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Help: Dust Collection System Using Household Central Vac
QUESTION: I'm laying out a workshop DC system, planning to using my home central
vacuum, and am asking for anyone's thoughts on this venture. Here are
the particulars:
1. The central vacuum unit is located in the same basement space as my
workshop, so plumbing to it and controlling it will be easy. I plan
to manually start the central unit when needed.
2. The dust collection system will be for wood working, not
metalworking, pottery, etc.
3. The specs on the central vac are given by the manufacturer Beam as
follows:
- airflow: 95
- suction power in inches of water lift: 136
- air watts: 436
Anyone know what an "air watt" is?
4. The PVC plumbing (pipe, elbows, tees, etc) for the central vac has
identical dimensions as the parts in the Ridgid dust collection kit
(2-inch pipe and elbows), so I foresee no issues with
plumbing/attaching the system.
5. I plan to use a "trash can lid cyclone separator" to trap the
larger sawdust particles and reduce the frequency of emptying the
central vac dust bin.
Among the issues I've already identified:
- coordination of using the central vac for dust collection while
housecleaning is in process upstairs.
- blast gates are required everywhere in the shop and all must be kept
closed when the shop is not in use, so that housecleaning with the
central vac can be done.
- I've heard where shop vacs have imploded metal trash cans (for the
can lid cyclone separator. Anyone know the "suction power" of a
strong shop vac (one capable of imploding a can)?
Any ideas/thoughts/suggestions/rants/warnings/etc. about the above
idea? Many thanks in advance
ANSWER: I do not think you will get any "positive" responses to your plans...
It just will not work.... period....!
You are confusing collecting dust with collecting large chips etc...
To collect dust you MUST move a LARGE volume
of air not necessarily at a great speed... Your system is just not going
to do this..
I do have the HP system set up in my shop... same 2 inch pipe..plastic
blast gates etc... I USE IT AS A CENTRAL VAC SYSTEM ..I have
about a dozen gates around the shop so I do not have to drag the Shop
Vac around..and the shop Vac is enclosed in a box to keep it quiet..
I also run 2 true Dust collectors... a 2 HP Griz and a 1 HP Penn State
unit... These collect dust..but honestly make terrible vacuums...
Just for the heck of it after I set up the central vac system in the shop
I did try to hook up my 6x48 inch stationary belt sander to the DH system
as it was the closest machine to the shop vac..(maybe 6 feet away..so
6 foot of 2" plastic pipe plus a few foot of regular shop Vac hose. I
sanded a pine board for about 2 minutes and I still had to clean the
"dust" off my glasses...and I could see dust in the air...
Sorry if I just busted your plans..but I would bet others will tell you
the same thing...
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