chrisphr Posted November 30, 2016 Report Share Posted November 30, 2016 I've got a Jet 1200 CFM collector that I have Jimmy-rigged to PVC pipe to create my garage shop dust collection system. Worked pretty well right after I installed. Recently hasn't been working great at all. There was some build up in the pipes parallel to ground which after clearing just jammed back up again. The poor performance of the system was really clear yesterday when I attached the dewalt planer and the air being pushed through the system blew sawdust through all the nooks and crannies around the blast gaits suggesting the the dewalt was pushing more CFM that the jet was pulling. In the picture below are there any obvious problems? What steps should I take to troubleshoot? Should I get a CFM meter (looks like Amazon has for about $30) to figure it out? Any help is appreciated, I was going to work on some shop upgrades over the next couple months in part to improve the shop air quality. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted November 30, 2016 Report Share Posted November 30, 2016 Sounds like the Jet isn't pulling much at all if the planer fan was able to "overpower" it. When you disconnect the ducting is the blower pulling as expected? Does your lower bag blow up like a balloon or just softly inflate? If it blows up tight you are getting too much back pressure and your filter needs cleaning / improving. The canisters or top bags that come stock with smaller machines are often inadequate to allow good flow after a little bit of use. One solution is, of course, a cyclone. I have a cyclone but, also have a bag unit for the jointer. I got an oversized top filter bag from American Fabric Filter and the little DC does a nice job. When I see the bag start to hold a rigid shape instead of softly hanging there I know its time to clean it out a bit. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jfitz Posted November 30, 2016 Report Share Posted November 30, 2016 Hi Chris. My first thought is that your DC filter is clogged. You wrote "when I attached the dewalt planer and the air being pushed through the system blew sawdust through all the nooks and crannies around the blast gaits" , a clogged filter is what I'll go with. I have that planer as well, and although it moves a lot of air/chips there is no reason that the DC filter should not be able to "keep up" with it. To troubleshoot it, you might disconnect the hose that goes into the DC and then turn on the planer again, and see if air flows freely. If it does, then the problem is in your DC - i.e. most likely the filter. If you have an air compressor, remove the filter and take it outside and blow air into the filter to dislodge all the fine dust that is most likely built up in all the pleats. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisphr Posted November 30, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2016 Thank guys, two very consistent thoughts. Yes, the dust collector bag when inflated is hard a a rock. The filter is most likely culprit! Separately, I might look at what options are out there that might fit in the space to turn it into a two stage unit with cyclone. Thanks! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jfitz Posted November 30, 2016 Report Share Posted November 30, 2016 Chris - I added a Super Dust Deputy to my 1.5HP Delta DC and it works well. See it here http://www.woodcraft.com/product/158396/oneida-air-systems-molded-super-dust-deputy-cyclone.aspx 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Tpt life Posted November 30, 2016 Popular Post Report Share Posted November 30, 2016 Eliminate all those tight 90s and find street sweep 90s or double 45s instead. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisphr Posted November 30, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2016 Eliminate all those tight 90s and find street sweep 90s or double 45s instead. Good call. Step 1 clean that filter. Step 2, I think I am going to add the super dust deputy Jfitz suggested. To do that I think the best way will be to mount the motor to the wall which will do two things for me: 1. Create the space to fit a steel trash can to collect dust from the cyclone and 2. Eliminate two 90s and about 7' of pipe. I'll go ahead and address the other 90s at the same time. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Cancelleri Posted November 30, 2016 Report Share Posted November 30, 2016 Those hard 90s are killing airflow. You should only use either 2 45s or a sweeping 90 degree elbow. You need a certain velocity and volume to keep the horizontal runs clear. Check out http://billpentz.com/woodworking/cyclone/ducting.cfm 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisphr Posted December 2, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 2, 2016 Ok, this is embarrassing. There was probably 3 cubic feet of baby powder fine saw dust jammed into that filter, how this didn't occur to me as the obvious problem I don't know. Once again, reminded of my own noobiness. Do these filters require vacuuming every so often or will spinning the dust release lever once in a while be adequate to keep the filter clear? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkinneb Posted December 2, 2016 Report Share Posted December 2, 2016 LOL we all have those days At least its an easy fix... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jfitz Posted December 2, 2016 Report Share Posted December 2, 2016 glad it looks like an easy fix!! I really like my SDD so I hope you look into getting one installed. Note -you still need to check the filter, but hopefully it's a LOT less frequently!! I don't have one of those dust release levers.....so I can't say. I would think it's a good thing to use every now and then, but you should plan for periodic filter cleaning. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisphr Posted December 2, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 2, 2016 glad it looks like an easy fix!! I really like my SDD so I hope you look into getting one installed. You've sold me on the SDD, that is going to happen ! As soon as I finish these Christmas gifts going to a bunch of shop upgrade projects, this will be one of them. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marmotjr Posted December 9, 2016 Report Share Posted December 9, 2016 Mattias Wandel Did a review of the Dewalt 735 vs his budget planer, and he also noted the blower on the Dewalt overpowered his DC also. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted December 9, 2016 Report Share Posted December 9, 2016 I have the same problem using the Harbor Freight modified system. The secondary collection bag is filling up as fast as the primary collection unit. When using the 735, would it be best not to even turn on the dc system and just use the force of the 735? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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