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Thread: HF DC BooBoo

  1. #16
    In situations like this I'll typically do a temporary repair with duct tape that will usually last for 2-3 years, at which point I'll re-do it with more duct tape......
    Stephen Edwards
    Hilham, TN 38568

    "Build for the joy of it!"

  2. #17
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    Jason, forgetting about the hose, using a single stage DC for floor cleanup without a pre-separator could be dangerous. Should you pick up some metal (fasteners, etc.), they can spark when they hit the steel impeller, resulting in fire potential. Only a cyclone or a system with some other form of pre-separation system should be used for floor sweeps or the equivalent tasks. Your shop vac is the best tool for floor cleanup.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  3. #18
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    Looks like an excuse to do a stovepipe mod...

    BTW, that looks like the HF 2HP DC, not the 3HP model. (The 3HP model is a dual ring with metal duct...)
    Trying to follow the example of the master...

  4. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by Jason Hanko View Post
    Whoa, calm down guys...
    I didnt think theyd actually give it to me for free, I just wasnt quite sure if they'd have an extra one laying around for sale, so Id prolly have to buy the one off the display model or something. Glad to see everyone is concerned with helping HF keep their prices down tho...
    I patched it with duct tape to get me through the weekend - worked better than I though it would, actually.
    Bet they do and will be more than happy to provide it if they do.
    Gotta say the #1 CS I have had has been at HF....whodathunkit thing at that considering the price paid for things..

    The more I think about it - imagine if major players did the same on everything. I've been elated with Grizz CS too, okay with a PM issue, not happy with Delta, Jet and more recently SC...silly HF at the top. Wish the quality of their tools were too.
    Good luck on it - I've got some maybe one from an old 2 hp HF laying around here somewhere too here so if you can't get it let me know and I can look. Assume cost of shipping not low tho .... let me know

  5. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Becker View Post
    Jason, forgetting about the hose, using a single stage DC for floor cleanup without a pre-separator could be dangerous. Should you pick up some metal (fasteners, etc.), they can spark when they hit the steel impeller, resulting in fire potential. Only a cyclone or a system with some other form of pre-separation system should be used for floor sweeps or the equivalent tasks. Your shop vac is the best tool for floor cleanup.
    Thats a really good point, Jim. I didnt think of that...
    That, along with the now sieve-like hose, have pretty much convinced me to stop using it to clean up my dust piles from now on.
    Ive thought about the stove pipe mod, but in the near future I plan on converting this into a pre-separated system. There are a few great theads here on SMC of some great mods guys have done with their cheapo HF DCs to turn them into pre-separated units with the impeller on the back end. Id link them, but the bookmarks are on the other computer.
    Proud to Hate Michigan Athletics Since 1981

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  6. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by Aaron Berk View Post
    This sounds like the best option so far. The OP's situation lines him up for a perfect opportunity to do the stove pipe mod
    This is the best pic I have of the stove pipe mod...


  7. #22
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    Amazing how many people will jump on an asumption bandwagon re: a persons intentions. Funny, I didn't even consider that the OP wanted a free replacement...at least not that he DESERVED one.
    I drink, therefore I am.

  8. #23


    Read this many times and yet to see him use the word free. We can get a bit "free" and take liberties with ones comments can't we.

  9. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by Joel Earl View Post
    Bet they do and will be more than happy to provide it if they do.
    Gotta say the #1 CS I have had has been at HF....whodathunkit thing at that considering the price paid for things..

    The more I think about it - imagine if major players did the same on everything. I've been elated with Grizz CS too, okay with a PM issue, not happy with Delta, Jet and more recently SC...silly HF at the top. Wish the quality of their tools were too.
    Good luck on it - I've got some maybe one from an old 2 hp HF laying around here somewhere too here so if you can't get it let me know and I can look. Assume cost of shipping not low tho .... let me know
    sorry for my ignorance, but could you translate your abbreviations?

  10. #25
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    I'll take a stab...

