Where Do You Buy Your DC Ductwork?

[Julie Moriarty]

Probably gonna need to do some mods on my DC ductwork. I did some searches for light gauge ductwork and found Air Handling Systems. On their website the call the lighter stuff "Hobby Shop" grade, for systems 3HP and less. Prices look pretty reasonable.

Any other recommendations?

[Martin Wasner]

Any other recommendations?

I buy most of it from a local HVAC guy. He sells it to me with no mark up.

[Mark Bolton]

We get ours from HVAC too. Its not the high dollar stuff you see in the dream DC setups but its 26 gauge and lots of jump configurations, wye's, and so on, available.

[John Sincerbeaux]

I used Nordfab for my DC system. Not cheap, but like most things, you get what you pay for and the ease of install, and adjustments, and possible re-install makes it so worth it.
Nordfab sells mostly through distributors. I purchased mine through Oneida which also provides design consultation.

[Darcy Warner]

Auctions. Hence the hundreds of pieces of snap loc and 4 gaylords full of fittings, plus 4 skids of parts.

[Julie Moriarty]

For the fittings I need, here are the prices for systems 3HP and under that Air Handling Systems offers:

6x6x6 Y - $41.05
6x4x4 Y - $39.80
6" 45 Elbow - $22.80
6-5 Reducer - $18.30

Considering I've seen prices over $100 for the same, AHS prices seem reasonable.

The elbows and reducer I can get at HD but there is a lot of air loss with those. But the Ys you can't get at local stores.
https://airhand.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/183_Y_Branch_24_Ga.jpg

[Tom M King]

The ductwork pieces that HD sells is at least double the price as from a dedicated HVAC supplier.

[J.R. Rutter]

Auctions. Hence the hundreds of pieces of snap loc and 4 gaylords full of fittings, plus 4 skids of parts.

lol, yep. Need any 14" pipe?

[Ben Rivel]

Bought all mine from Oneida when I bought my dust collector.

[Jim Becker]

Oneida, Air Handling Systems, Kencraft, local "real" HVAC supplies, etc. are all good sources. The challenge with HVAC suppliers for the special fittings is that what they typically have are "backwards" from what dust collection wants relative to crimps, etc., because the air flow for DC is the opposite direction from HVAC systems.

[Larry Frank]

Those prices are why I went with DWV plastic pipe. The are a little more than half the cost listed above. A 10 ft section of 6" pipe is $15.12 at Menards.

[Jim Morgan]

Those prices are why I went with DWV plastic pipe. The are a little more than half the cost listed above. A 10 ft section of 6" pipe is $15.12 at Menards.

6" SDR pipe is indeed inexpensive (one end is belled for connection to the next length), but the fittings are more expensive, pretty comparable to the metal fitting prices from Air Handling Systems quoted above. A few years ago I had my basement floor (then just a frosting of concrete on uneven dirt) broken up and replaced with a smooth, even, dry 4" slab. I took advantage of the opportunity to run the DC ducting underground in the machine side of my shop, which is about 300 sf. Dedicated runs from jointer, tablesaw, bandsaw and router table plus an above ground wye and run to the DW735 were about $700 altogether. Lee Valley offers flexhose for 4" and 6" connections to machines at a reasonable price/quality point.

[Scott Buehler]

Nordfab and air handling mashes nice duct, but very expensive. I buy from a local hvac and speak pipe manufacturer. It was a fraction of the cost and even though it's a bit more work, it works great!

[Matthew Curtis]

I have bought from Kencraft.

[Matthew Curtis]

I got my straight pipe from Grainger.

[Larry Frank]

A metal Wye was quoted at $41.05 and a Wye for the DWV at Menards was $20.45. Certainly a lot cheaper.

[Julie Moriarty]

I had DWV pipe and fittings in the last shop. I wrapped it with bare #12 copper for static discharge but could still see static dust collecting on the outside. I never found, or seen, a DWV Y fitting like the metal one in the picture above, or long sweep DWV wyes, so I used standard wyes.

