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Thread: Separator bin on dust collector

  1. #1

    Separator bin on dust collector

    Hey all! I’m upgrading my dust collection system. I have an older 2hp grizzley which has a 5” inlet and outlets. I’ve sized my main duct at 6” and will have a few branches at 4” to my main tools. This is nothing fancy. I’m also planning to have a separator bin and in lieu of the bag and filter and I’m planning to exhaust the dust collection directly out of my shop.

    My question is, with 5” ports on the vac, do I need 5” connections on my separator bin? They don’t seem to be too commonly available on the interwebs. Also, should I run 6” from the bin to the main duct (roughly 6’)? How are others doing it? Thanks!

  2. #2
    Visit Phil Thien's web site for lots of good info on separator baffle. You can build the baffle inside the blower ring of your Grizzly

  3. #3
    Join Date
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    I used 6” PVC on a 2 HP grizzly that was reconfigured to use a Thien separator. I have a plenum with 6” inlets and gates. From those gates I run 6” flex or 4” flex depending on the tool. The one exception is 6” PVC that I run to the table saw. The tools are clustered around the DC so the runs are all very short. I only open one gate at a time except on the bandsaw which has two 4” ports.
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  4. #4
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
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    A 6 " inlet for your DC is about $20 at Grizzly , thats the first thing I'd do . A Thien separator can be made very cheaply , but a Dust Deputy will be a little more effective w/ less CFM lost . Lot's of Thien baffles out there that guys love . Good luck on your project .

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
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    I'll bet you have 5" openings on the housing that held the filter . My mistake .

  6. #6
    After doing some more research on using a cyclone(hadn’t thought about that route), I agree that a dust deputy is the way to go. A 5” model is only $150 which isn’t terrible for the cfm savings you get with it. I’m leaning towards keeping the 5” on my DC and connecting directly to the dust deputy with a6x5 reducer. Then I can run the inlet at 5” to my 6” main duct. Thanks guys. I know there’s a million dc questions on this site so I appreciate you answering one more.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
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    Tippecanoe County, IN
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    Quote Originally Posted by Trent Whipple View Post
    ...I’m leaning towards keeping the 5” on my DC and connecting directly to the dust deputy with a6x5 reducer. Then I can run the inlet at 5” to my 6” main duct...
    Just keep in mind that the 6 to 5 reducer adds a contraction loss. It's not huge, equivalent to about 40' of 6" or 6' of 4" but something you might want to consider. It's not that difficult to modify the inlet size of that blower.

    You have a similar situation on the blower outlet. There's a transition fitting from the rectangular outlet to 5" round. That loss is comparable to 50' of 6" or 7' of 4". That's a bit more difficult to modify. Some people have heatformed 6" PVC. Others have fabricated rectangular duct. I haven't seen it, but it should be possible to bend up some sheet metal for a transition to 6".

    Both of those together would save a loss equivalent to about 13' of 4" PVC. That's not a lot for the effort involved, but something to consider.
    Beranek's Law:

    It has been remarked that if one selects his own components, builds his own enclosure, and is convinced he has made a wise choice of design, then his own loudspeaker sounds better to him than does anyone else's loudspeaker. In this case, the frequency response of the loudspeaker seems to play only a minor part in forming a person's opinion.
    L.L. Beranek, Acoustics (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1954), p.208.

  8. #8
    Join Date
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bruce Wrenn View Post
    Visit Phil Thien's web site for lots of good info on separator baffle. You can build the baffle inside the blower ring of your Grizzly
    Which is what I did. I know lots of people do some sort of "top hat" configuration. I didn't want the extra hose (performance hit) and extra space taken up by the trash can. I just empty the clear lower bag when it gets about half full which makes it easier to deal with. The only thing I'd do differently would be to use thinner material for the baffle. I understand thinner is more efficient. The other thing I could have done easily if I'd thought about it would be to bevel the ends of the slot to smooth air flow. It still works very well, especially for larger material like planer chips and saw dust. I don't know that it's real effective with sanding dust but my sanding is mostly handheld machines where dust collection is with a Fein vac and cartridge filter.
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  9. #9
    I don’t know if my DC impeller is big enough for a larger inlet. I think it might be a12” but I’d have to take off the cover and find out. If it’s only 10” does that factor into sizing?

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
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    Quote Originally Posted by Trent Whipple View Post
    I don’t know if my DC impeller is big enough for a larger inlet. I think it might be a12” but I’d have to take off the cover and find out. If it’s only 10” does that factor into sizing?
    Bigger is better for sure. My "2 HP" DC is 12" and works fine with 6" PVC ducting, about 20' worth with a couple 90* bends and 10' flexible hose. I think the infamous Harbor Freight DCs have 10" fans.

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