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Follow these best practices to get the most out of your dust collection system.
Follow these best practices to get the most out of your dust collection system.I don’t think that there has been something that’s increased my enjoyment in the shop as much as getting a good dust collection system in place. I enjoy working in a clean space, and any rogue dust drives me nuts (let alone is a health hazard and isn’t great for our video and photo equipment). So, as we moved into our new shop, I knew that getting the right system in place, and planning the proper layout was a key part of this journey.
Having a lot of questions, I started researching and planning out this system. However, there is a lot of information (and misinformation) out there. Luckily, I know some people. So, I reached out to Jeff Hill, CEO at Oneida Air Systems to pick his brain on dust collection layout and best practices. Here’s what I learned.
Part of Oneida Air Systems services is to provide you with a layout and recommendation based on your shop setup. Here, you’ll see our shop layout that Oneida worked up for us, including a few of the details of what happens at each tool.
Best Practices
Rule #1. The first rule is to do your research and make sure your dust collector is sized for your tools and air requirements. Unfortunately, for us, this meant upgrading from a Supercell (which I loved) to a 5hp Dust Gorilla Pro with Smart Boost. We have bigger tools, with bigger ports, and oftentimes have multiple people working in the shop. We just needed more air. I’m also going to throw in here that you should place your dust collector where it can have as straight of a run as possible into the dust collector — this helps with the separation.
Rule #2: Place the tool with the highest demand closest to the dust collector. For most of us, that is the planer and the jointer. They produce the most shavings and need the most airflow and pressure to get everything to the dust collector.
Rule #3: Do not under-size your piping (ducting). Just because your tool has a 4“ dust port, does not mean that entire run of pipe should be 4“. If you look at our shop layout from Oneida on the next page, you’ll see a majority of the lines are oversized, and neck down at the blast gate. This allows maximum airflow. Remember, a 6“ pipe has over twice the area as a 4“ pipe.
Rule #4: Straight shots and long bends are your friends. Avoid sudden “kinks” in the lines and hard corners. Long sweep elbows are best. Avoid t-fittings, instead opting for wye-fittings. (Caveat: new, modern dust collectors with high pressure, such as the Supercell, break this rule.)
1 Snap Lock joints first need to be opened up a bit with a screwdriver.
2 Then, the joint goes together like a zipper.
Piping Options
There are many options for pipe/duct out there. Most reputable dust collection companies suggest and sell three, as you see below.
3 Left to right —Spiral pipe, quick-clamp, and snap-lock.
The first type of pipe is spiral pipe. This pipe is heavy-duty, and is reinforced with a spiral rib. This is an extremely stout type of pipe, and is often required for collectors over 5hp. Spiral piping requires adapters and flanges to install it, and will use fixed elbows. (More on adjustable elbows in a bit).
In the middle of the photos is a product called Quick-Clamp. This heavy-gauge ducting has flanges and connects together with a quick-clamp and O-rings. Like spiral, it requires special elbows. Of the three options, it’s the most expensive, but is the quickest and easiest to install.
4 Adjustable elbows can be finicky. A good trick is to mark a line down the outside of the elbow, and use that as a gauge as you spin the sections.
Finally, on the right is a product called Snap-Lock. This ducting comes in pre-formed tubes that need to be locked together when you get it (photos above). This type of ducting is the most economical and takes no special adapters. One end comes crimped so that pieces slip together and are held with sheet metal screws through the joints. It also has the ability to use an adjustable elbow — a long-bend elbow that can be adjusted from straight-90°. See the photos above and below. This looks similar to what you’d buy at the HVAC aisle at a hardware store, but this is much heavier gauge (26 gauge and up)— there are cases where the light 30 gauge duct has been collapsed by a dust collector. This is the type of piping that we chose for our shop.
5 When working on a tall ceiling, putting as many of the parts together on
What About PVC?
I know people will email me, asking about PVC as an option. Oneida does not suggest PVC for a few reasons. First, code does not allow PVC dust collection lines in most places, nor does NFPA (National Fire Protection Association).
PVC can hold a static charge. There are no documented cases of it causing an explosion in a small shop, but it sure packs a wallop. If it builds a charge, it can give you a big enough zap to injure you. If you have a pacemaker —watch out.
PVC 6“ or larger can be hard to get, and 5“ doesn’t exist. Sure, you can order 6“ from a plumbing supply, but at that point you’re not saving a whole lot from one of these other options.
Finally, PVC is an odd diameter. Meaning, that while you can get the pipes put together, you’ll be ordering a bunch of random fittings to get the pipes to hook up to your machines. If PVC was a good option, dust collection companies would sell it.
Installation Tips
Hopefully, these rules and ductwork types give you an idea of where to start. Plus, if you order your system through a dust collector company (not a machinery company), they’ll help you with the layout. However, I want to offer a few tips that I found helpful as we installed this system.
With the snap lock ductwork we used, we found that it was best to put as many pieces together on the ground as we could. This allowed sheet metal screws to be driven, joints to be taped, and any stubborn ends to be crimped a bit more with a crimping tool.
Adjustable elbows work wonders—you can line them up exactly as you need. Each section rotates independently of the others. Marking a line on the outside of the elbow with a marker (Photo 4) gives you an easy reference to rotate each section opposite its neighbors.
6 Strapping needs to be stout enough to hold the pipes packed with dust in case of a blockage.
Plan your strapping to hang the ducting. In photo 6, you’ll see this strap getting hung. I mounted these straps long. This allowed me to fit the piping into the current run, and use the strap to “sling” the loose end. Then, I could adjust the strap as necessary to make the run level. What you don’t see is that this is 14 feet in the air, on a ladder!
The Biggest Tips
These final two tips are the best in my opinion. Yes, they sound obvious when you read them, but I can’t overstate them. The first is to seal everything. It sounds obvious. But, the amount of noise that 50 leaking joints can produce is astounding. Plus, all of those tiny little leaks really add up. You only have one blast gate open? Well, all of those leaks add up to two more open blast gates!
7 Cinch down flex hose with pipe clamps to avoid leaks.
For pipe joints, we used foil “duct” tape. A down-side of the adjustable elbows is that the joints there need to be sealed as well. Oneida suggests RTV caulk for those, but we just taped them. Blast gate joints do need the RTV caulk (Photo 8). I’m sure someone will ask about the Snap Lock seams…those do not require sealing.
8 Caulk is the only way to get a good seal around a blast gate.
The final tip is to realize that not every dust collection ductwork layout is perfect, and to always plan for expansion. As you grow in your shop, you’ll probably be changing tools, changing layouts, and maybe even changing locations. And that’s okay! Just keep these best practices and tips in mind so that, as you’re making changes, you can keep your dust collection system performing its best.
Here are some supplies and tools we find essential in our everyday work around the shop. We may receive a commission from sales referred by our links; however, we have carefully selected these products for their usefulness and quality.
