Filter the Air or Exhaust/Ventilate it Out ??? it

[Flute Maker]

Ok Ive got a Trend Pro model coming and now Im wondering if I should use a dust collector or if I could just use a squirrel cage fan or blower and just exhaust the dusty air out ... Ive got to watch cost on this for now.. Oh shop size is 20' by 20' so it is small !!.Thanks ,Mike

 

[scsmith42]

If your shop is cooled/heated, then I would suggest using a dust collector and keeping the conditioned air in. If not, blow it out side "Charley" style.

 

[kooshball]

If your budget allows you might consider having the option to do both. Even if you just use your DC system for chip collection it will save you time and headache with cleanup as all your mess is already in the bag.

 

[ehpoole]

If you are heating or air-conditioning your shop then you will want to use an air cleaner over a ventilator.

However, if your primary concern is your health, then you absolutely need a dust collection system with 1-micron filtration, regardless of air-filtration or ventilation, to prevent the majority of the dust from entering your shop's air to begin with. After installing a dust collector then, heating and/or cooling aside, it makes little difference whether you filter 700+ CFM of air with a 1-micron air cleaner or ventillate 700+ CFM of shop air to the out doors. Either way you will be removing 700+ CFM of dirty air each minute and replacing it with 700+ CFM of clean air each minute.

 

[Mt. Gomer]

I second the idea that you need to do both Chip collection and air cleaning/ventilation. If your shop is prone to large swings in temperature and/or has heating/cooling then an air cleaner is probably your best bet. My shop is in a daylit basement and, while not directly heated or cooled, is relatively stable in temperature due to the insulation of the house and surrounding ground. For that reason I installed a exterior vented fan in one corner of the shop. When I'm making dust I turn it on and open the window in the opposite corner and it works great in conjuction with my DC (non cyclone).

Travis

 

[woodturnerdon]

Excellent thread. I'm in the process of hooking up both a dust collector and a pretty powerful wall fan. The dust collector will be outside in a shed and the fan (with louvers) will just blow the dust/small chips right out the back of the shop to the outside which is just weeds. I know I'll lose heat this way, but I figure having a much cleaner and safer shop will be worth it. Plus I won't have to listen to the collector when it's on. A bit wasteful, but I think it will be pretty efficient. Anyone else that thinks this might not be the way to go? Thanks for the thread, Mike.
Don L.

 

[kooshball]

Excellent thread. I'm in the process of hooking up both a dust collector and a pretty powerful wall fan. The dust collector will be outside in a shed and the fan (with louvers) will just blow the dust/small chips right out the back of the shop to the outside which is just weeds. I know I'll lose heat this way, but I figure having a much cleaner and safer shop will be worth it. Plus I won't have to listen to the collector when it's on. A bit wasteful, but I think it will be pretty efficient. Anyone else that thinks this might not be the way to go? Thanks for the thread, Mike.
Don L.

Aside from loosing your conditioned air (if you have any) this is the best way to go. The more dirty air you move out and replace with clean air the better.

The only caveat to this is going to be open windows, people on decks, kids in the yard, etc. If you don't have any of these issues you should be good to go. I would still wear a mask / respirator just to be safe.

 

[Flute Maker]

That will be the way Ill go . No kids close by or neighbors..Thanks everyone for all the input.... I will get or make some type dust collector for my lathe and wear the trend!!!!!

 

[ehpoole]

Don,

With regard to ducting outdoors in a heated shop, just be aware that if you run your DC for any significant period of time you will require an extraordinary reserve in your heating or cooling capacity when using the DC.

Depending on hose diameter, length, and DC size, you will be ducting anywhere from a few hundred cubic feet of air per minute, to well over 1000 cubic feet of air each minute. Assuming a 500 sq.ft. shop with 10ft ceilings, your A/C or heater will need enough reserve capacity to fully heat/cool your shop from whatever the outdoor temperature is to your desired thermostat setting EVERY 5 MINUTES! I'm not even sure a 4-ton A/C could handle that load (30F temperature gradient, 5000 cubic ft. air, every 5 minutes)! I know my 1-ton A/C takes a several hours to makeup that sort of differential in an insulated shop.

Same goes for heating... Essentially shop insulation becomes 100% optional. If you go this route the only practical (and affordable) heating option will likely be infrared. It will be like heating or cooling a 2-car garage with an 18-ft garage door wide open with all the windows open.

From a health perspective, and from the perspective of getting rid of harmful dust, nothing beats sending it outdoors (so long as neighbors, family, and pets are protected from the exhaust cloud -- preferably by several hundred feet). However, when it comes to heating or cooling a shop, nothing works worse than sending all your conditioned air outdoors!

Whatever path you choose, I wish you much success. It is great that you have chosen to invest in dust collection, your health will no doubt benefit from it and you will have a much cleaner shop to boot. I invested in dust collection from the get-go, so I can not even imagine what my shop would look like with hundreds of gallons of sawdust covering everthing! Since my shop is a connected garage, I also can not imagine what the inside of our house wood look like with that level of dust in our garage either!

 

[woodturnerdon]

Ethan, Thanks for all that great information. Luckily, the exhaust will be essentially going to "nowhere" and I don't use the AC in the summer. I'd rather have the doors and windows (free standing 3 car garage) open so I kind of feel like I'm turning outside.

The heat, as you said, will be sucked out in winter. Your figures are quite startling. That's a lot of heat loss. I use a wall unit (elec) that can't handle the shop size unless it's 40 degrees or warmer outside. A kerosene "turbo" heater handles the heavy work of getting the shop warm fast and the wall unit simply keeps it that way. I think I see a lot of kerosene in my future.

I'm just getting over having cancer (not lung cancer) and figure blowing out the heat when the lathe is on might be a better choice in the long run. Don't need more health problems.

I guess I'm just stuck with some heavy kerosene bills, but having a much cleaner shop and much cleaner lungs might be worth it.

Thanks so much for your input,
Don L.