Calling all you DC gurus.....a little advice please...

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I bought a 2.5 hp Oneida High Efficiency DC. I bought metal pipe too. Question I have......I couldn't afford the spiral pipe so I got the cheaper stuff. Do you use screws to hold it together or just the foil tape that seals it?

Thanks.

[Jamie Buxton]

If you're talking about the HVAC pipe from your local HD or the like, that's what I use. I run aluminum duct tape around it at the joints. Hangers actually support the pipe, so the tape has almost no stress on it. It really is just sealing against air leaks.

[Greg Funk]

I have a small handheld rivet gun that leaves a smooth head on the inside of the pipe.

[John-Paul Murphy]

What Jamie said...:)

[Rob Will]

I would shoot some #6 x 1/2" screws and tape over them. Not enough inside to worry about and you can take it apart if need be.

BTW: I just came up with a DC pipe hanger system. It is a 3/4" plywood "J" shape. 4 pocket screws hold it to the wall. It will hold your weight. I put one every 4' to hold my main DC pipe to the wall.

Rob

[Yuchol Kim]

I bought a 2.5 hp Oneida High Efficiency DC. I bought metal pipe too. Question I have......I couldn't afford the spiral pipe so I got the cheaper stuff. Do you use screws to hold it together or just the foil tape that seals it?

Thanks.
Dry-assemble everything first. Put 3 or 4 1/2" sheetmetal screws around each joint. Then using white caulk, lightly seal joints on the outside. Easy to rework later if you need to and looks nice and clean. Check out my homepage, www.yucholian.com and click on woodworking for some pictures. All were done using 2729 thin-wall PVC.

[Steven Wilson]

Ken, are you using snaplock? Anyhow, I used rivets to connect my ductwork together, followed by caulk. It didn't take very long to caulk it (a couple of hours at the end to caulk and test for leaks). For a couple of runs where I was pulling a run from the ceiling into the vertical I used some sheet metal screws to attach my straping to the duct work, otherwise it was all rivets (air riveter from HF).

[Steve knight]

sometimes the tape comes off. I have several places it has come loose screws are best and tape to seal. rivets would be great too though harder to remove.

[Tom Klass]

use the screws easier to remove if need be. also at the end of the run I put a wye and plugged the end just in case I wanted to add latter down the road and also if I happen to have a blockage I can run a length of pipe and blow air down it to dislodge it or just to check to see if there is anything that could be plugging it. which by the way I had to do the other month nothing in the run it was in the cyclone.

[Karl Laustrup]

I used self tapping screws on just a couple of my joints Ken. The rest are just held with the foil tape. Haven't had any problems. I wouldn't think you would either as long as the duct is supported properly.

Karl

[Ron Brese]

This is actually one of the few times in your life where you will get to use duct tape for what it was originally intended. I taped the long seams and then taped the joints. If you cut the end of the tape with scissors in lieu of tearing it the tape will stay in place just fine. I decided screw tips in the interior of the pipe where just a place for shavings to hang and start building a clog. I also used black electrical tape on the angle adjustment joints of the fittings because it conformed better to the shape of the pipe than duct tape. Rope caulk also works well to seal small gaps at blast gates and is easily removed when reconfiguration is required.

Congratulations, a well installed centralized cyclone system will make a great change to the way you work in your shop and your shop environment.

Ron

[Jim Becker]

Ken most of my joints are just the heavy foil tape. (the good stuff) Where there is more stress, there are pop rivets (usually three). Don't use the gray "duct tape"...it will become a sticky mess over time, despite the name. Foil tape is the right product.

At gates where there is the likelihood of larger gaps, some caulk is a good idea. The best is HVAC caulk, but you can use silicone caulk, too. I also taped the joints on the adjustable elbows, which keeps them in their chosen orientation as well as seals any leaks. But you can caulk those, too. Check your laterals for leaks...sometimes the welds are not great, so caulk is in order there, too.