wall chasing vacuum

[Stephen]

Hello,

I have been using my Earlex vacuum connected to my wall chaser. I use the dust bags which I have bought from Earlex (are generic ones just as good?).

The Earlex web site says their bags filter to 5 microns. I have found that when I do the first chase, the vacuum seems to suck up everything.

I noticed that as I do more chases, more dust begins to fall from the chaser, escaping the vacuum. I assume the bag clogs up. I think it would be extravagant to change the bag every time I start a new chase!

That said, I can't grumble because the amount of dust falling is tiny compared to not having the vacuum on at all. I forgot to put the hose on the other day and there really was a difference! ;)

The bag was getting heavy the other day so I emptied it and it was full of fine dust, so it is certainly doing a good job but I remember a thread here where someone said the only vacuum he found that could cope with repeated wall chasing was a Dyson. Looking on line, it seems the Dysons filter to 0.1 micron, so would capture even more.

Should I be content with what I have got or is it worth getting a second hand Dyson just for this?

If so, is there any particular Dyson? I seem to remember DC04 and DC07 being mentioned before. What are the differences between them? Does it have to be an upright?

I think someone mentioned making a prefilter from a bucket. That's a good idea. Does it work just as well? My only worry is that with two hoses, one prefilter, and one vacuum, that's quite a lot of things to get in the way and trip over.

Thanks, Stephen.

[Lobster]

Re-usable/washable filter?

[Andrew Gabriel]

As you've discovered, a bagged cleaner is useless for the volume and rate of dust generated by a wall chaser. You have to use something which keeps the collected dust out of the air path.

I've used a DC04 and DC07. Both work well. The DC07 is a more recent and powerful model, but it has more smaller channels which can get blocked by house dust if the thing has been used with a grossly over-fulled dust container. Dust from the wall chaser won't block them, but if the cleaner is of unknown origin, I would dissasemble the top and blow the channels clear before you start. Check the washable pre-motor filter too and let it dry if it needed washing. (I've never had the post motor filters on any of the family's Dysons get dirty -- I think you would have to abuse very badly to do do that, such as grossly over-fulled dust container whilst also removing the pre-motor filter.

The dust canister will be very heavy when full of plaster/brick dust, heavier than the handle is designed for, so beware of that. The brick dust will also sand-blast the inside of the canister, which doesn't affect operation, but SWMBO might not be happy that it no longer looks like new.

Keep an eye on the pre-motor filter. Providing you don't grossly over-fill the canister, it should last a day's chasing (many canister empties). Rinse and leave to dry overnight. (I bought a second one so I could swap them whilst one is drying.)

If you're stuck with a bagged cleaner, interposing a cyclone before the bag will help. Constructing a cyclone which really separates out the finest dust isn't easy and it's this that either cloggs or passes right through the bag, although the type of dust (heavy) involved here is the best for cyclonic separation. Other thing I would suggest for a non-Dyson cleaner would be make sure the air outlet is directed outside, if you don't want the house filled with fine dust. (Dyson traps all that, so not an issue in this case.)

[george (dicegeorge)]

somewhere on this newsgroup was mention of a vortex vacuum bucket thingy to get lumps of grit before the vacuum cleaner, where was it?

[g]

[NT]

A cyclone certainly does a good job. But dyson's reputation is enough to keep me well away, there are better makes about.

all have plenty of suck and a cyclone, as do some other brands.

That removes the bulk and much of the dust, enabling a small cleaner to work, or a cyclone to run for much longer before emptying.

I've also heard of a tub of water being used to filter, but never seen it in action.

One thing that differentiates cyclones is the filter that's used after the cyclone before the motor for the finest dust. If its just a small bit of sheet material its gong to clog easily. If its a big fat porous sponge disc, the muck has to somewhat saturate the sponge before it stops sucking.

NT

[Jon Fairbairn]

Can't be bothered to do a google groups search, but these pages describe some home made

I made one myself out of an old spin-dryer. I keep meaning to write it up and post it here.

[Jon Fairbairn]

Finally did that. Verbiage here:

[NT]

Nice job. I thought at first you were gong to run the spinner motor to maximise extraction force.

NT

[Jon Fairbairn]

:-) I still have the motor and I sometimes wonder about making my own turbine blades (I have some Al sheet in the shed) so that I can say I used almost all of the spin dryer. I somehow doubt if I'll get round to that, though. The pillar and bearing might get turned into a lazy suzan, though it runs so smoothly there'd be a serious risk of centrifugal food distribution.

The main thing the cyclone lacks is one of those auto-start sockets. I've looked at the ones that are made as eco-bollox for computer users who can't be bothered to use the wall switch, but they don't seem to be capable of supplying the amps needed for bigger power tools.

[NT]

In principle theyre simple to make if you dont mind omitting the run- on delay. Take a relay, remove the coil winding and fill the winding space with a winding of enamelled wire designed to run at 4-6A. Put this relay coil in in the live feed line to your power tool socket, and power the vac up via the relay contacts. Now when the power tool draws power, the vac comes on.

If you look at a few relays you'll notice some are easier to rewind than others. A snubber on the switching contacts is a good plan.

NT

[Jon Fairbairn]

I know. Thirty five years ago the idea would have appealed, but nowadays making circuits seems rather tedious and fiddly compared to routing and grinding stuff.

That's simpler than the versions I had in mind, though as you say it won't do run-on, and implementing the delay by putting the relay inside a bridge rectifier and a capacitor across it would require several whole Farads. Though that almost makes it exciting enough to try...

[NT]

Then again how had is it to just keep the power tool running a couple of seconds longer if is needed.

NT

[Andy Dingley]

You don't need one. All you really need is remote control of the cyclone from where you're working. That's easier to find.

[Jon Fairbairn]

There's need and need. I can position the vacuum cleaner close enough to the work that I don't need to move in order to turn it on with my foot. I still manage to make the odd cut where I only remember the "press with foot" part after the end of the cut when I look up and see the cloud of dust. You could argue that what I need is better concentration, but that's harder to get.

[Dave]

What I did to get over that problem was make up a short extension lead with a double socket, 13 Amp plug and a foot switch on it. Plug the extractor and tool into it, switch on the extractor and you can't use the power tool until the foot switch is on.

Dave

[Jon Fairbairn]

That's a good idea, thanks.

[Stephen]

Having done some more chasing since my last post, I am revising my opinion slightly. I notice that the dust that was escaping was being ejected through a small slot on the back on the chaser. The base plate pivots so that you can adjust the depth of cut and dust was escaping from the small gap above the joint. I placed a bit of tape across it, once the depth was set and that contained the dust.

Some dust also leaks from the outlet. I guess the plastic tube is not a perfect fit. Perhaps I should wrap the joint in amalgamating tape?

I knocked the tube off accidentally and there was a LOT of dust, so I think the vacuum is doing a really good job. That said, I wonder whether the design of the chaser is also to thank? It seems very effective at directing all the dust towards to outlet. I wonder whether if the pipe was connected to the vacuum but the vacuum was switched off, how much would still be thrown down the pipe into the vacuum by the chaser?

I'm not brave enough to find out but I'm sure I did this a few months ago when my vacuum was broke. I also remember sticking the hose out of the window, when I was near a window!

If I do find a bargain on ebay I may get one to try. Is the difference between the 07 and 04 that noticeable?

I looked at the pre filters on the URL given earlier in this thread but they were great big things. That's fine when they are for stationary use in a workshop, as those were, but for moving around a room, I think they might be too bulky and something else to trip over.

Thanks again.