Running a portable dust collector through the wall outside

[Michael Yadfar]

After looking into dust collector filters and separators, I thought up a solution that's a lot more simple, but maybe too simple; run a tube through the wall and run a cheap portable dust collector outside, and you won't have to worry about how efficiently it collects dust, all you need is good suction. My shop is so small that I have to move my machines in a centralized location to use them anyway, which could be where the hole goes. Outside, all that really matters is the large dust, fine dust shouldn't create a major problem like it does inside. The only thing you really need is something with capability to move a lot of dust. Is this a possible way to go?

[Jamie Buxton]

Two things to think about..
1) If you suck indoor air out during the winter, cold outdoor air will come in to replace it. Are you okay with the shop temperature nearing the outdoor temperature?
2) Will you (and your neighbors) really be okay with lots of sawdust spread around outside your house? (In the quantity that I make, the answer would be no.)

[Michael Yadfar]

Good point

[Lee Schierer]

Two things to think about..
1) If you suck indoor air out during the winter, cold outdoor air will come in to replace it. Are you okay with the shop temperature nearing the outdoor temperature?
2) Will you (and your neighbors) really be okay with lots of sawdust spread around outside your house? (In the quantity that I make, the answer would be no.)

And if you cool your shop in the summer you will be sucking in high humidity warm to hot outside air.

[Roy Harding]

I had the same thought - for different reasons.

What I came up with was a bypass of my filter, which takes the air directly outside. I use this when doing a lot of sanding (I have a dual drum sander) - sanding dust will clog your filter in no time. When I'm using my planer, jointer, and other items that create chips, the exhaust stream of air is directed through the filter. When I'm using a sander, or one of the saws (table or band), the exhaust stream of air is directed outside.

It works well, I'm not spending a lot of time cleaning the filter, and although there is a drop in air temperature when I'm doing a lot of sanding - it's not that big a deal as I use infrared to heat the shop (IE - the air isn't heated, the items in the shop are heated).

For what it's worth, I'm a small one man commercial shop - meaning that my shop is in use 8 - 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. It's ALSO worth noting that I live in a rural area - I don't have neighbours close to me - so the air quality/dust over everything issue doesn't exist for me. I can't imagine doing this in an urban setting.

[Andrew Duncan]

Two things to think about..
1) If you suck indoor air out during the winter, cold outdoor air will come in to replace it. Are you okay with the shop temperature nearing the outdoor temperature?
2) Will you (and your neighbors) really be okay with lots of sawdust spread around outside your house? (In the quantity that I make, the answer would be no.)

My own experience, as well as several other members here - including the redoubtable Keith Outten - is that an exterior exhaust in most climates creates no problems with heating a shop. This has been discussed repeatedly by those who have actually done this.

The point about neighbors on the other hand is well taken. Again, however, several outside exhausters use a chip box (periodically cleaned out) to mitigate this issue.

The benefits of outside exhaust include making cheap dust collectors perform like ones costing much more due to no filter or separator restrictions and obviating the need to worry about frequent chip collector or filter clean ups. My shop is in the woods where the chips and dust simply blow out into a pile that gets a shovel and cart treatment once a year. To me, the nirvana of dust collection.

[Jerome Stanek]

My own experience, as well as several other members here - including the redoubtable Keith Outten - is that an exterior exhaust in most climates creates no problems with heating a shop. This has been discussed repeatedly by those who have actually done this.

The point about neighbors on the other hand is well taken. Again, however, several outside exhausters use a chip box (periodically cleaned out) to mitigate this issue.

The benefits of outside exhaust include making cheap dust collectors perform like ones costing much more due to no filter or separator restrictions and obviating the need to worry about frequent chip collector or filter clean ups. My shop is in the woods where the chips and dust simply blow out into a pile that gets a shovel and cart treatment once a year. To me, the nirvana of dust collection.

I exhaust my laser out side and my CNC inside when I use the laser I have to run an extra heater in the winter. Both have the motor inside so it is not heat from my dust collector motor keeping the shop warmer.

[allan kuntz]

My cyclone sits on a 3 x 3 x 3ft cube for collection and vents into a 2' x 3' x 6' lean. The lean has a vent that the dust has to go up and over before venting. I don't have an issue with heat loss even on the winter days where is runs for quite a long time but I am just a hobby woodworker. As far as dust everywhere only the exhaust is vented outside and my neighbor has never said anything and the only dust is the stuff right under the vent of the lean

[Lornie McCullough]

run a tube through the wall and run a cheap portable dust collector outside.

Is this a possible way to go?

Yes.... and if the dust collector is outside, you'll have less noise, too! Your dust collector will be more efficient without the resistance of the dust bags.

[Judson Green]

Two things to think about..
1) If you suck indoor air out during the winter, cold outdoor air will come in to replace it. Are you okay with the shop temperature nearing the outdoor temperature?
2) Will you (and your neighbors) really be okay with lots of sawdust spread around outside your house? (In the quantity that I make, the answer would be no.)



And a possible backdraft at your furnace and other gas appliances. Carbon monoxide and a possible house fire are not fun. Places that do this are required to run/have air make up units. I'd check with your local building inspector.

[Scott Vincent]

Build a quickie Thein baffle garbage can and vent outside. No filters. It works great and not a lot spewing into you and your neighbors yards.

[Larry Edgerton]

My own experience, as well as several other members here - including the redoubtable Keith Outten - is that an exterior exhaust in most climates creates no problems with heating a shop. This has been discussed repeatedly by those who have actually done this.


Try that above the 45th parallel......:p

Larry

[glenn bradley]

If your environment allows it (heating / cooling / neighbors), I feel that this is the ultimate answer to dust collection woes. A 3HP bagger will move a ton of air. Its the poor air quality returned or the throttling of the return path by filtering attempts that kill them. If you can run a bagger outside the shop and then use a very loose (30 micron) bag to avoid back pressure, your performance will be much better than my cyclone for a fraction of the price. As soon as you start to engage separation devices, machines not designed with them in mind will suffer air-flow drop while machine designed for that (cyclones) command a heftier price. If I didn't have to breathe my return air I would sell the cyclone and recoup my floor space ;-)

P.s. For my needs, the cyclone is a wonderful machine and I wouldn't be without it. I just wanted to clarify that.

[allan kuntz]

Try that above the 45th parallel......:p

Larry

i live north of the 49th and don't have a problem with heating

[Michael Yadfar]

Neighbors aren't an issue because the nearest house is at least 150 ft away. I wouldn't have it just blow out into nothing though, because I do have a well maintained yard, but it wouldn't be a high efficiency filter. I would mainly be worried about larger chips in that case. The only issue though as mentioned is the loss of air inside the shop. Due to budget, I'm using a small electric heater with just enough power to heat the shop while closed. Even with a more efficent heater, I would still have energy loss

[Roy Harding]

i live north of the 49th and don't have a problem with heating

I live north of the 54th and don't have a significant problem with heating - the temperature drops in the shop if I'm running the dust collector continuously for hours and venting outside, but nothing a sweat shirt can't handle.

[Larry Edgerton]

I live north of the 54th and don't have a significant problem with heating - the temperature drops in the shop if I'm running the dust collector continuously for hours and venting outside, but nothing a sweat shirt can't handle.

And its costing you money. I'm too cheap. At my last shop I had a system that was switchable from outside vent to inside baghouse depending on the temp. If I ran it outside in cold temps the 200,000 btu heater never shut off. So can it be done? Sure. Do I want to? No.