How to keep the plastic bag from being sucked up into the dust collector?

[Gary F]

For my dust collection system I'm trying to set up, I have a cyclone lid on a 55 gallon drum to separate the larger particles from the smaller (which would go to the actual dust collector).  The output port then leads to the dust collector itself.  I put a plastic bag in the 55 gallon drum to facilitate emptying it, but the problem is that when I turn on the dust collector, it sucks the bag into the output port.

Does anyone have a simple solution to prevent the plastic bag from being sucked up into the dust collector itself?  I guess I could put rocks into the bag, but that doesn't seem wise. 

Any help would be appreciated.

Gary F.

[pkinneb]

Oneida used to sell a suction device for the bottom of the barrel to solve this I have used mine for over a decade with no issues. I dont see it on their website but they have these

https://www.oneida-air.com/35-gallon-drum-liner-bag-retainer-sleeve-kit 

[Gary F]

Thanks for the quick response.  That gives me ideas to make my own if I can't find one online.

I appreciate the suggestion.

Regards,

Gary F.

[RichardA]

You can always drop a brick in the bottom of the bag.

[Coop]

1 hour ago, pkinneb said:

Oneida used to sell a suction device for the bottom of the barrel to solve this I have used mine for over a decade with no issues. I dont see it on their website but they have these

https://www.oneida-air.com/35-gallon-drum-liner-bag-retainer-sleeve-kit 

That does look like a neat deal, as long as it fits down inside the drum you have. 

[Dave H]

I saw a video once I can't remember where, the guy on the video used welded wire fencing an made it fit the diameter of the barrel he folded all the loose tines to the inside of the barrel. He would put the plastic bag inside the barrel then the welded wire hoop than the lid, when the barrel was full he would lift the wire cage out of the bag than dispose of the bag, He just made sure there was no sharp wires that would poke hole in the bag.

[Gary F]

There are several sheet metal places around here.  I'm going to try my hand a creating a sleeve that will fit inside the bag, like what Oneida has on their website.  That should be less expensive than the $$$ they charge for retail.

I'll try to remember to post my solution and success/failure when I'm done.

Thanks all for your comments and suggestions.

Regards,

Gary F.

[Wimayo]

I just throw enough pieces of scrap wood in mine to hold it down.

[Chestnut]

Roll roofing flashing and some rivets make sure to put the smooth side out so it doesn't snag the bag..... i might just do this myself....

[Isaac]

Actually I think you can look to lawn care products for this one. 

This is is out of stock, but you get the idea.

https://www.essentialhardware.com/lawson-products-90427-lawn-and-yard-waste-funnel-twin-black-150999.html

we had one years ago, worked great for holding plastic bags open while you tossed in leaves. They key is it is NOT a fixed cylinder, if it was, it would be a pain to slide the bag over. Instead, it is a rolled sheet. You roll it tight, insert it into the bag, and then release it and it unfurls until it  pulls the bag taught. It should line the inside of a drum quite well.

[gee-dub]

I just do this.

Fiberglass sheet pop-riveted to fit easily in to the barrel.

A couple pieces of cord to make it easy to grab and lift out.

My new bags are a bit oversized but that is not a problem in use.

 

[Von]

On 4/12/2019 at 5:30 PM, pkinneb said:

Oneida used to sell a suction device for the bottom of the barrel to solve this I have used mine for over a decade with no issues. I dont see it on their website but they have these

https://www.oneida-air.com/35-gallon-drum-liner-bag-retainer-sleeve-kit 

+1 I've got something like this and it works well.

One lesson from mine: For some reason it only has three handles, 120 degrees apart from each other. This makes extracting the sleeve when the drum is full of dust a PITA since one doesn't have two handles opposite each other to pull on. I'll cut a fourth handle at some point to fix this.

[Coop]

Or eliminate two of them and put one 180 from the remaining one. 

[houstonboy]

One solution you can try is attaching a mesh or screen over the output port. It's a simple fix that should catch the bag without messing with the airflow too much. No need to resort to adding rocks, which, as you said, might not be the wisest idea. On another note, while I was on the hunt for solutions, I came across these versatile poly bags that could be a game-changer for various DIY projects. You can find them at https://www.interplas.com/poly-bags/custom-pоly-bags. They're not just for dust collection, but who knows, they might help solve your bag-sucking problem, too.

[William R]

I got lucky and found a thing my wife brought it home. But looking at it. It fit perfectly into the collection can. 

[Mark J]

Nice solution!  Brilliant wife!

[roughsawn]

On 11/21/2023 at 5:02 PM, William R said:

I got lucky and found a thing my wife brought it home. But looking at it. It fit perfectly into the collection can. 

I built the exact same thing. It works...sort of. The suction inside the 55 gal drum collapsed the wire cage about 50%. So there was sawdust all around the wire cage. Still lifted out easy, tho. I'm tired of all the fussing, and decided to just dolly the barrel out back, and dump the sawdust in the woods. Let Mother Nature take it from there. No more bags.