Grounding Clear Plastic DC Hose

[Darrell Young]

Hi, everone. I'm new here but have been lurking for a while. I just got a new DeWalt DW735 planner. I read on here how good it was and got it, on sale, from HD a couple of weeks ago. I've only test run it with a couple of short pieces of scrap and really like it.
My question is about grounding the clear, plastic, 4" DC hose. I searched the archives and could'nt find anything about hose, just PVC pipe, which I'm not using. Here's the way I plan on doing it. It may be OK or not. I have some electrical experience but I know others on here have a whole lot more.
I bought one of those plastic lids that fit a 30 gal. garbage can plus fittings and a grounding kit from Hartville Tool. I cut the 10' hose to 5' and plan on running the stranded bare copper wire inside the hose, exiting at each end through the plastic. On the planer end, I wil cut it and use a quick disconet electrical fiiting, then run it to the ground wire from the blower motor. This ground is easy to get to after removing the planer top cover and blower dust shield. The other end will also have a quick disconec and wired to an alligator clip to hook on the garbage can handle. Will this work or am I totaly wrong here. All comments will be gratefully acknowledged.

[Cody Colston]

It's not necessary. Don't waste your time.

[jim gossage]

that's how i do it. works fine.

[Jason Beam]

Darrell,

I want to ask you, first, Why? What is your goal in "grounding" it?

Now I'll try not to sound too fanatical about this, but: You can't ground an insulator, period. You just can't do it.

Before I rile myself up, I suggest you read this if you're at all concerned about explosions or anything like that:

http://home.comcast.net/~rodec/woodworking/articles/DC_myths.html (http://home.comcast.net/%7Erodec/woodworking/articles/DC_myths.html)

It'll tell you that physics just ain't gonna let it happen and that Cody's right: It isn't needed and would really just be a waste of time.

[Bruce Pennell]

My two cents, when I set up and ran my jointer to my cyclone, then to my DC with in seconds I was getting shocked at the cyclone. Installed the ground braided wire and it was gone. I would hate to be the one that proved saw dust to be explosive or have a fire, when grounding wire and 10 minutes work take the problem away. I've seen this discussion on FOG and I decided for myself $10 worth of wire lets me sleep well at night. To each his own! Hope this helps. Bruce:D

[Darrell Young]

Thanks every one for the replys.
Well, Jason, it has to do with not getting knocked on my kester from the static electrical charge generated when the wood chips and saw dust rub on the plastic "insulator" that is the hose. I have read a lot about not being able to ground an insulator, and you're right. It can't be done. However, by running the bare wire on the inside of the hose, it picks up, or wipes, the static electrons from the plastic and the charge goes to an earth ground, eleminating the potential for shock. I have read that there has never been a instance of fire/explosion from this and also that there has been. I'm not that concerned about the fire thing, but boy, I sure hate the zap from static buildup.
Yeah, Jim, I thought that grounding to the fan ground would give me a path to the house's earth ground. Just wanted conformation that I was doing it correctly.
Thanks again, guys. This forum is great.

[Jason Beam]

Fair enough, Sir!

The static I can understand. I've never had it myself, but I'm sure climate has a TON to do with that. I've also heard that eventually static charge stops building up - one theory is a layer of ultra fine dust builds up on it to prevent the charge from taking hold. I dunno about that ... but i completely agree if you're working near something that might generate a static shock, it's cheap insurance to make sure you don't wake up wondering why you're looking at the ceiling.

[Clay Crocker]

Darrell,

I feel your pain;). My DW735 dust hose gets charged w/ static too. I think what you describe will work, although I just wrapped a 24 ga solid copper wire around the outside of my hose and connected one end to my steel duct and the other end to a machine screw on the the frame of the DW735. No more zapping.

Clay

[Mark Engel]

I did as you are planning to do. I ran bare copper wire inside the hose. I had a wire screwed to the bottom of the metal trash can and connected that to the wire coming in from the hose. I also added another wire inside the hose running from the trash can separator to the DC and connected that to the DC motor housing, just to give the static a final resting place.

[John Keeton]

This brings up a question for me. I am at the point in my DC install where I am going to order flex duct. I had to this point assumed that the wire helical in the reinforced duct would make the ground to my metal ductwork. Am I correct?

[Ron Jones near Indy]

I have a Delta 50-850 and use clear 4" hose. I had a large static problem. I could feel it. I bought a metal trash can and a Lee Valley lid. With the can on a concrete floor the static problem disappeared. I recently built a shelf on the DC to save floor space on the foot print of the DC. A wire from the can to a bolt on the DC and no more static. Hope this helps.

[Ed Gerken]

My wife and I prepare fossils for a living. We use a micro-abrasive blaster to scrub away the rock matrix. Before I installed a wire to ground, we were getting a lot of static shocks during the dry months.

Flex duct has a layer of plastic on the inside, so you'd have to either expose the wire in a few places, which might leak later, or run a separate wire.

Dust explosions do occur, just maybe not so readily within a rapidly moving airstream in a duct. Corn bins, mines (not necessarily just coalmines, even in hardrock mines) and other sites where a fine haze of dust is concentrated in sufficient quantity and other conditions allow the accident to happen.

-Ed

[Steve knight]

you can also run the wire on the outside too. I do this on my cnc router because things jam in the wire if it is on the inside. the static charge raises hell with my cnc machine so it has to be grounded.
you can also get hose with a wire in it and then you just ground each end. thats the best way to do it.

[Bart Leetch]

My two cents, when I set up and ran my jointer to my cyclone, then to my DC with in seconds I was getting shocked at the cyclone. Installed the ground braided wire and it was gone. I would hate to be the one that proved saw dust to be explosive or have a fire, when grounding wire and 10 minutes work take the problem away. I've seen this discussion on FOG and I decided for myself $10 worth of wire lets me sleep well at night. To each his own! Hope this helps. Bruce:D


Ground the DC or cyclone & the tool after a little use the hose or PVC will become dust covered & not bother you any more. Mythbusters did a program where they tried everything you can think of & other than a little static they never accomplished anything.
My DC hasn't ever in 8 years been grounded accept the plug & I've never even had any static from the hose or PVC.

Of course I don't run my tool while trying to reach over & touch the DC either;);):) & the way I install my PVC tubes & hose they are not where I can brush up against them. After a little use & getting a good coat of dust throughout the system I did try to get a zap & couldn't.

So I've never worried about it since.


You can't ground a non conductor period, & running the wire through the tube will just give you clogging headaches.

[Steve knight]

depends on your humidity level. the lower it is the more chance of static shock. when it gets around 30% in my shop I can get lots of small zaps.

[Steven Wilson]

This brings up a question for me. I am at the point in my DC install where I am going to order flex duct. I had to this point assumed that the wire helical in the reinforced duct would make the ground to my metal ductwork. Am I correct?

Yep, have the wire touch your blast gate on one end and touch the machine on the other end. Works well