DC Installation Questions

[Dick Latshaw]

It's finally cool enough to start installation of the Dust Gorilla. First question: How do I (or I and my son in law) get that motor and fan assembly off the floor and up on to those wall brackets?

Question two: What is the best way to assemble the duct work? Put together several sections or more on the floor and then raise it up? Or add one section at a time on the ceiling?

Any other tricks or suggestions? I already figured out that I probably want to attach the power cord to the motor before it goes up on the wall - if I don't, I know which direction the box for the cord will be facing.:mad:

[Rick Schubert]

#1 When I assembled my Gorilla this summer, me and two friends lifted the motor assembly up onto the wall brackets using strong step ladders for the height.

#2 What kind of ducting are you using, metal, PVC S & D pipe, etc?

Rick

[Dick Latshaw]

#2 What kind of ducting are you using, metal, PVC S & D pipe, etc?Rick
I'm using Oneida snap lock metal ducts and have armed myself with a crimping tool, based on the comments in another thread. (Cold up there yet?:cool: I grew up in Mpls.)

[Dan Larson]

#1: Don't do what I did, cause I can be pretty stoopid sometimes. I deadlifted the motor assembly, carried it up a stepladder, and plopped it onto the bracket. Don't know what made louder creeking noises-- the stepladder or my back!

#2: Definitely make up sub-assemblies on the floor and then lift into place.

The worst part of the experience for me was attaching the inlet housing and the cyclone cone to the motor assembly. This part is a pain in the neck if you're working alone. I eventually cobbled together a platform lift with plywood and 2 car jacks so that I could raise these parts into place.

Good luck with the installation. And remember, any blood, sweat, and tears that put into this job will be well worth it in the end.

Dan

[Chris Fite]

I built some of the system from the ground up. The parts that ran down the wall, that is. I had to install the main run from the DC temporarily in order to get the line where any other horizontal would go. Next I chose a drop at a terminal point and built back from there. I could tell how tall to make it all to reach the horizontal for the system. Starting at the end enabled me to know how long to cut the horizontal piping to reach the next drop back down the main line.

I used temporary supports for the horizontal piping until the end when I knew for sure where everything would need support. I assembled sections and wyes only to the point that I could manage it to lift and place them while on a ten foot step ladder.

I have 12 foot ceilings, and the horizontal runs are centered at 107 inches from the floor.

Trust me, the crimping tool is worth its weight in gold.

The dust collector and its components are surprisingly heavy. Be careful lifting them. I installed mine alone.

[JayStPeter]

I managed to get the motor up myself, but needed help getting the cone reattached. It took too many hands. Mine's a commercial though, so it's a bit heavier.

I attached a cord with plug to the motor. I setup my switched power to a box with socket. It made it easy to do the wiring. I did the same with my air compressor.

Jay

[Rick Schubert]

Dick,

Sorry, I used S & D pipe, so not much help with the metal.

Yea, winter is coming. I saw some vehicles today from a little north of here with snow on them. Snow is forecast for as far south as Mpls. Good time to be in Fla!

Rick

[Jim Becker]

"'Takes two [people] to handle a...." Definitely not a job to do all by ones self unless you are Hulk Hogan or something...

As to the duct work, when I originaly assembled mine in the first generation of the current shop, I built assemblies on the floor and then raised them up. Since then, I've generally done most of the fitting on the floor, but did the final assembly "up there". I also stopped using pop rivets everywhere...they only go on assemblies that are high-stress, such as near blast gates. Heavy duty foil tape holds everything else very nicely and makes for easier disassembly when I choose to change something around. Do work with 5' sections of pipe when you can...much easier to handle than a bunch of 2' sections that need to be joined together. And don't forget to use HVAC caulk on the elbows and welded wyes to seal for leaks.

[Alan Schaffter]

There is no need to muscle lift the blower to the top of the bracket. Mount the bracket to a pair of 2X4 stilts then mount the blower, cyclone, etc. to the bracket. Tilt the whole shooting match up into position as a complete assembly- walk it up like an extension ladder, and once it is vertical, attach the stilts to the wall with shock mounts (you could also use a rope and pulley with this method). At first it is a little heavy, but the steeper you tilt it, the more weight is born by the stilts. Though I have a different setup, I lifted my heavy 3Hp blower singlehanded. Here is a pic of my slightly different push-through DC. I attached the cyclone after raising/mounting the blower, but the pics clearly show the stilts- that thing is 10' in the air!

<img src="http://members.cox.net/aschaffter/mounted%20cyclone.JPG"width="400">

[Geoff Harris]

I had help putting the motor assembly onto the brackets. When I put the rest of the cone on I used a workmate bench and one of the empty oneida boxes plus a few scraps of plywood as shims to hold the pieces at the right height. This made assembling the cone a one person job.

Geoff.