Dust collector question

I'm looking to get a dust collector and am considering putting it in the crawlspace below my shop. The air compressor as well. I'd just wire switches to turn them on from the shop. I'd like to maximize the space in the shop and eliminate some of the compressor noise.

The crawlspace is fairly accessible. Thoughts?

Thanks. Jeff

Reply to
astutesolutions
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Compressors need to be drained every day. That could be difficult under the floor.

Dan

Reply to
Dan Kratville

How much headroom do you have in your crawlspace? Most dust collectors I've seen are fairly tall, and most crawlspaces I'm familiar with are fairly low (thus the name). Also, you'll need regular access to the dust collector, and it will be difficult to know when the bag is full, which may cause you some grief. And finally, depending on where you're at, whether your shopspace is heated or cooled, and if you don't pipe the air back in from your crawlspace, you may run into issues when you blow your "conditioned/heated" air out at 1200 cfm.

Reply to
Clint

My DC is about 6' high. No, it cannot be laid on its side and work properly. How high is the crawl space? I bet you'll curse when it comes time to empty the bags.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

Actually, head room isn't a problem. I have between 8 and 16 feet (depending on location.) I don't have a pic of the crawlspace as it is now, but here is a shot of it before the basement went on the concrete block. The basement is about 2 feet above the top of the block foundation shown in the pic.

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is another shot from within. I'd need to build a base for them though so they don't roll down :)

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is an extremely good point about the heating/cooling. I hadn't thought about that. If there wasn't an easy way to redirect it inside, I'll probably abandon the idea about the dust collector in the subbasement.

Dan's point about the drainage is a good one, although I was thinking about replacing the drain c*ck with a pipe that would give some additional "capacity" before draining.

Thanks. Jeff

Reply to
astutesolutions

There are automatic drains that can be plumbed to your air tank. Harbor Freight, among others, sells them. I've got one but haven't found time to install it otherwise I'd be more than happy to tell you how it works (or doesn't)

Reply to
Unquestionably Confused

That's one helluva crawlspace

How about building a small, insulated closet (ala equipment room)to house the DC. Bring your intake piping down into the closet to your trash can/cyclone next to the DC and then use one of those large floor grates in a corner of the shop where you won't be placing a large piece of stationary tooling in the ceiling of the DC's "room?"

Reply to
Unquestionably Confused

Thats not a bad idea. I do have about 5 sheets of 4 inch 4'x8' styrofoam that I could insulate it with. Eventually I'd like to put some steps going down into the area to either move the shop down there, or to store wood, but I'd have to get a dehumidifier if I don't completely finish it out. The problem would be the stairs. I'd have to cut (and support) a floor truss, and that would take room away from the shop space.

Reply to
astutesolutions

I had considered doing something similar to this (I was considering atic above my shop) but decided against it. The reason I decided against it was the risk of fire. I wanted to be able to see the DC in the event that I hit a nail or something and a spark made it's way into the seperator or bag. I'l admit that the chance is pretty remote but it concerned me enough to abandon the idea. Might be something to think about.

Reply to
larrygfox

Crawlspace? In this part of the country, we call that an unfinished basement. If you have easy access, go for it. Be aware of the fact that you'll have to be able to empty the dust collector from time to time and you'll need to check the oil on your compressor as well as drain condensation regularly.

One other thing worth mentioning: a dust collector with a muffler on it is pretty quiet. I can easily carry on a conversation with mine running... and that's without shouting. The footprint is about 3' - 4' square if I had to guess.

Reply to
Mortimer Schnerd, RN

Yeah, we were a big shocked when we first saw the foundation (at the time the pictures were taken). At first I was thinking that they forgot to put in space for doors and windows for the basement until we realized the basement went on top. I would love to put a small basketball court in the center section. Ah, if I only had the money...

With the DC, I was thinking more in terms of space than noise. You are right, a DC doesn't take up much space, but I've got SO much room underneath, I'm trying to find ways to utilize it. The compressor is noisy but doesn't take up much space since it's a very small one (Porter Cable pancake). I had a 20 gallon, but it was stolen during construction :-( I thought of expanding my compressor, but I can't imagine needing anything bigger since I only expect to use it for finish nailer, brad nailer, or dust blower.

Jeff

Reply to
astutesolutions

Well, that was me too... before I started thinking about an air wrench. I need a good 5 HP one to do every thing I can envision. I already have a pancake and a Dewalt Emglo.

I keep trying to go on the cheap and I ALWAYS regret it. Think big, buy once.

Reply to
Mortimer Schnerd, RN

I had to have a portable one. I did buy big once (if 20 gallon is big) until it got stolen from the job site. I had to move from floor to floor for the finish work (3 floors), so this one has definitely served its purpose. I thought about an air wrench, but if it would be corded anyway, I use my big drill with a socket driver on it and get tons of torque. Now that I'm in a "stable" mode, I have to decide whether to upgrade to a larger one and I would rather spend the money on a jointer, DC, TS, etc.

It was the same thing with my tablesaw. Yeah, it was a $100 skill saw that is pretty much only good for basic ripping, but operating on 3 different floors its easier to to relocate it that way rather than hauling stock all over the place. This saw served its purpose. Some of the portable tools I bought were very nice. I bought the barrel grip bosch jig saw (awesome), the bosch power planer, and the Bosch

1617EVSPK 2.25 Horsepower Electronic Variable Speed Plunge and Fixed Base Router Kit.

You can see pictures of the interior finish work me and my brother in law did at:

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The exterior work was not done by me.

Thanks. Jeff

Reply to
astutesolutions

Every day? Since when? I drain my compressor perhaps once or twice a year. Not much even comes out.

Reply to
Larry Bud

Since they can rust out and explode. ;) I think it probably depends on the compressor but I have had them that drain significant amounts of water every day. If the inside of the tank is not properly coated that can mean bad news. Dan

Reply to
Dan Kratville

I think it also depends a lot on the humidity. In Kal it is very dry most of the time and only a small amount, if any, water accumulates in the compressor. However, if we happen to have a couple of overcast, humid days you can get quite a bit of water from it. Regards John

Reply to
John B

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