Dustopper ?!?

[phil harold]

Has anyone used this yet?
looks like a thien seperator molded out of plastic
I like my dust deputy but it is tall and cumbersome

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Dustopper-High-Efficiency-Dust-Separator-12-in-dia-with-2-5-in-hose-36-in-long-HD12/302643445

[Peter Christensen]

Basically a vacuum cleaner version of these.

http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=30282&cat=1,42401

There is no Thien type baffle incorporated into it.

[Brett Baum]

I picked up a Dustopper yesterday. Plugged my 6HP shop vac into it and it seemed to do great. Everything in the bucket and none in the vac.
5 gallon bucket fills too fast though so I got a 20 gal. brute garbage can, cut the lid to fit the bucket in. Silicone around the bucket and weather stripping around the can lid. Used ABS for pipe from vac to Dustopper. Runs great but I need to reinforce the garbage can as it's collapsing in on itself when the vac is running. Thinking I'll make some round ribs to go in the can.

I'd been thinking of making my own but this just seemed easier and I'll still be able to modify to my needs. A cart is definitely a need.

[Tom Huntley]

Basically a vacuum cleaner version of these.

http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=30282&cat=1,42401

There is no Thien type baffle incorporated into it.

Hi Peter. Your assumption is not accurate. I am the inventor of Dustopper, and can tell you there is a lot going on with this design. The rounded upper chamber; the inverted frustrum, a vortex locator with a separator wall, and more, all make this a very efficient separator. There are a number of flow dynamics issues with the baffle on Thein's design that are corrected on Dustopper. The slot around the perimeter is recessed at the beginning and at its end so that low pressure causes particulate to drop very quickly (at the beginning of the arc) or to continue flowing with out disruption (at the end of the arc.) Unfortunately, since you live in Canada, you have to make assumptions without trying a Dustopper, unless you have visited the US and brought one home with you.

[Ben Rivel]

I keep wondering when we are going to start seeing Shop-Vacs with mini cyclones built in. Seeing this concept now as mainstream as Home Depot offerings Im guessing we arent far out now.

[Peter Christensen]

Hi Peter. Your assumption is not accurate. I am the inventor of Dustopper, and can tell you there is a lot going on with this design. The rounded upper chamber; the inverted frustrum, a vortex locator with a separator wall, and more, all make this a very efficient separator. There are a number of flow dynamics issues with the baffle on Thein's design that are corrected on Dustopper. The slot around the perimeter is recessed at the beginning and at its end so that low pressure causes particulate to drop very quickly (at the beginning of the arc) or to continue flowing with out disruption (at the end of the arc.) Unfortunately, since you live in Canada, you have to make assumptions without trying a Dustopper, unless you have visited the US and brought one home with you.

Tom I could have sworn you replied to my comment just after I posted it back in September and it differed somewhat from what I see now. There was no offence intended. Any pictures of it on the US HD website don't show the underside so I made assumptions that now seeing your post are wrong. They aren't sold here yet and as I live over 4 hours north of the 49th it isn't practical to take a trip across to have a look. I'd like to see the underside if you would post a picture to satisfy my curiosity, but if you prefer not to I understand.

[Charlie Hinton]

I would like one that is designed to fit a 30-35 gallon metal trash can and a 1-1.5hp dust collector.

[joel cervera]

My old Ridgid Shop Vac finally gave up the ghost about 2 weeks ago. After I decided to get another one (instead of a fein/festool type vac) I then decided to add a dust deputy or similar to help eliminate the filter clogging/ cleaning which was the worst part of having the old vac. At the last moment I saw that HD now sells the Duststopper. I saw several youtube reviews which compared the duststopper to the dust deputy. Most were very favorable with the Duststopper performing very similarly to the Dust Deputy. What clinched it for me was the low profile of the duststopper. I never really liked how high the dust deputy sits above the bucket. So far I have used it enough to know I am happy with my purchase. It was nice to buy the whole shebang at my local HD. Vac Bucket, separator and not have to mail order. I also got some cheap harbor freight polyurethane castors and put em under my orange bucket. I used 2 old bungee cords to wrap the bucket to my vac. And they wheel around together as one solid unit but only take a second to separate to clean out the bucket. So far my vac and filter have stayed clean and everything but the finest dust goes into the bucket. Along with the Cleanstream Hepa Filter I am really happy with my new setup!

