I have researched for awhile on the placement of the DC pipe.(I have a 1.5hp DC with 1 micron bags) Some people say to run it on the ceiling and some say to run it along the wall and some say to run them at floor level for max effect. I will be running with at least 5 blast gates but one machine at a time.
thanks Len
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What you want is the shortest possible runs of pipe.... and with the least amount of "wyes" or elbows as possible.... . My ceiling is just way to low to place my main trunk line up there so I had to run my pipe about 24 inches off the floor all the way around my 24x24 foot shop... darn close to 100 foot of pipe just to get around the shop...plus the connections to each machine.. Plus the elbows at each corner really reduce the air flow ...
Ceiling mount is my choice IF I had the headroom ... Under floor (if the pipe would be accessible )would be great but I did not have that option either...
Bob Griffiths
I don't care what some people say. I ran mine where it fits. Part on the floor, part on the ceiling. Both work.
My runs are based on convenience.
A "U" shaped feed serves a drill press, miter saw, 12" disc sander, spare outlet, band saw, router table, jointer, and planer. This sits on the floor, as it's behind the tools. These tools are arranged in a three sided rectangle. Inside of the "U" is a trash can cyclone and the DC itself. The feed to the table saw runs overhead, as I got tired of tripping over the pipe across the floor..
Barry
Hi Len,
I have a 1.5 HP with 5 gates also. Since my shop is in the basement and I installed the pipes after I had storage cabinets built, I ran everything up along the 7" ceiling. I used waste drain pipe that I got at HD (instead of PVC). It was cheaper and was closer to the correct diameter to fit the elbows etc.
From what I have read, it is more efficient if you keep the ductwork low, but I have been pretty satisfied with the vacuum I get at each gate - even the ones that are 20 ft away.
The one idea (probably not original) that I came up with was to have an extra blast gate positioned overhead in the middle of the shop. I attached about 8 ft of flex hose to it. Normally that hose is held on the ceiling with a few pieces of hanger strap. When I need to roll out the planer, sander etc, I just drop it down & slip it on the machine with a quick-connect fitting.
I wish I had used better blast gates though. I installed the cheap (around $5) plastic ones. They are ok, but seem to accumulate sawdust which keeps them from closing completely after awhile. It's a simple matter to scrape them clean with a finishing nail, but maybe a better (metal) gate would eliminate this chore.
Last hint is to make everything accessible & able to be disconnected easily. I have a "dedicated" 5/16 inch nut wrench that I use just to undo the duct clamps when needed.
Oh yes - I grounded mine, but there is a lot of dispute as to if it is necessary. I just figured why not, so I did.
Good luck!
Lou
"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in news:arJBd.8652$ snipped-for-privacy@newssvr33.news.prodigy.com:
Ed's right, yet again. Everything else is theory, but we work in the real world.
Mine(1) hangs from the rafters with made-in-Canada bungee cords.
Patriarch
(1) Endangering the safety of my loved ones, I ran 4" PVC. No explosions. Yet.
others will have moe technical answers, but my limited experience with a 2hp DC (HF) is that you only want to run pipes or hoses to the height that they NEED to be... any unnecessary "lifting" is to be avoided if you want an system that sucks.. *lol*
In my case, I'm still using several 4" hoses with blast gates until I (maybe, someday) know where all the "stations" will be... so I try to run all the hoses at bench top height... A weak point in my system is an additional 10' hose going around a doorway, but I felt that it as better than going up over the door and then back down to the DC.. YMMV
mac
Please remove splinters before emailing
short runs
no 90s
6" pipeminimize flex, and yes, use 6" flex
custom make 6" gates and 6" ports
no 4" at all, none, zippo
references, highly recommended, great folks,
I'm about 50% done w/ my setup. I will post pictures soon, but prolly not soon enough for you if you want to start in a week or so.
The net of mine is DC sits in SW corner of shop. It feeds a wye to a run that is on the floor and runs to the E about 8 feet. That line feeds the TS, J, BS, and Planer. From that main wye, I plan to 45 up to base cabinet height and then 45 to my line along the W wall. That will feed the MS, DP, and others TBD (router table maybe, downdraft maybe, etc)
The E to W run is less than 8 feet. My "along the E wall" run is less than 16 feet.
Sorry, words are so hard to "see".
On Sun, 2 Jan 2005 17:58:23 -0700, Patriarch wrote (in article ):
I have my piping temporarily hung with boxers from the rag bag 8^)
-Bruce
Bruce wrote in news:41d9e050$ snipped-for-privacy@nntp.zianet.com:
You win,
only temporarily.. he's going to have a tough time cleaning up spills with bungies, since he already used all the rags.. *g*
mac
Please remove splinters before emailing
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