    CS ...... customer service
    PM ...... Powermatic
    SC ...... Steel City
    HF ...... Harbour Freight
    hp ....... horse power, but I think you got that one.
    I drink, therefore I am.

  11. #26
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
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    Milwaukee, WI
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    Not sure what constitutes a "smallish" block of wood, but a DC should handle that without fail. I get small blocks into the DC from cutoff from the bandsaw, CMS, table saw...

  12. #27
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    A couple of thoughts on this thread and the pic of the "stove pipe" mod:

    • If picking up large chucks of wood or small pieces of metal was REALLY dangerous, manufacturers would have long ago stopped making single stage DC's.

    • The only real problem is if the blower has a cheap, plastic impeller which can break.

    • Just like the static caused fire/explosion urban legend, the chance of a nuts and bolts vs metal impeller generated spark or fire is so rare as to be almost non-existent in this environment*

    • The "stove pipe mode" would be even better w/o bends- raise and rotate the blower so it discharges straight into the separator ring.

    • Putting a cartridge filter on a typical single stage DC is a waste of money- too much dust will pass up into and clog the filter in short order. As the filter clogs, you collect less and less dust at the source!

    • Beater bars, compressed air, and other cleaning methods quickly reduce the filtering efficiency and life of a (expensive) cartridge filter.

    • The cheapest and most efficient option is to add a cyclone or baffle system then discharge outside.

    • If you think you must, then add a filter after a cyclone or other efficient separator.


    * Too small of a spark, too much air flow (velocity and CFM) , too low concentration of dust to cause ignition in a home system. For over 10 years I have been running a DC w/3 hp motor and 14" steel impeller in the push-through configuration where the incoming chips, chunks of wood, dust, and metal debris (including a tape measure and a chuck key!) from vacuuming my shop hit the steel impeller first before entering the cyclone. I never once had a fire, smoldering, or even any hint of one. Look how quickly grinding (even welding) sparks extinguish, and they aren't being cooled by a high velocity, 4000 fpm, air flow! Please don't quote the cautions from the manufacturer's manuals- they are just trying to cover themselves.
    Last edited by Alan Schaffter; 02-03-2010 at 9:18 AM.

  13. #28
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    Quote Originally Posted by George Bregar View Post
    Not sure what constitutes a "smallish" block of wood, but a DC should handle that without fail. I get small blocks into the DC from cutoff from the bandsaw, CMS, table saw...
    Yeah, it wasnt big - maybe 1 x 1 x 2. I was really surprised... No biggie, duct tape is holding up just fine so far.

    Alan - not sure on the danger of a fire starting in my DC, but Im pretty sure theres a good chance you're about to start one here.
    Proud to Hate Michigan Athletics Since 1981

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  14. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jason Hanko View Post
    Yeah, it wasn't big - maybe 1 x 1 x 2. I was really surprised... No biggie, duct tape is holding up just fine so far.

    Alan - not sure on the danger of a fire starting in my DC, but Im pretty sure theres a good chance you're about to start one here.
    Yeah, I know, but physics and over 10 years of use are behind me. With the thousands of single stage DC's out there if it was a real hazard any verifiable instances would be quickly reported and rapidly go viral on the many WW forums. I realize many folks would rather err on the side of safety, but a DC is not an old rifle with a flint and gun powder just waiting to be touched off. Today's FWW eletter contained a item on shop fires. Their top ten list (from a referenced article) didn't include DC-sparks as a cause. Most shop fires seem to be caused by electrical or heating (electric, wood, etc.) and with a few from oily rags. One point made is that the best fire detection device is your nose- I concur.

    As far as efficiency and air flow you would be better off with a straight shot of smooth walled, rigid duct from the blower into the bag assembly. Every bend, every length of flex, robs CFM. DC manufacturers just do it with a short length of flex because it is easier and cheaper.
    Last edited by Alan Schaffter; 02-03-2010 at 9:42 AM.

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