The ease of maintenance with the separator and the rinseable hepa filter are head and shoulders above my old setup. Dustopsper gets a thumb up from me so far.

393960393961

[Matt Mattingley]

Hi Peter. Your assumption is not accurate. I am the inventor of Dustopper, and can tell you there is a lot going on with this design. The rounded upper chamber; the inverted frustrum, a vortex locator with a separator wall, and more, all make this a very efficient separator. There are a number of flow dynamics issues with the baffle on Thein's design that are corrected on Dustopper. The slot around the perimeter is recessed at the beginning and at its end so that low pressure causes particulate to drop very quickly (at the beginning of the arc) or to continue flowing with out disruption (at the end of the arc.) Unfortunately, since you live in Canada, you have to make assumptions without trying a Dustopper, unless you have visited the US and brought one home with you.

Questions to the inventor, is this system more efficient or less efficient than a cyclone? I’m sure you’ve done tests if you’re saying this is no thien. Can you post efficiency ratings compared to dust deputy and the LV Thein separators and any others you’ve tested against? Can you give the test results from the non-partial testing firm? I am sure anybody viewing this post would be interested!

To credit yourself above and beyond LV thien or DD, I am sure you have independent testing laboratory results with a US firm ? Can you provide them to this thread and the firm that did the testing ??

[Tom Huntley]

Questions to the inventor, is this system more efficient or less efficient than a cyclone? I’m sure you’ve done tests if you’re saying this is no thien. Can you post efficiency ratings compared to dust deputy and the LV Thein separators and any others you’ve tested against? Can you give the test results from the non-partial testing firm? I am sure anybody viewing this post would be interested!

To credit yourself above and beyond LV thien or DD, I am sure you have independent testing laboratory results with a US firm ? Can you provide them to this thread and the firm that did the testing ??

The market for small cyclonic or centrifugal separators is not large enough to justify independent testing labs. There are companies that perform tests on large separators used for filtration of air in factories, mines, grain milling operations, etc. They generally use classified dust (dust that has been separated in a way that all of the particles are close to the same size) to calculate the "cut point" of a given separator. The cut point is the size of a particulate that has a 50/50 chance of passing through the separator or being separated from the air flow. This term is often used to define the effectiveness of pleated filters as well. So, if a cyclone or filter has a cut point of 3 microns, and the ONLY size particle that passes through either is 3 microns, 50% of the dust will end up in the bucket, and 50% will go straight through.

Here's the catch: When cyclones (and filters) are designed to separate smaller particles, their restriction to air flow increases. HEPA filters, for example, slow the movement of air more than a "standard use" filter. Cyclones that are designed to be outstanding at collecting fines may have difficulty moving enough air to handle heavy loads of sawdust like one might expect from a planer. The reason there are no HEPA cyclones out there is because to design one that separates down to 0.3 microns would necessarily mean the height to diameter ration of the cyclone would make it too tall to fit into a shop. Dustopper is calibrated to separate better than 99% of most shop dust. In fact, many times its separation performance comes amazingly close to 100%.

The cut point of the Dustopper and Dust Deputy are very close to the same. It will thrill the gang at Oneida to know the cut point of the Dust Deputy may be a tiny bit better. I have made literally hundreds of tests with both. If I use drywall mix out of the bag for my testing media and pick up a gallon of dust with both separators, the amount of powder seen in the collection bucket under the Dustopper will be slightly more white than the lay of dust found in the bucket of the Dust Deputy. We're talking about a teaspoon or so difference after picking up 231 cubic inches, or one gallon!

