Cyclone not separating chips from dust

[Eddie Barrett]

I bought an older Dayton Cyclone dust collector. I believe it is 3HP and is all steel. There is plenty of suction to remove chips from 16" jointer and 13" planer but it is not separating chips and fines. Everything is blowing out the exhaust. I checked the cyclone and there is no obstruction between the inlet and the dust bin. Chips dropped in at the inlet fall directly into the dust bin. Any ideas?

[Andrew More]

Is it full or full enough? Most cyclones will start puking everything out the exhaust when they get too full.

[Paul F Franklin]

Hmmm, how about a pic? The blower is on top and the inlet comes into the side of the cyclone like most? And the connection between the bottom of the cyclone and the bin is airtight, correct? And there's a good seal between the bin top and the bin? If air can get into the bin from anywhere but the cyclone, everything will just blow right through.

[roger wiegand]

Motor wired to turn the right direction? (DAMHIK this can be a problem)

The dust collection box well sealed? Even a small leak can cause problems.

[Jim Becker]

The most likely cause for chips and even most fines blowing by the cyclone is a leak between the cyclone and the bin. It has to be absolutely 100% sealed...even a pinhole leak can cause issues.

[Eddie Barrett]

The bin seal is probably the issue. The bin lid is 23" diameter and the plastic drum bin is around 21" diameter and the lid is just laying loosely on the drum. I will get a 23" drum and try again. Do plastic drums come with 23" diameter?

[Steve Jenkins]

You might get it to seal by using closed cell weatherstripping.

[Prashun Patel]

buy a proper bin with a lid that mates properly and is easy to open and close. I agree with the other posters that the problem is almost certainly the bin seal. If there is a pin hole leak, the impeller sucks air in through that and with that air stream comes the chips. The only way to get them to fall is if the bin is dead of all upward force from airflow, so gravity can work.

[Michael Burnside]

The most likely cause for chips and even most fines blowing by the cyclone is a leak between the cyclone and the bin. It has to be absolutely 100% sealed...even a pinhole leak can cause issues.

This is what I was thinking too. Without being sealed it’s a glorified splitter not a cyclone.

[Eddie Barrett]

Thanks everyone. once I got a properly sized drum and sealed the lid, all is good. The downside is that now I have to empty the bin.

[Jim Becker]

Thanks everyone. once I got a properly sized drum and sealed the lid, all is good. The downside is that now I have to empty the bin.

Emptying the bin is MUCH preferable to the "wonderful" task of cleaning out a completely packed canister filter system when a cyclone experiences blow by during a big milling session! DAMHIKT!!

[Patty Hann]

Thanks everyone. once I got a properly sized drum and sealed the lid, all is good. The downside is that now I have to empty the bin.

How did you seal the drum? Weather stripping or...what?

[Frank Pratt]

Emptying the bin is MUCH preferable to the "wonderful" task of cleaning out a completely packed canister filter system when a cyclone experiences blow by during a big milling session! DAMHIKT!!

It's about like trying to dig out compacted road crush when that happens. It took me a couple of times to learn that lesson.

[Jim Becker]

It's about like trying to dig out compacted road crush when that happens. It took me a couple of times to learn that lesson.

I learned the lesson early on. But for some reason, it kept popping back on my class schedule. With the Harvey I'm running now, I get a clog at the inlet grid, but it's at least not a major impaction!