Vent Cyclone Outside

[Patrick Kane]

I agree with Patrick. With my 5hp Clearvue there is almost nothing getting to the filters and almost nothing would get to the patio without any filters. I don't use mine nearly as much, but in four years I don't have more than a few tablespoons in my clean out box below the filters. When I bang on the filters nothing additional falls. What ends up in the bin, even with running the drum sander, is as fine as talcum powder.

If concerned about spraying dust to the outside living area, perhaps mount a fitting outside to direct the exhaust to the side if that might help in your layout. Or how about including the filter, enclosing it in a box, then vent the enclosure outside rather than return the air to the shop? This would give you the future option of reconfiguring to vent to the shop if needed.

It is fascinating to watch the swirl of the dust when the thing is running, something those with metal cyclone cones can't do. I can throw a dump of sawdust into port and the spiral forms instantly and VERY slowly dissipates as the heavier stuff moves downward. I've never watched it for more than 5 minutes but I suspect it might still be separating that handful for a long time. If you might like to watch it, just don't do what I did. I used kitty litter to soak up a spill and then vacuumed it up with the cyclone. The "rock" in the kitty litter scoured and frosted the inside of the crystal clear plastic cone! I can still see inside OK but it wouldn't make a good video.

Patrick, I can't remember if I asked before but about where are you in western PA? I grew up south of Pittsburgh, living on the banks of the Monongahela river upstream from Elizabeth on RT51. This was in the '50s and '60s.

JKJ

Originally, not that far from where you grew up. I was born in Finleyville, but K-12 was with everyone from the Mon valley. You have me by 30 years, and i can tell you those regions cannot be anything close to what you experienced. Donora, Monessen, and parts of mckeesport look like Chernobyl. After coming back from school, i settled about 15 mins from downtown in the burbs.

Doug,

Sounds like group consensus is you wont notice a thing by venting outside. I bet the clearvue is a better separator than my grizzly too.

[Matthew Hills]

Is venting to the roof viable? (or would you get a circle of wood flour left on the roof?)


To OP: the other consideration with venting outside is the noise. Will you have folks in the patio/yard while you are workshopping? or nearby neighbors hoping to enjoy their outdoor bbq area?

Matt

[John K Jordan]

When researching this some years ago I read that a lot of the cyclone noise comes from the exhaust. Some people found a significant noise reduction in insulating the exhaust duct. But they never mentioned how much of the noise was coming out the end of an open duct.

JKJ

Is venting to the roof viable? (or would you get a circle of wood flour left on the roof?)


To OP: the other consideration with venting outside is the noise. Will you have folks in the patio/yard while you are workshopping? or nearby neighbors hoping to enjoy their outdoor bbq area?

Matt

[Brian Behrens]

When researching this some years ago I read that a lot of the cyclone noise comes from the exhaust. Some people found a significant noise reduction in insulating the exhaust duct. But they never mentioned how much of the noise was coming out the end of an open duct.

JKJ

The noise is an issue. With my Clearvue vented straight through the wall, it sounds like a helicopter idling in the yard. I live in the woods, so it's ok. If you have close neighbors it will probably be a no go .

[Doug Paul]

Well thanks for all of the replies. Good to know that the dust is not an issue. There is a neighbor in one side of me so I’ll certainly need to think about that too.

[John K Jordan]

Well thanks for all of the replies. Good to know that the dust is not an issue. There is a neighbor in one side of me so I’ll certainly need to think about that too.

My cyclone is mounted inside an exterior wall facing the road but a couple of hundred feet across the llama pasture. I don't vent outside. But I can easily hear the thing running from the road, probably from sound transmitted through the wall. Although it's not loud it might still annoy me if I were my neighbor. (I tell people I have quiet neighbors but unfortunately they don't. You should hear the three mini-donkeys when they think it should be feeding time. Or the peacocks during mating season...)

[Jim Becker]

Pointing the outlet "down" may help with sound transmission, as will having it take a turn or two to get there to reduce "direct" sound transmission.

[Todd Richards]

I in the market for a DC system and was considering venting externally. When I spoke to Oneida about this they didn't recommend not using the filter. I figured it was because they wanted to sell the filter. However, I did a little test with my Oneida dust deputy this week on my shop vac. I removed the filter in the shop vac and vacuumed up some dust on the ground. I was surprised a bit by the dust cloud that appeared. I'll tell you that it was a very fine dust cloud but I would not run this setup outside with out a filter on it. That said the larger cyclones may do a better job than the dust deputy; however, like most of you have noted there is hardly any dust in my shop vac (maybe a couple tablespoons of dust) after emptying the 20 gallon tank several times. I will also tell you that in my test I observed the cloud would get noticeably heavier upon consuming dust through the dust deputy cyclone. That said it did appear to dissipate quite quickly.
Based on this little experiment and the fact I don't have a 1 acre lot, I'm leaning towards running it through the filter as I'm sure my neighbors will appreciate it and I'm pretty sure that with a cloud such as that some percentage of it may get drawn back into my shop via vents and doors. That said I would consider a much less expensive filter as I'm not sure a "HEPA" is necessary if venting externally. I am also considering an option where I can vent outside or through the filter.
So I'm wondering if anyone venting outside has observed this with the larger Oneida or Clear Vue cyclones.