I am a woodworker like most who are reading this forum. I started making DIY separators and was frustrated with the results so I purchased a Dust Deputy. I liked the improved performance over my DIY attempts, but found the Dust Deputy awkward to move from site to site. (I designed and built custom projects like library walls, fireplace surrounds, entertainment centers, and the like for high-end homes and offices.) Since woodworking was my career, I suppose one could say dust separation became my hobby. I read everything I could find on separation of particulate from air, and included in the mix was a heavy dose of self education on flow dynamics. Out of that came Dustopper - a hybrid of sorts that causes air to move in a circle like a cyclone, but inside a chamber having an inverted frustum (dished top) that behaves like a wing. A detailed explanation of design theory would take pages. Bottom line is this: They basically work the same, with Dust Deputy having a very tiny advantage with fines but costing more and requiring time and additional expense before it's operational. When used with ordinary "shop dust" there is no perceivable difference in performance between the two devices. Dustopper can be put into operation in seconds with no additional investment, assuming you already own a bucket.

Neither design is "HEPA" certifiable, so both will need a HEPA filter included with their respective setups to ensure that the air exhausted from the host vacuum is breathable. Depending on how much you use your separator, you may find that you spend another 15-30 minutes every year cleaning the HEPA filter connected to your Dustopper. It boils down to a More Taste : Less Filling argument. Purchasers of Dustopper generally appreciate it's low profile, and find its separating capability more than adequate for their needs.

A larger version is planned - soon!

[joel cervera]

The above seems to jive up the same as the YouTube vids I saw comparing DD vs DS. DD has a very tiny edge in performance. But in actual use I think it’s a moot point. As I said in another post, for me, the miniscule difference in performance became irrelevant because of the benefit of this DS’s low profile. I’m not affiliated with the DS or nothin just putting my opinion out there since I researched, bought, and have used mine.

I have an Oneida 3 HP Super Dust Gorilla. It’s a great machine. Based on its build quality and performance I have no doubt that the Dust Deputy is also a great product. But I am glad to see another product that is locally available, reasonably priced, and whose performance compares equally to others in the market. I also like that it matches my shop vac:)
As always YMMV.

[Mike Kees]

I just bought one of these as well as the cleanstream filter. Now I need a new vac,my 25 year old Craftsman went to the dump the other day. the dustopper works real well . I think I will set up a cart on casters for the vac and dustopper together.

[Brian W Evans]

Tom,

Thanks for sharing your information with us. I saw your invention yesterday for the first time but didn't really give it a second thought, since I have a Dust Deputy in my shop and am very happy with it. My wife is getting a pottery wheel for Christmas and I had planned to get another Dust Deputy to help control the dust. Since you posted such a thorough explanation (for a layperson, anyway) and cited test results, I will give the Dustopper a try instead.

[David Justice]

I use the Duststopper with a Fein on my CNC and it works great!

[Scott Cardais]

Tom:

Just a quick note to thank you for your detailed reply and comments about the Duststopper. It's great to see the inventor / developer post comments.

[Terence Tourangeau]

Just discovered the dustopper... Gotta get one! But where can I get one in Canada?! And any idea how I can make it antistatic for use with a Festool vac?

[Sanford Asman]

Regarding an adaptation that allows Tom Hunley's Dustopper to be mounted to, used with, a Festool Dust Extractor, see my post here https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?271190-FESTOPPER-an-inexpensive-cyclone-for-Festool-Dust-Extractor

Sandy

[George Waldener]

I have a Chinese knockoff of the Dust Deputy. Works perfect for planer chips, Bandsaw dust and the likes. However, hand plane shavings all end up in the shop vac. Anybody have any experience experience with the Dustopper and plane shavings?

[joel cervera]

Hand plane shavings get caught in the dustopsper separator sometimes. Ideally the dust stopper works best on dust and chips. Long curly shavings get caught up more readily and require manual removal. Its not a big deal to get them out but i tend to use a dust pan or my 3hp SDG for sucking up long shavings..

