exhaust?

[Linda Tetreault]

I have ordered the Epilog Mini 35 watt & am going to use a Jet portable dust collector for exhaust. In reading the manual it says not to use it outdoors, what's the reason for that, can it be used outdoors if it is protected from the elements. This may sound simple but I'm used to working with embroidery machines & scrollsaws, & they don't need to vent outside. I have contacted Jet tools, but haven't heard back yet.
I do know you usually get better answers from those who use equipment as opposed to those who sell it.
TIA Linda

[Tyler Howell]

Linda,

This sounds like a gloat!!!
I am a bit confused by your post though. I have jumped to the conclusion that it is the Jet that is not to be used out side??? Or are you asking about your Epilog and venting it outside.???

I'm quite sure they are talking about sitting on the dirt in the rain. Protected from the elements should be just fine.

[Linda Tetreault]

I'm asking about putting the Jet outside, the Epilog will be inside next to a window, the manual for the Jet said not for outside use. I just want to make sure I'm not going to ruin the Jet. Sorry I wasn't more clear, I just do the best I can with what I've got. Linda

[George M. Perzel]

Hi Linda;
No problem putting the Jet outside, as long as it is protected from the rain and snow-make sure the electrical connection is protected also. By the way, if you are just using this with a laser, you don't need the bags as all you are exhausting is smoke and you are not recirculating the air. If you use the bags, make sure to clean them after about every 8 hours of use, especially if you are engraving or cutting wood as the resin in the smoke from wood tends to coat the inside of the bags and block airflow-you'll notice it because your exhaust air flow will drop way off.
You don't need a blower rated at more than 300cfm, unless you have a long run from the laser to the exhaust blower-most dust collectors are more than that and are really overkill unless you have a long run. Good Luck
George

[Linda Tetreault]

George, thank you very much, that's what I needed to know. Linda

[Tyler Howell]

Now I get it. To Jump on what Geo said A GFIC (Ground Fault Interupting Circuit) is big time important when using your tools outside.

[QUOTE=George M. Perzel]Hi Linda;
No problem putting the Jet outside, as long as it is protected from the rain and snow-make sure the electrical connection is protected also.

[George M. Perzel]

Hi Linda;
Tyler has a good point, a GFI would be a good safety precaution. Make sure you get a good one as GFI's sometimes have problems with motor surge currents and trip unnecessarily.
George

[Keith Outten]

Linda,

Definately remove the bags from your Jet Dust Collector when you use it for your laser engraver. It is rare but possible to send a small spark down the exhaust when cutting certain materials and if it ends up in a bag containing dust a fire might be possible. Remember that your laser engraver will produce some dust so even if you don't share your DC with your shop it is a bad idea to use bags on any exhaust fan used for engraving.

[Jerome Klutts]

You may not want to remove those bags from the dust collector. I removed the bags from a Delta dust collector and piped it out through a hole I cut in the back of my shop. The motor lasted about a month before burning up. I did a little research and found the bags provide enough resistance to keep the blower motor from running too fast. If you look at the manual that comes with almost any collector it will say to never run the blower without the bags in place.
I solved the problem by putting a blast gate on the pipe and leaving it about 1/3 closed. I have run this one over a year without problems.
Jerome

[George M. Perzel]

Hi Jerome;
Are you running the DC with a laser or in a normal workshop environment? The reason I ask is that the laser is semi-sealed on the front end and provides "pull" resistance versus the bag "push" resistance. I've run my laser exhaust system (Jet DC) without bags for 16 months without any problems-just changed, however, to a smaller blower directly vented outside to reduce some of the inside noise.
George

[Keith Outten]

I've been running my Grizzly 1.5 HP DC for ten years without bags and it is used for my woodworking shop and laser engraver as well.

[Jerome Klutts]

You make a good point about the enclosed laser providing some resistance to the blower.
When I burn a motor up I always assume it is something I did wrong. It's possible in this case the bag removal had nothing to do with it. It just happend to burn up in the middle of a big job and I had to really scramble to get another one going. I decided not to take chances this time.