DC Cyclone Decision. Am I silly to go 5hp?

[Tom Dixon]

I finished getting my shop built about a year ago after 4 years without one due to a move, and I have slowly been re-acquiring new versions of the tools I sold from the old shop. My tax refund just got deposited in my checking account and I'm now ready to pull the trigger on a DC Cyclone. I've narrowed it down to a Grizzly G0441 3hp or a G0442 5hp. Below is a drawing of my duct layout for the tools I have. (This one is for PVC but I have also drawn spiral steel duct version prior to this one.. I am leaning towards spiral ducting at this time.) The 3hp should be adequate for a 24' x 26' shop with 8" pipe for the trunk and 6" pipe of of that to machines, but I'm worried if I add a CNC and oscillating belt sander sometime in the future I may be pushing it to it's limit. I hardly ever plan to run more than two machines at once. I've about decided to go with the 5hp cyclone but I wanted to make a sanity check with this group. The 5hp costs $665 dollars more than the 3hp which in the grand scheme of what I've spent so far is peanuts, (but that would buy me a mortising machine I have my eye on). The only downside I can see is that the second filter will stick out about 20" further into the shop and I'll likely bump into it with something sooner than later, and if I end up enclosing the DC, the closet will have to be larger.

Is it silly to over buy and go with the 5hp? Your feedback would be appreciated.

DCPlan.jpg

Tom

[Dominik Dudkiewicz]

Hi Tom,

I can't speak to the Grizzly machines but I think you would be silly not to go with 5HP. With an 8" main trunk and relatively clean, short 6" to machines, particularly if running two at once, and I think even the 15.5" impeller system may require more than 3HP. You can't have too much airflow IMO, so I'd go with the 5HP system. Another benefit is doubling the filter area.

Your layout looks good. The main improvement I could suggest is to move the DC over more to the corner and get a longer straight section of duct leading into the inlet; which will improve airflow and seperation by reducing turbulence at the inlet.

Cheers, Dom

[Jim Becker]

I agree with Dominik about getting the unit toward the corner and using a straight, diagonal main trunk to cover most of the shop. It's also easier to enclose the cyclone if you choos to do so for sound mitigation.

[Martin Wasner]

I'd go higher HP. I'd also spend just a little more and get an Oneida. The smart one comes with a remote and vfd to ramp it up if necessary.

[Tom Dixon]

Thanks for the comments. You guys have basically confirmed my current thinking. I also had been considering moving it over and using a 45 degree straight run to the trunk. One other thought I have had is the 5hp also has a 10" inlet so I could run 10" pipe and fittings up to the 8" trunk and reduce the resistance in the 90 degree turn to connect to the trunk. I may have to move the trunk slightly off of the center of the shop to get the 45 degree run. I can only move the DC a limited amount because I can't block the electrical panel with the filters. I don't see slightly off center as a problem since it makes shorter runs to the heavy chip and sawdust producers, (Planer, Jointer, and Dual Drum sander).

[Tom Dixon]

I'd go higher HP. I'd also spend just a little more and get an Oneida. The smart one comes with a remote and vfd to ramp it up if necessary.

The Oneida Smart 5hp is almost double in price. If I was pro instead of a hobbyist I would definitely go with the Oneida despite the difference in cost, but the Griz should do fine for my needs. I'm already pushing my budget to the limits of what SWMBO thinks is reasonable and I have a few more stationary tools on my wish list to acquire yet, (I also still have to purchase the duct pipe and fittings too).

[Jamie Buxton]

You might consider the cost of electricity. A 5 hp dust collector pulls 5 hp worth of electricity all the time that it is running. Most other stationary machines rarely pull their full rated power.

[Larry Frank]

I went with a 5 hp Oneida Super Dust Gorilla and very happy with it. They have the V series which is cheaper than the Smart series.

The Grizzly 5 hp unit is also fine. If you are only running 1 or 2 machines at a time you may not need 10" ducts. I am running 6" ducts and get very good air flow with my unit.

[Martin Wasner]

The Oneida Smart 5hp is almost double in price. If I was pro instead of a hobbyist I would definitely go with the Oneida despite the difference in cost, but the Griz should do fine for my needs. I'm already pushing my budget to the limits of what SWMBO thinks is reasonable and I have a few more stationary tools on my wish list to acquire yet, (I also still have to purchase the duct pipe and fittings too).

Isn't it $3k?

[Martin Wasner]

It's $3200. I'd bet it's $500 well spent

[Peter Christensen]

The Clear-Vue Max bundle would be less money than the Grizzly but you would have to find a drum. CV 1800 a little less than the Max

[Bill Dufour]

For a dc I would seriously look at used. Even in industrial use they last a long time. If the motor runs there is not much else that can go wrong.
I do not believe that a vfd really offers much benefit to a dc. Fan curves should be optimized for one rpm speed. Going outside that rpm will soon cause issues with messy airflow into and out of the fan and fan housing.
Bill D

[John K Jordan]

You might consider the cost of electricity. A 5 hp dust collector pulls 5 hp worth of electricity all the time that it is running. Most other stationary machines rarely pull their full rated power.

It might depend on the amount of air moving through the cyclone. When testing I used a clamp-on current meter to test my 5hp cyclone. The current varied widely, lower as less air was moved (i.e. blast gates closed) With lots of bends and long runs and restricted ports on smaller machines the current and electrical use may be less than "5hp worth of current."

I'm quite happy with 5hp.

[Matthew Curtis]

When I save up enough I am going to go with the CV MAX. In dust collection in most cases: Bigger HP = more CFM = Better dust collection

[Prashun Patel]

If it were me, I'd move the dust collector to the center of the wall facing the front of your workbench (next to the storage cabinet). You'll cut the distance to all the saws by 1/2.

I would also get the bigger HP model. That being said, it seems you are not on the tightest of budgets, so why have you omitted Oneida and Clear Vue from your consideration?