I brought all the fittings to the new place but when I remembered the so-so effect of wrapping the plastic pipe with copper, I decided to change over to metal. There is no sign of static dust collection on the metal pipe.


The challenge with HVAC suppliers for the special fittings is that what they typically have are "backwards" from what dust collection wants relative to crimps, etc., because the air flow for DC is the opposite direction from HVAC systems.
Jim, I have an HVAC end crimper that I use when I need to reverse the crimps or add crimps on cut ductwork. It's one of the basic tools for tin knockers and they come in pretty handy for the rest of us.
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41OaU6fyhKL._SL500_AC_SS350_.jpg

[Jim Becker]

I


Jim, I have an HVAC end crimper that I use when I need to reverse the crimps or add crimps on cut ductwork. It's one of the basic tools for tin knockers and they come in pretty handy for the rest of us.

I also have a crimper that I used to "re-engineer" some fittings during some system modification. But those fittings still don't compare to the "real" DC type wyes that I bought way-back-when from Oneida. (at great expense, of course) No matter...there are many ways to accomplish this task and each person has to "pick their poison". There are pros and cons to all of the choices, but largely it's efficiency/function vs financial investment.

[Julie Moriarty]

Kencraft
Just checked them out and they are less than half the price of AHS. Thanks, Jim!

[Mike Heidrick]

Ebay and amazon and grizzly and zoro. Nordfab. I buy used when I can. I make sure i have a protected shipping option with hassle free returns when buying it online as it does get damaged in shipping.

[Andrew Seemann]

Spiral Mfg is where I got mine. Really nice stuff, plus they are local for me, so no shipping to worry about. They even made up a fitting for me that was out of stock while I waited. I found the spiral pipe easier to work with than heavy gauge HVAC pipe I got with my Dust Gorilla because it was rigid enough to use a sawzall on rather than than messing around with tinsnips or airplane shears.

[Mark Bolton]

I had DWV pipe and fittings in the last shop. I wrapped it with bare #12 copper for static discharge but could still see static dust collecting on the outside. I never found, or seen, a DWV Y fitting like the metal one in the picture above, or long sweep DWV wyes, so I used standard wyes.

We dont have PVC but if you run your static wire inside the pipe and then out to ground you may find your static goes away. We have one small run of PVC in a concrete trough in the floor and isolated it with an internal discharge wire and its fine.

Your exactly right in that you'll never find a true Y like your image from the homecenter or even in a manufacturers catalog (PVC). Stop in to a few of your local HVAC suppliers in the area and just explain to them what your doing. Several in our area will only sell to the HVAC trade for many items but with regards to sheetmetal if your willing to pay cash they will sell to you at reasonable rates. The hard thing about odd shapes that arent available locally is that even for the HVAC stuff ordering online the freight can be a bear. We have brought in some odd round stuff from our local suppliers that had to bring in a case (4pcs) for an odd fitting and even buying the four was cheaper than ordering a single on-line or paying the nordfab/onieda prices.

Another good option for you is to look into printable cutout generators so you can print the shape on paper and cut your own wyes into your run's. Its a bit more work but if you have some odd terminations/transitions to make and they will cost in excess of a hundred bucks a sheet of paper, some snips, rivets, and a bit of time, can save you a bit. With your electrical background should be relatively easy.

We piped our entire shop here for pennies on the dollar compared to Onieda/Nordfab. I would have loved to have one of those systems, and we'd probably be a touch more efficient with our pickup, but when you compare 2-3k for a small run as compared to a couple hundred bucks from the HVAC its a tough pill to swallow and we dont have a unit in the shop that will collapse our 8" pipe so thats the route we went.

[Tom Wassack]

Spiral Manufacturing for me - https://www.spiralmfg.com/. Custom fittings, good customer service, reasonable shipping...

Tom Wassack
Asheboro, NC