Ducting My DC To Outside My Shop

[Dennis Peacock]

I have my DC piped all through my shop. It's been running great since I installed it about 12 years ago. The outlet side of the blower unit is an 8" round. I used to have it hooked up to a large truck air filter to put that air back in the shop. Since I can't afford to keep replacing those air filters any longer, I'm wanting to vent it to the outside of my shop. What are your ideas to run and vent that 8" outlet outside my metal building shop? I don't want to leave it open for birds, bees, wasps, and etc....oh to include rain....so I'd like to have something I could close manually or a DIY that would close itself when the DC air flow stopped.

Thoughts, ideas, suggestions?

[Adam Bullington]

Dennis, How much Sawdust are we talking? I have a 10" outlet on mine and it is ran thru the wall and sticks out about 12" and then I have a 10" flex hose attached to the end and then that flex is attached to a boxed in 6x12 dump trailer I built up about 7 feet tall and enclosed with plywood and a 2x4 frame. I have to empty mine about once a month or so give or take

[Jim Becker]

My recommendation would be to "up size" the line to the outside...say 10" or 12"...and have it with #8 hardware cloth at the termination to keep out bugs and other vermin and with a louvered setup that opens with air flow and closes when the unit isn't running. My 1200 CFM range hood is setup that way. You may need to transition to rectangular or square at the termination to use the louvered outlet, depending on it's design. You'll also want to install the outlet such that it's protected from the elements, such asunder the building eaves.

[Eduard Nemirovsky]

I would not recommend to cover outside line with any cloth. Eventually it will clog with dust or debris and you will lost your suction. I am using just round wall vent with gravity dumper. In 5 years never have any problem.
Ed.

[Peter Christensen]

Remember you need to have air coming into the shop from an open window, door or a different vent roughly 3 times the size as the one going into the DC. If you don't it will pull air in from where ever if can including down your wood stove, furnace or hot water chimney.

[Julie Moriarty]

When I ducted mine to the outside I placed a screen with 1/4" openings thinking I'd keep the critters out. Even though the cyclone usually collects all but fine dust, enough larger stuff got through and clogged the screen in a couple of days. The screen is now gone.

In my last house, the shop was in the basement. All the DC equipment was the same. Ducting outside presented no problems because it was pulling air from every little air gap in the house. Now the shop is in a one car garage. I have to open a window or door when the DC is running. If I don't, air is pulled in from the attic through gaps in the access door. And my DC is only 3/4HP with a 4" duct.

[Jim Andrew]

I have a 6" piping system with an 8" outlet, and I built an outlet that looks like a huge dryer vent. Used 2 door hinges to make a 1/4" plywood door that closes when the blower is turned off. I put the outlet under the overhang, and just ran the cover up to the soffit. Also made a blast gate so I can run the air through the filter during the coldest part of winter, and when I am trying to cool the shop. Hot afternoons and very cold days don't work so well when exhausting outside. But my DC air flow is 1/2 or 1/3 when using the filter.

[Roy Petersen]

I'm currently looking at something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/ALDES-Spring-Loaded-Backdraft-Damper/dp/B002FWR40K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1529026505&sr=8-1&keywords=ALDES

That fits into the end of your pipe run, and moving air will open the butterfly gates and allow all to pass. Air stops, gates shut. Feels like a viable solution to me, allowing fine dust and any larger bits to pass, closing it off once I'm done. I intend to have the exhaust pipe (currently 5") expand to 6 near this to allow for any decreased volume caused by the actual gates.

[Steve Eure]

I vent my dc outside. I had been using a thien style set up but my 2 hp dc wasn't getting the job done on longer runs. I switch to going straight through the dc and put a dryer vent cover that hinges. Since I'm venting without the baffle system I occasionally have to clean out the louvers on the dryer vent cover. Generally if I'm using the joiner or planer, I will re route through the baffle system since those two machines throw a higher and larger amount of chips. I really like this setup, though not perfect, it suits my needs. Fortunately I live in the country and the nearest neighbor is 1/2 mile away so no problems with complaints of noise or dust.

[Jim Becker]

Remember you need to have air coming into the shop from an open window, door or a different vent roughly 3 times the size as the one going into the DC. If you don't it will pull air in from where ever if can including down your wood stove, furnace or hot water chimney.

