Where to buy duct?

[wayne ateser]

Where is the cheapest place to purchase 4" duct and fittings for a dust collection system. This could be galvanized pipe or PVC, whatever is cheapest.

[Jim Becker]

PVC sewer and drain will be the least cost in most cases...your local 'borg or a pumbing supplier. Check the yellow pages. But 4" is also a bit small outside of some drops...to tools. In many cases, 6" duct is preferable for a main duct. Dust collection is all about moving air at a given velocity and at low pressure. Small duct can only hold so much air.

[wayne ateser]

thats a good tip. 6" will be fine....i just need to eventually get it to 4" at the motor. I see Lowes only shows 4" pipe. Its reasonably priced at $0.56/ft so piping the garage would be inexpensive.

[Matt Guyrd]

Jim...in the case of the single-stage HF DC, which has a 5" inlet with a 4" wye, should one take the wye off and run 6" hose to the equipment using some type of reducer, or stick with 5" runs to the machines?

Thanks.
Matt

[Jim Becker]

Absolutely take the wye off! Personally, I'd go with 5" if that's what the inlet maxes out at 5" (must use metal in that case) or make a new inlet that's 6". (My original Oneida cyclone was spec'ed at 5" for the most part and most of the critical drops in my shop remain at 5". The main's upgraded to 7" branching to 6" with the larger system) 5" duct can handle moving substantialy more air than 4" at the same velocity; the same being true of 6" over 5". But this is just general discussion...there is good information on sizing available on the Internet, both privately created and by certain vendors as well as some resources published in past issues of the magazines and books on dust collection.

[Mike Weaver]

If you want to learn more than you ever wanted to know about Dust Collection, peruse Bill Pentz's site (under "Dust Collection & Cyclones"):
http://www.billpentz.com/

-Mike

[wayne ateser]

If you want to learn more than you ever wanted to know about Dust Collection, peruse Bill Pentz's site (under "Dust Collection & Cyclones"):
http://www.billpentz.com/

-Mike

Yea. I read his DC info. Lots of incredible great info. Thats why I got the DC and am buying a .5 micron filter for it. I just dont want to spend more on the ducting then in the vaccumm filter and thats why Im just trying to find the cheapest pipe. A 10' section of the smooth bore flex costs more then the DC.

[Jim O'Dell]

If you decide to go 6" PVC, most of us had/have a hard time finding it. Look at the plumbing suppliers. Needs to be a fairly big yard. I found 1 in Fort Worth that had it, but didn't know it by S&D 2729, even tho that is stamped on the side of the pipe!! Ask for thin wall sewer and drain, gravity feed pipe. I paid 1.86 per foot for the first 2 pieces I bought, then when I went back, I talked with a different guy and he gave it to me for 0.94 per foot!! The third time I took the receipt with me and a different guy turned and asked the guy from before if that was the right price, he looked at it and said "Yea, I gave him a deal on it. You're the guy with the big stereo system and the dogs, aren't you? It's ok, sell at that" But the 1.86/ft seems to be the more normal price. If you live near Texas, let me know, I'll send you a link to the company I got mine from, they have outlets in all the states that touch the Texas border. Jim.

[wayne ateser]

thats good input. I'll do a yellow pages on irrigation supply, then plumbing supply and call to inquire and use the key words you mentioned "thin wall sewer and drain, gravity feed pipe". Im in LA area. The BillPentz site also has a description of making your own fittings with the PVC by heating and stretching.

DId they have a collection of fittings too. Ill need to get from 6" to 4" at each station.

[Al Killian]

I cut a larger opening on my HF dc. Penn state ind. sells metal hoods with a adheasive back. I put this in place of the 5" and made a big differencs in air flow.

[Matt Guyrd]

Jim and Al...thanks for the insite on the HF mods. I hope to take possession of the DC this afternoon, assuming the local brick and mortar has it in stock.

Matt

[Paul Wingert]

I paid 1.86 per foot for the first 2 pieces I bought, then when I went back, .

I pay about $2.50 a foot for 6" PVC.. It's not cheap, but I guess it encourgages you to make small runs and minimize turns.

[walter stellwagen]

Check the yellow pages for Hercules industries 6" spiral heavy duty pipe is cheaper and a good deal easier to work with (plus other fittings work) . They are in the hvac business, Comercial but they sell retail a lot cheaper than any DC suppliers

Walt

[wayne ateser]

Check the yellow pages for Hercules industries 6" spiral heavy duty pipe is cheaper and a good deal easier to work with (plus other fittings work) . They are in the hvac business, Comercial but they sell retail a lot cheaper than any DC suppliers

Walt
Cheaper then the Sewer and drain PVC pipe?