[Patrick Kane]

I in the market for a DC system and was considering venting externally. When I spoke to Oneida about this they didn't recommend not using the filter. I figured it was because they wanted to sell the filter. However, I did a little test with my Oneida dust deputy this week on my shop vac. I removed the filter in the shop vac and vacuumed up some dust on the ground. I was surprised a bit by the dust cloud that appeared. I'll tell you that it was a very fine dust cloud but I would not run this setup outside with out a filter on it. That said the larger cyclones may do a better job than the dust deputy; however, like most of you have noted there is hardly any dust in my shop vac (maybe a couple tablespoons of dust) after emptying the 20 gallon tank several times. I will also tell you that in my test I observed the cloud would get noticeably heavier upon consuming dust through the dust deputy cyclone. That said it did appear to dissipate quite quickly.
Based on this little experiment and the fact I don't have a 1 acre lot, I'm leaning towards running it through the filter as I'm sure my neighbors will appreciate it and I'm pretty sure that with a cloud such as that some percentage of it may get drawn back into my shop via vents and doors. That said I would consider a much less expensive filter as I'm not sure a "HEPA" is necessary if venting externally. I am also considering an option where I can vent outside or through the filter.
So I'm wondering if anyone venting outside has observed this with the larger Oneida or Clear Vue cyclones.

Recommended not venting outside without a filter? That is odd. I suppose it is worth noting that the filter does limit the amount of air the system moves and therefore the load on the motor. Venting outside without any restriction might run the motor harder than it was designed. Maybe that is what they were referencing? However, it defeats the point of exhausting outside if you filter it first. You lose all of the benefits, and gain nothing. As far as worrying about the well-being of your neighborhood, as admirable as it is, i highly doubt you are having any impact. I dont run over and kick my neighbor in the shins when he cuts his lawn, and i guarantee that pollutes the air with pollen, dirt, and fumes more than me running a DC for 2 hours on a saturday.

[Peter Christensen]

A lot of Aussies vent outdoors without filters in subdivisions without any issues other than designing the outlets for noise reduction. The system piping is enough to keep the motor from overloading.
I'd vent outside but the temperature is -19C (-3F) right now, the high for the day. Benefits of a warm climate.

[Jim Andrew]

I vent my cyclone outside most of the time, and when running my wide belt sander, if the wind is from the north, I see a cloud of dust outside the window. When planing, not noticeable. I do have an area of dust on the siding, from the last time running the barrel over.

[Brice Rogers]

I use a Thien baffle and vent outside. The only time that I notice any dust getting past the baffle is when I stick the flex hose into a large pile of shavings. But ordinary sanding ends up with at least 95% of the fines and 100% of the coarser stuff falling into the 32 gallon garbage can. I think that when I try to vacuum up too large of a volume is it temporarily overloads the baffle reducing its separation efficiency.

[James Curry]

I’m looking for a new dust collector and want to get something that will really eliminate the fine particles. So, after reading all these posts, I’m convince, Direct Venting is the solution, instead of expensive a two stage solution with costly replacement filters.
Background on the shop:
1. My shop is small. 28’x10’. (standard 3rd car garage with a 10’ bump out on the back.) My truck usually parks diagonally across 1/2 of the 2 car garage and into the bump out on the 3rd. It’s a big truck that doesn’t fit a standard 2 car garage. So all the tools push up around the sides of the garage. I roll them and the truck out for use.
2. I’m the only person who works in the shop. I can only run one machine at a time, plus the DC.
Tools: Band Saw, Table Saw, Planer, Jointer, Routing Table.
3. Sometimes, when it’s really cold outside, I put a space heater where I’m working. It’s only there to take a little chill off. By no means is it an attempt to temp control the garage. In the summer, I open up the back door and the garage door and let the breeze cool me down, so no AC to worry about. The garage is isolated from house by an exterior door. There should be no issues with reduced pressures caused by Direct Venting the DC. If I need more air, I’ll crack the back door or one of the garage doors.
4. The garage use to be dedicated to woodworking and had ducks before I got the truck. I’m considering reinstalling the 25’ run on the exterior wall and having a flex run for when I use the saw. It will have 6 45% Y’s with blast gates.
5. I have both 110 and 220 available. The 220 is 40 amps, and yes the wire and breaker are rated for that.
6. Noise – My neighbors are close and I plan to aim the exhaust directly out the wall. This points right at their house. Truthfully, I don’t care. He’s an A$$ and mows his lawn at 7:00 AM in the morning. If I have to deal with that, he can suck it up (pun intended) and deal with the intermittent DC noise. His mower is no doubt louder than a DC exhaust. I’m a hobbyist, not a professional, so use is not full time.
Here’s my proposed solution:
55 gal drum
Super Dust Deputy
??? (Brand, Size, and HP) Collector Blower & Motor
6” Main Line
6” Exhaust Vent
6” Exterior Louvered Vent
Now, please poke holes in the plan!
What type of Blower/Motor should I get? Please keep in I’m trying to keep costs down, but don’t want junk. I figure if I save by not buying a +$1K DC, that’s a lot of wood I can buy, once I buy these parts. As usual, labor is free.

DC.jpg

[Jim Andrew]

If you have 6" pipe to your machines, you need a 8" exhaust.

[James Curry]

Yah, good point. Those Y's should probably be dropped down to 4". I'll reduce them to whatever the machine has. I don't have the list in front of me.