NFPA664 compliant Dust Collector

[Tim Boettcher]

I still haven't pulled the trigger on a dust collector, and at the suggestion of Clearvue, I contacted a Nordfab rep about getting a duct design.
Basically he shut me down saying Clearvue cyclones aren't NFPA664 compliant, and they wouldn't help. They said you should stick with one which uses a bag, rather than a canister, or run the cyclone outside the shop to avoid explosion issues.

I know dust can cause hazardous situation, and there is always the discussion of PVC vs Steel ducting... but should this be something I should really be worried about for a home shop?
Are there dust collectors which are NFPA664 compliant, and also efficient in removing the fines, like the Clearvue or other canister cyclones can do?

Tim

[Mike Cutler]

Tim

For a home shop? No, I wouldn't worry about it.
ClearVue makes an excellent product that has had great reviews for years.
There are many, many, dust collectors and cyclones out there that will do excellent jobs for a home shop environment. It's a matter of each individual shop setup and size. And of course, budget.

[Jim Becker]

That standard applies to commercial shops and yes, it's real. But as has been stated, shouldn't be a factor in a home shop if that's what you have. Perhaps you need to clarify that with the duct manufacturer, or use one of their retailers to do your design.

[Andy Hastings]

I was in the industrial mobile vacuum material transfer industry for over 40 years. I state this so no one thinks I'm just trying to keep your costs down on installing a dust control system.
That said, you do not need to worry about a sawdust explosion unless you are running a very large commercial shop. A 100% LEL concentration of wood dust has to be so high you would barely see your out stretched hand. This condition can not be generating by power sanding or sawing/milling wood in your own home shop. What you should be worrying about is flammable vapors accumulating in your closed up shop at night from unsealed containers. It takes a very small amount of VOCs such as acetone or paint thinner to reach 100% LEL.
Keep safe
Andy

[Frank Pratt]

I was in the industrial mobile vacuum material transfer industry for over 40 years. I state this so no one thinks I'm just trying to keep your costs down on installing a dust control system.
That said, you do not need to worry about a sawdust explosion unless you are running a very large commercial shop. A 100% LEL concentration of wood dust has to be so high you would barely see your out stretched hand. This condition can not be generating by power sanding or sawing/milling wood in your own home shop. What you should be worrying about is flammable vapors accumulating in your closed up shop at night from unsealed containers. It takes a very small amount of VOCs such as acetone or paint thinner to reach 100% LEL.
Keep safe
Andy

It's good to hear another voice of reason. I've been telling this to anyone who'd listen for quite some time now. If it's an explosive level, you're not gonna be able to breath for long anyway. It's practically impossible to raise enough dust in a home shop to blow it up. I've done electrcal installations in lots of commercial woodworking shops & have never had to install explosion proof wiring. Spraying/drying rooms excepted of course.