Very true....but Dennis is in Arkansas and has to work with everything open just to keep from suffering heat stroke... :) :D

[Randy Henry]

Dennis, I have one of these, and it connects directly to my Oneida 5hp Dust Gorilla Pro. It's an 8" "dryer" vent with a flapper. Works great. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0085V07P4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Ed Labadie]

388044

Ed

[Robert Engel]

I ducted mine outside with flex hose and just pointed it a little toward the ground. I've never had an issue with animals or anything getting in.

If you have a cyclone you could use hardware cloth if you're worried about it.

BTW, bypassing that filter will improve performance quite a bit. ;-)

[dennis davidson]

That’s what i use - works great.
Speedi-Products SM-RWVD 8 Wall Vent Hood with Spring Damper, 8-Inch

[Chris Parks]

I wouldn't worry about anything taking up residence because as soon as you fire up the dust extractor they will leave at high speed.

[eugene thomas]

The 8" dryer vent works great. Even when the chips take a ride through.

[Edwin Santos]

Hi,
I have a 3HP Oneida SDG system. The way mine is set up, the outlet side of the blower leads to a curved plenum that connects to the large HEPA filter and that's it. I've located it in a mechanical room where there was an existing louvered vent opening to the outside that was installed to provide make up air for the gas water heater, so I have no pressure imbalance in the room. I see no mention in any of the literature that recommends exhausting to the outside. Is there a reason why I would want to do so?
Edwin

[Carlos Alvarez]

My entire DC is now outside, and I love that. No more noise, lots of space reclaimed. Have you considered that?

"If you vent outside, you'll suck out all the heat!" I sure hope so, this is Arizona. Half the year I have the swamp cooler blowing in, and those are more effective with more air flow.

[Jim Becker]

Hi,
I have a 3HP Oneida SDG system. The way mine is set up, the outlet side of the blower leads to a curved plenum that connects to the large HEPA filter and that's it. I've located it in a mechanical room where there was an existing louvered vent opening to the outside that was installed to provide make up air for the gas water heater, so I have no pressure imbalance in the room. I see no mention in any of the literature that recommends exhausting to the outside. Is there a reason why I would want to do so?
Edwin

The advantage of exhausting directly outside is potentially better performance and no need to clean filters.


My entire DC is now outside, and I love that. No more noise, lots of space reclaimed. Have you considered that?

"If you vent outside, you'll suck out all the heat!" I sure hope so, this is Arizona. Half the year I have the swamp cooler blowing in, and those are more effective with more air flow.

Is your shop ever air conditioned? :D That would be the Arizona equivalent problem. But if only a swamp cooler, no matter.

[Carlos Alvarez]

The advantage of exhausting directly outside is potentially better performance and no need to clean filters.

Yes, it definitely moves more air with the same power, and all I have to do is dump the drum when the depth monitor turns red. But the noise advantage is huge too. About 50% of my work is done with others, and now we can talk. Also I hate noise in general anyway.



Is your shop ever air conditioned? :D That would be the Arizona equivalent problem. But if only a swamp cooler, no matter.

Nope, no AC. I always have both garage-shop doors open. One is the wood shop, the other is the metal, storage, parts area, so I often walk between them. On occasion when we have a few days of harsh winter weather I simply go enjoy a different hobby. The only time I heat the shop is when it becomes a cigar lounge in bad winter weather, and no work is being done.

[Jim Becker]

I don't really have the noise issue because my cyclone and compressor are in a sound-deadened closet, but if it were not for heat/AC concerns in my particular climate, I would have gone to venting outside for sure because of the performance boost.

[Peter Christensen]

Another benefit to ducting out is fewer places for air leaks allowing fine dust to get in the shop. Each joint from the impeller to the collection can on the bottom of the filter and the filter media itself if there are undetected holes can blow fine dust back into the shop. Blowing it outside or better having the DC outside reduces or eliminates that possibility. When you live in an extreme climate then outside venting isn’t practical.

[Carlos Alvarez]

A good point, Peter. Even though I had 1 micron cartridges on my previous DC, there certainly was some fine dust in the shop, and the particle counter, while reading low, was not zero either. Now the particle counter goes DOWN when running the DC. I rarely see fine dust anywhere.

[Carlos Alvarez]

Oh, here's something VERY important... If you have a garage shop and there's a gas water heater, you have to make sure to get enough in-feed air to not suck carbon monoxide into the shop. This could, of course, be deadly.