[Mike Kreinhop]

I'm in Northern Virginia now and went to three Home Depot stores looking for a Dustopper. The first two had never heard of it, even after I showed them an image of it attached to the Home Depot orange 5-gallon bucket. The sales associate at the third store had not heard of it, but he went the extra bit and searched for it on his handy HD phone. He found it and told me the Dustopper is not stocked and must be ordered online. Unfortunately, the HD website blocks European IP addresses and doesn't ship to APO addresses. Oh well, I'll continue using my small Dust Deputy clone (Oneida wouldn't mail one of theirs to me).

[Lee Schierer]

I'm in Northern Virginia now and went to three Home Depot stores looking for a Dustopper. The first two had never heard of it, even after I showed them an image of it attached to the Home Depot orange 5-gallon bucket. The sales associate at the third store had not heard of it, but he went the extra bit and searched for it on his handy HD phone. He found it and told me the Dustopper is not stocked and must be ordered online. Unfortunately, the HD website blocks European IP addresses and doesn't ship to APO addresses. Oh well, I'll continue using my small Dust Deputy clone (Oneida wouldn't mail one of theirs to me).

Get a friend stateside to order it to their local store. They can then ship it to your APO address.

[Stan Calow]

Can anyone report if the Duststopper arrangement is easier to move around than the Dust Deputy? I find the DD to be too tippy to easily move around the shop, without making some kind of cart for it.

[Mike Kreinhop]

Get a friend stateside to order it to their local store. They can then ship it to your APO address.

I thought about that, but having been stationed in Germany for the past 22 years, all of my friends are on the same side of the ocean as me. :D

The sales associate who discovered it had to be ordered offered to have it delivered to his store, but couldn't guarantee that it would arrive in time for me to pick it up and mail it.

[Dennis McCullen]

Hi Peter. Your assumption is not accurate. I am the inventor of Dustopper, and can tell you there is a lot going on with this design. The rounded upper chamber; the inverted frustrum, a vortex locator with a separator wall, and more, all make this a very efficient separator. There are a number of flow dynamics issues with the baffle on Thein's design that are corrected on Dustopper. The slot around the perimeter is recessed at the beginning and at its end so that low pressure causes particulate to drop very quickly (at the beginning of the arc) or to continue flowing with out disruption (at the end of the arc.) Unfortunately, since you live in Canada, you have to make assumptions without trying a Dustopper, unless you have visited the US and brought one home with you.

Hi Tom, Since you are the inventor, perhaps you can respond to me with info on the elbow included in the package. In plumbing terms, an elbow that is large on one end than the other is referred to as a "street el", if I'm not mistaken. This seems to be what's in the package but for a shop vac application with different dimensions than plumbing. I need another elbow just like the one included in the package but have received not response trying their "contact us" website portal and leaving a message on the answering machine. I have no idea if you sold the invention, but perhaps you can tell me how to source the same identical elbow that comes with the Dustopper. I need just another 2" or so reach with the hose and that elbow would provide the correct sizes and length to complete my project. Like many others, I am stacking the Dustopper above my Ridgid Wet Dry vac and I have the buck mounted at its lowest possible point. A second elbow would direct the hose upward and provide a couple inches easily. Thanks.

[Bruce Page]

Dennis, pull the bristle assembly off of one of these and you’ll have a male/female elbow that will work. It’s not identical but will work well with the Dustopper.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Shop-Vac-1-Piece-Right-angle-Brush/1060273

[Brian W Evans]

I bought a Dustopper and it seems to work well, although I haven't really put through any serious tests yet. It is very "tippy" and definitely requires some sort of cart to make it useful. I was planning to build something when I ran across this video:

https://youtu.be/WyBuRjO54NM

This seems like a great solution and I plan to make one, since I have a Ridgid vac like the one in the video.

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/WyBuRjO54NM/hqdefault.jpg