (2HP, I think) exhausting outside with no filter for over a year, and it works very well. I have a Thien baffle which takes almost everything out of the airstream. When the system gets a lot of fines from MDF (ugh), some of that makes it to the outside world, but usually the exhaust stream is just about clear of visible particles. From the outside, it sounds like a turbo clothes dryer - much quieter than those leaf blowers that everyone uses...

[Jim Becker]

Rick, you might want to check the motor's current draw to make sure it's still within the rated amperage. Some manufacturers rely on the filter restriction to keep the motor from drawing too much current.

Oneida prohibits running their systems without duct work on the inlet, but there isn't any issue that I'm aware of with running the exhaust side "free and clear". If it weren't for the seasonal issue with A/C and heat, I'd consider venting outside myself, but with everything in a large fit for purpose closet with baffled venting back into my shop, there is little impetus for me to do that here.