Oneida V3000 dusty smell after about a year

[Bill Brammer]

This unit worked great, now it smells like dust in my shop running the dust collector without any cutting happening. I found a bad gasket and replaced it. I cleaned the filter well per Oneida's instructions, put it back together and it still smells like dust in my shop when I run the V3000 collector alone with no activity.
The filter was pretty dirty, I had not blown it out after every day, but maybe 4 times in a year.
Trying to figure out if I have ruined the filter by not cleaning it regularly OR if I should expect a dusty smell and it's actually doing it's job.
Not sure how to troubleshoot the smell at this point.

[roger wiegand]

An air particle counter would be the best way to assess the performance of the filter, but they tend to be pretty pricey. Someone here may have experience with less expensive versions.

I'm not sure what a "dust" smell means to you. Odorants are typically small molecules, much smaller than dust-size particles. The aromatic compounds that typically make a wood shop smell like wood wouldn't be filtered out by a dust collector in any event. Might it be a mildew odor?

It seems very unlikely that not cleaning a filter for a while would wreck it. It might have provided an environment for bugs to grow, especially with high summer humidity.

Some filters are washable, check with the manufacturer or instructions for cleaning instructions. That would be more effective than blowing it out if the filter material will tolerate it.

[Jim OConnor]

Check all the gasketed connections. Gaskets May be deformed and or connection may have loosened. Mine had a slight leak on top of the filter due to a deformed gasket. Replaced the gasket and the dust smell went away.

[Greg Funk]

My dust collector also acts as an air cleaner and will clean up any dust in the air if I leave it running for a while. I got a Dylos air quality meter about 16 yrs ago. I see they're still available for around $280. Not sure what else is on the market but I found it helpful when setting up dust collection.

[Matthew Hills]

do you have other dust in the shop that might be getting kicked up with the air circulation from the DC?

But I'd be interested to see what you find if you go all in with leak detect powder.

Matt

[Paul F Franklin]

IMO, the gaskets are the weak part of the V3000 design. They compress too easily and the plastic flanges deform over time causing small leaks. I've been gradually replacing the gaskets, usually making my own replacements. I also replace the nuts/lock washers with the locking nuts with nylon inserts. With those, you don't have to tighten the bolts as much so you can just tighten them enough to slightly compress the gasket. That way the plastic flanges don't distort and it seals better. If you do that with the nut/lw combo, the nuts will loosen quickly.

[Bill Brammer]

Good to know on the V 3000 gaskets. I do feel like I’m playing whack a mole with their gaskets and plastic flanges so I will look into that. I’ll also look into that particle detector, it would just be nice to know. I have an ambient air filter hanging from the ceiling and if I let that run a while the smell goes away so it feels like it’s a leak.
could a leak be detected with a very light piece of tissue paper or do I just have to guess?

[Jim Becker]

I had to get new gasket material for the SDD I bought used for my temporary shop so I suspect that the V3000 may have the same concern, given it's formed from the same material, if I'm not mistaken. Fortunately, it's not hard to scrape off and replace the adhesive backed gasket material other than the inconvenience of whatever disassembly is required to do the deed.

[Brice Rogers]

For leak detection, you might consider using a incense stick. Light it, and slowly move it around the DC housing, gasket areas, etc. It isn't very sophisticated but it might help you. If you're a smoker, you could alternatively use a lit cigarette.

I bought a life time supply of incense sticks at the local Dollar store.

[Bill Brammer]

I think I will try incense and see if I see anything. I replaced all the gaskets and tightened it all “just right” and the smell is still there.
maybe there’s some residual smell but I don’t think so.

[Bill Brammer]

Hey Matt, good question. No the shop is super clean. Vacuumed up and blown out.

[Bill Dufour]

I found yoga mats a cheap source of big flat gasket material for projects like this. b I am not sure if they are really airtight or not. The edges can be coated with a sealer of some kind.
Bill D

[Greg Parrish]

My prior V-3000 had the same issue. I figured it was from letting the filter get over loaded a few times. I never could get all of the residue out of the pleats and figured the smell was coming from that dust that never left the filter.

I’ve seen mention that Oneida filters are washable but I never tried it. May be worth a call to them to ask. May help get rid of that stale wood dust smell if it is the filter.

[Curt Harms]

My prior V-3000 had the same issue. I figured it was from letting the filter get over loaded a few times. I never could get all of the residue out of the pleats and figured the smell was coming from that dust that never left the filter.

I’ve seen mention that Oneida filters are washable but I never tried it. May be worth a call to then to ask. May help get rid of that stale wood dust smell if it is the filter.

+1 on washing out if you can. I don't have a cyclone but do have a Wynn 100% spun bond filter on a single stage dust collector. I've washed it a couple times, vacuum out the inside to where I think it's pretty clean but a garden hose sprayed outside in gets a bunch more dust. One caution with washing, pick a couple days with low humidity and maybe a breeze. Mine can take a while to dry.

[Greg Parrish]

Whatever the fix ends up being, keep us posted. I no longer have my V-3000 due to a downgrade in my shop but I do have an Oneida Mini Gorilla with similar filter and may face the same issue down the road. Good Luck!