Dust collector location

[Joe Koren]

I have started to put together my two car bay shop and I was trying to find the best location for the dust collector and other shop tools. My main question is whether or not to put the dust collector in the basement.

The advantage if the DC is in the basement is that I would gain shop space and would lose the noise the dust collector makes.

The disadvantage is that I would be adding three turns to the metal ducting and adding 25 feet of ducting to just get it to the edge of the shop.

So how much static pressure would I be losing from the added length from the basement and the turns? Is it worth the reducted noise and shop space?

I attached two photos of possible layouts. Feel free to comment. :-)

Thanks,
Joe

[Jamie Buxton]

Floor space in a shop is a precious commodity. If you can push the DC out of your working space, that seems like a good thing. If the longer duct gives you losses which are too big, get a larger DC.

You might think about some way to remotely monitor the level in your dust bin. IIRC, Penn State has an electronic device for doing this.

[Jamie Buxton]

Yeah, Penn State --- http://www.pennstateind.com/store/binsensor.html

[Neil Bosdet]

I'd definitely put it in the basement if it's possible. How big is your DC? How many cfm?

Neil

[CPeter James]

Think about emptying it. Do you have to carry it up a flight of stairs? Also, most of these are not 100% at filtering out the dust. Is this a problem in your basement?

CPeter

[Jamie Buxton]

Y'know, one good thing about putting the DC in the basement is that you should be able to bring the ducts to your machines from beneath the shop floor. That way you won't be constantly whacking the ducts with pieces of lumber.

[Joe Koren]

Ok, some additional info. First, the work area, a garage, is concrete. I can not come up from the floor. The basement is lower than the garage, so the duct work would have to come up then out.

I have been warned about creating negative pressure in the garage. The dust collector sucking all the air out. So I would have to put a return air vent in the basement to get air back into the garage. I suspect that I would have to build a case around the DC just to limit the noise in the basement.

The DC is the Super Gorilla 3hp DC. 1713 CFM at 2" SP w/c with Filter see link below.
http://www.oneida-air.com/products/systems/super_gorilla/main.htm

The dust gorilla is 4 ft. wide by 2 ft. long. Not huge but still good workshop space.

I would have to carry the full 35 gallon bin up the steps to empty. Not something I am looking forward to. One day I hope to have the basement finished the lose of space is not a real issue but the extra dust could be.

Thanks for your replys so far.
Joe

[Howard Barlow]

Well, as for lugging the 35 gallon bin up the stairs, I would do it long about 20 gallons.:D

[Paul B. Cresti]

Joe,
Hope you got the machine home OK. IMHO I would not put the DC in the basement for a couple of reasons:

1) 3hp system is not that big/powerful and adding extra ductwork will not only rob your system but will cost more.
2) Why introduce possible dust into a future living space.
3) You should be working with ear protection on anyway so what is the difference with the DC running
4) Lugging the barrel out will get real old real fast (like after the second time)

By the way if your shop is in your garage you probably have so much air infiltration in there that make air is not a real issue here anyway.

Why not just put in in a corner of your shop, save on ductwork, it will increase your suction and if you really want you could build a sound absorbing barrier around the DC itself.

[Jamie Buxton]

You have a one-man shop. You'll never be running anything more than one machine at a time. The shop is less than 400 square feet. The machines you can fit in that space typically want 500-800 cfm. Your DC is rated at 1800 cfm. You could throw away half the DC's rated capacity and still have enough suck to do your job. However, if you use 8" duct, you'd have very little line loss. That is, with a shop and a DC of the sizes you have, there is little functional reason not to put the DC in the basement.

[Bart Leetch]

So do you have a back door going into a back yard?

If so why not put it in a a closet mounted to the outside of the back wall?

2 reasons quiet in the shop & easy access to empty, just open the door disconnect lid scoot handcart under barrel & roll away to where you'll empty it.

[Tom Horton]

I am considering the same type of thing. But, I have a smaller shed attached to the side of my shop, so I am going to put it out there. To remove any extra dust producing machine from the mixture of the shop is a positive thing!:D

Tom

[Joe Koren]

Putting the DC outside the house is not an option as the exterior wall is in the front of the house, and it would not beautify the neighborhood (a.k.a. my wife would kill me!!!!!)

How much dust do you think the DC will bleed into the basement?

Is it safe to cut a vent in the basement through the firewall making the firewall less useful?

Thanks,
Joe

[Jim DeLaney]

One other thing to consider: If you put the DC outside, on in another room, it will be removing the HEATED air from your shop along with the dust and chips. Not a great big factor in the Summer, unless you have AC, too, but taking a thousand cubic feet of warm air out of the shop every minute will result in changing out all the air in the shop in just a few minutes. So, if the warmed air is replaced by cold outside air, your heater will not be able to keep up.

[Lars Thomas]

Joe, I wouldn't worry about negative pressue in the garage. I've never seen (not that it couldn't) a garage door that sealed well enough to allow this to happen. However, putting the DC in the basement seems like more of a hassel than it's worth.

[tod evans]

keep one thing in mind if you opt to put your d/c in the basement; the air removed from your work area will be exhausted into your basement making it more difficult for your furnace to heat/cool your living area. even a small d/c will move 800cfm that will be forcing several air exchanges per hour if the discharge is not returned to your work space. if i were to vent mine outdoors i would be forcing about 6 complete air exchanges per hour in a fairly decent sized shop, with only one gate open! please think this through before you do the install...................02, tod

[Mike Laing]

Joe,
I have the D/c behind me and to the right when facing the machine from the table saw control button. I find this very convient since the d/c hose is short and outlet for the saw and j/p are to my right. While my d/c is very loud I have hearing protection and the machine is noisy as well.

Your shop layout looks good but having the d/c in the basement and hauling out the chips no thanks,

Mike Laing