Dust collection piping ?

[Brian Keith]

Can anyone post up pics of there 4" pvc dc piping. Im having a hard time with mine. Mainly where the the pvc ends and the flex hose begins, will I need a reducer in order to attach the pvc to the flex? Thanks

[Bob Herpolsheimer]

Hi Brian,

I don't have any pics but I can tell you what I used. I have the green light weight drain PVC. There is an adaptor for conversion from this pipe to heavier wall pvc. This adaptor fits perfect for 4" hose. I ran a main truck line with branches off the main for each machine. To hang the pipe I used 4" mini's (you can get them at an electrical wholesale if you as for a 4" mini they should know what you want) and threaded rod lagged into the ceiling. I avoided any sharp 90 degree t's and only used an elbow to point the pipe down. It ain't pretty but it seems to work okay. My dc is a HF 2hp that I run through a can to make a 2 stage system. I put it in the next room with a remote switch to cut out the noise. I hope this helps. This was best thing I ever did for the shop.

[Jim Becker]

One of the easiest ways to adapt your hose to your plastic pipe is to get a little sheet metal and roll it so it slips into your duct, leaving a flange exposed to clamp the hose to. Use a few pop rivets to keep the metal in place.

[Brian Keith]

Jim that is perfect and what Ill prolly do. Thanks for the help guys.

[Mike Hood]

Any worries with static and explosions when using plastic pipe?

[Jim O'Dell]

Brian, I have a 4" PVC line to my bandsaw. I used the 4" flex from Woodworkers Supply, and it is a tight fit. I used a hair dryer on the flex for about 2 minutes to make it go on easier. It was tight enough, I haven't put a clamp on it at all. Same with my 6" runs, the flex had to be heated, but I've made some bridge clamps out of stainless band clamps to secure the 6". Jim.

[Jim Winslow]

I got gates for dust collection system and they fit into the PVC then used 3 screws to fasten them to it that way I can take them out and clean them if anything gets in to plug the pipe. On the end I used a coupler and put it inside the PVC and used screws I tried to upload pictures of this.

[Brian Keith]

Jim O'Dell your the man, hit it with a hair dryer for a minute or so and on it went. Fit is pretty tight but Ill prolly put clamps on. Thanks Jim

[Robert Waddell]

Back when I could use PVC pipe I did the same as Jim Winslow.
Rob

[Denny Rice]

Can anyone post up pics of there 4" pvc dc piping. Im having a hard time with mine. Mainly where the the pvc ends and the flex hose begins, will I need a reducer in order to attach the pvc to the flex? Thanks

Brian,

I have found for 4" PVC pipe Woodcraft carries a plastic 4" PVC pipe to a 4" dust collection fitting adapter. I want to say they are about 5 bucks for the adapter. You can connect the blast gate to it. They also carry an adapter you can attach to the PVC pipe then attach the dust collection hose to.

[Jim Becker]

Any worries with static and explosions when using plastic pipe?

No worries about "explosions"...the conditions are not supportive of that. Static can be uncomfortable, however. Some folks will wrap a drain wire around the duct to try and dissipate static charges.

Personally, I prefer metal duct because it's more flexible in sizing. Plastic, in general, only offers 4" or 6" and the latter can sometimes be difficult to source as it's rarely a "retail" item.

[Don Stanley]

Jet JW1047 4-Inch Quick Disconnect

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/413251HqLrL._AA280_.jpg

I really like this quick disconnect adapter. It's threaded to screw on the 4" hose. The other end friction fits to the 4" tool dust port or plugs into a 4" PVC Coupler. Very reasonable price at Amazon. I paid $5.95 at our local Western Tool.

Here's the link to Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Jet-JW1047-4-Inch-Quick-Disconnect/dp/B00006S7CL/ref=sr_1_1/103-9499482-5902264?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1192817292&sr=8-1


And here's a different style: Jet JW1038 4-Inch Quick Disconnect with Smooth End. I think this version requires a hose clamp.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41Y96CHD98L._AA280_.jpg

Here's the link to Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00006S7CK/sr/ref=pd_cp_hi_1/103-9499482-5902264?ie=UTF8&qid=1192817292&sr=8-1&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-41&pf_rd_r=03Z96M90144QDXE09VA2&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_p=277661601&pf_rd_i=B00006S7CL

-Don

[Jason Hanna]

Warning: if you have the Rockler hoses, they will not work with those quick disconnects. The disconnects are made to work with "left hand threads" and the Rockler hoses are "right handed".