[Pete Brown]

Just make sure your fittings aren't 90* turns. You want more of a wye shape. You may get lucky by purchasing commercial fittings/wyes and supplying your own straight runs.

Pete

[wayne ateser]

I check out Lowes and they had 4" smooth bore thin walled sewer pipe for $0.58/ft. It had a black smooth interior. They stocked several fittings that would help but i might have to improvise on the Y's.
Also had 6" galvanized metal pipe for $1.40/ft with fewer fittings selection.

Do you think for a small 1 car garage shop with 4 stations and about 50' of hard pipe run that 4" duct it would be ok cfm wise? PVC would be easier to work with and more adaptable but they didnt have 6".

[Jim O'Dell]

thats good input. I'll do a yellow pages on irrigation supply, then plumbing supply and call to inquire and use the key words you mentioned "thin wall sewer and drain, gravity feed pipe". Im in LA area. The BillPentz site also has a description of making your own fittings with the PVC by heating and stretching.

DId they have a collection of fittings too. Ill need to get from 6" to 4" at each station.

Wayne, the place I found the pipe at says they have no fittings for it. I think they don't know what fits it, but it's hard to argue with them if they say they don't have it. You might ask for fittinags for 2024, as they are the same. All of my fittings have both 2729 and 3034 stamped in the round information circle. I got all my 45 els and 6-6-6 wyes from McMaster-Carr on line. Very good pricing. Unfortuanately they don't/didn't carry the 6-6-4 wyes, or the 22.5 els. I found them at Lowes believe it or not. Twice the price though. :eek: So far, I need 1 more 6-6-4, and probably 3 6" 45's to finish things out. Oh, I got the one piece of 4" 2729 from Lowes also. It's dirt cheap compared to the 6" stuff. Jim.

[wayne ateser]

Wayne, the place I found the pipe at says they have no fittings for it. I think they don't know what fits it, but it's hard to argue with them if they say they don't have it. You might ask for fittinags for 2024, as they are the same. All of my fittings have both 2729 and 3034 stamped in the round information circle. I got all my 45 els and 6-6-6 wyes from McMaster-Carr on line. Very good pricing. Unfortuanately they don't/didn't carry the 6-6-4 wyes, or the 22.5 els. I found them at Lowes believe it or not. Twice the price though. :eek: So far, I need 1 more 6-6-4, and probably 3 6" 45's to finish things out. Oh, I got the one piece of 4" 2729 from Lowes also. It's dirt cheap compared to the 6" stuff. Jim.
The Bill Pentz site has a page of making your own PVC fittings by heating and bending the PVC. I can see easily making a Y by just cutting and gluing PVC pipe together.
http://www.billpentz.com/ (http://www.billpentz.com/)

[Rob Will]

Cheaper then the Sewer and drain PVC pipe?

I like spiral metal pipe. When you get up to 6" size, it takes some of the "fun" out of PVC. I would go the BORG and hold a 6 x 6 x 6 long-sweep PVC tee in your hand. Count up how many you need and decide if you really want to use PVC. Also, if you glue PVC, that particular fitting is done. You can take metal apart anytime you want.

HVAC people usually know of a local supply house that specializes in spiral pipe.

Rob

[Jim O'Dell]

Wayne, there were a couple places I thought about bending some pipe for a custom angle, but I don't have the equipment to heat the pipe up, and I'm leery of the caustic fumes it gives off. I made do with the stock wyes and els. My drop to the TS isn't perfectly vertical, it slants about 12 degrees, but it works fine. I'd ruin more pipe cutting wyes that the fittings would cost!:eek: I did take my Dremel with a cone shaped stone and ground down the insides of all the fittings to make them as smooth as possible. And I routed the ends of the cut pipe to fit the fittings at an angle so that the sloped edges matched somewhat and I don't have the 1/8" gaps where the pipe mates to the fittings to create excess turbulence or collect dust.
And Rob, I don't think any of us have glued the pipes together with PVC cement. Everything I have read says NOT to do that so that the pipes can be taken apart. Just use a little silicone on the joints after dry fitting them together...seals off great, and easy to take apart. Could add a screw or 2 that didn't protrude into the pipe for extra security if needed.
Wayne, let us know how the bending, cutting, and gluing works for you. Pictures will be mandatory!! Jim.

[wayne ateser]

OK. I have some more detective work to do. I would like to get 6" pipe for the main I guess. I dont have much run, maybe 50' to 4 stations,so maybe 4" would be fine but If Im going to the trouble might as well take the time to see if can find 6" pipe and fittings and adaptor to 4". I got a few projects in the que and some shop rearrange before I commit to the plumbing for dust so maybe in 3-4 weeks.