Guess how I found that out....

[Jeff Raymond]

Don't want to start a fight here, but ditch the PVC.

Use metal and make sure to ground all your pipes.

There is a serious static electricity issue with DC systems that are used even modestly.

[Jim Becker]

Jeff...some good reading on the subject...

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/rodec/woodworking/articles/DC_myths.html

While I don't like PVC for this application for a number of reasons, it's a personal choice, and not based on concern about static.

[Alan Schaffter]

yup, Jeff, read the "real" answer in Jim's post. This issue has been beaten to death on many forums. Rod Cole has the true story.

[Don Stanley]

Warning: if you have the Rockler hoses, they will not work with those quick disconnects. The disconnects are made to work with "left hand threads" and the Rockler hoses are "right handed".

Guess how I found that out....

I wondered what the JW1038 4-Inch Quick Disconnect with Smooth End was used for. Now I Know!

[Bruce Wrenn]

From Lowes, get a 4" schedule 20 PVC to 3" schedule 40 PVC adapter. Four inch hose fits over 3" side perfectly. You might want to take a long pattern / flush trim bit and get rid of area that is designed to stop 3 " from going in to far. This creates a larger cross section, for improved airflow. Use them all the time, including tommorrow when setting up extension to DC piping to allow planer and jointer to be used under shed.

[Jeff Raymond]

me Stick With Metal.

metal Good.

[Steven Wilson]

yup, Jeff, read the "real" answer in Jim's post. This issue has been beaten to death on many forums. Rod Cole has the true story.

Alan, as much as I like Rod's essay you can't construe it to be the "truth". Rod's work is interesting and would be a good start to some research but it hasn't been peer reviewed in any relevant journal and is thus still opinion. Rod's essay also only looks at one potential hazard with using PVC and that is dust cloud explosion due to static discharge. Which, as hazards go, is way down on the list of potential DC system problems. As Rod points out having sparks enter our system and smolder away and therefore starting a fire is really a much more likely hazard. One hazard that PVC pipe does have (and is related to the static on the outside of the pipe) is collecting dust. Ever notice dust collecting on the underside of PVC pipe? I have, and that is a fire hazard. PVC can be a real attractor of airborn dust particles, more so than metal pipe. Letting dust build up on our DC pipes is a known hazard. This dust can act as a secondary conflaguration hazard if a fire starts in our ductwork through some other means. So, clean your pipes once and awhile - more often if you use PVC.

[Mike Hood]

I really scared myself once as a kid. I "discovered" that flour dust my mom was throwing out, would sparkle when dumped into our burn barrel (grew up in rural Texas).

Man I thought... if that's cool... how cool would it be to shake the paper bag up with some in it and THEN pour it in the burn barrel. :)

I can tell ya... a brown paper sack filled with properly atomized flour dust... will DEFINITELY make a big bang. :eek:

I think the metal ducting looks like the better deal... cost should be about the same using the metal in the overhead and maybe PVC for the downpipes and adapters?

[Larry Marley]

I usually stay far away from questions about power and static because it almost always becomes a heated debate. I work in the printing industry. In the bindery, powerful waste removal systems are used to collect paper trimmings and transport them to balers for disposal. These systems carry a lot more CFM than anything you would ever seen in a hobby shop, and paper trimmings also have a lot more surface area to strip/collect electrons than does sawdust, but...

I have seen the results of a few fires that occurred in the balers and in overhead PVC pipe as a result of static discharge. One site in Fort worth had a 60 foot length of PVC split wide open after a loud static snap.

In Denver, a spark would occasionally jump 12" from a PVC pipe to a metal ceiling joist.

In Longmont, CO a short 10' section of PVC generates enough static that the employees are afraid to walk near it, having been nailed by a static discharge.

In my shop, I am more concerned about being startled by a static shock and injuring myself on a tool as a result.

Before I ran a grounded copper wire through the short section of PVC in my shop, dust stuck like crazy, strait out at 90 to the tube. Now it doesn't.

So, a small dust collector in your shop will probably not shock you to the point of being injured, will almost defiantly not explode, and will likely not create a spark that will smolder for a couple hours before igniting in the collection bag, or bin. If you are using PVC, it will take about 30 minutes to ground it. Then you can think about something else, like the next tool that will require another connection to that cool dust collector you have. :o