Airflow drastically reduced.

K

krebs30

New member
Evening all....

Have a CV1800 system and have been using it pretty heavily over the weekend. Emptied a few times with no issue. Noticed reduced air flow and will start to investigate tomorrow. Suspecting a seal or major air leak close to cyclone. I see chips laying in the tube that feeds the cyclone. Not enough pressure to pull them through the 6 in pipe.

Thought I would post if this is a common issue or symptom

Thank you
 
Sudden loss of vacuum pressure would make me look for a blockage in the piping system or the filters are clogged. If the bin was allowed to overfill, then dust and chips would be sucked into the filters. Check your filter clean out box to see if there are chips and shavings: if there is more than dust, then clogged filters might be the answer.

If you have an air compressor, try blowing your filters out, using no more than 60 psi air pressure. Dust and debris should fall into your clean out box. Then you can vacuum out the clean out box with your shop vac.

Check out the Stumpy Nubs Woodworking website for building your own manometer. It is a very inexpensive way to monitor air pressure in your system and will alert you to clogged filters.

For blockage in the piping system, there are different methods of finding and clearing the blockage if the filters are not the problem. Opening all your blast gates to observe any change in system performance might give an indication of the obstruction location. If you were using a planer or jointer, I'd look at the machine connection and the hose to the blast gate. Sometimes the matchstick like shavings can lock together in the hose or pipe or even at the blast gate because a screw or wire is in the air stream. It doesn't take much of an eddy to cause a build up of debris, much like a log jam in a stream. Jams often are in the machine itself because the ramp that catches the shavings cause eddy's in the current of air before it even reaches the hose connection.

Good luck!
 
Thank you. - you nailed it.

I had overflowed into the filters. Was a pita to clean out, but back in business

Greatly appreciate the assistance.

Have a great weekend,
 
krebs30,

You aren't the first person to encounter this issue and it is one of the primary reasons why a bin level sensor is an important accessory for a cyclone system. Check the ClearVue Cyclones website for information (I am the provider for them to ClearVue).

Sorry for the self-serving post here, but it is a real problem for users and the filters are very expensive and hard to clean out when this occurs.
 
As long as the product works, you will get no rebuke from me. There is nothing wrong with self promotion. You saw a problem, you developed a solution and the marketplace responded. That is the American dream.
 
Thanks Mark -- Indeed the system does work and has been installed on over 325 ClearVue, Oneida and other cyclone systems in the past five years.
 
McRabbet Bin Level Testimonial - It Saved Me

McRabbet Bin Level Testimonial - It Saved Me

Lest there be any doubt regarding the performance of the McRabbet Bin Level Sensor, I thought I would recount its performance on my CV1800 system.

When I installed the CV1800 I also installed the McRabbet Bin Level Sensor, wired to shut down the cyclone should the sensor detect an overflow. I really did not believe it would ever be needed since I also incorporated a viewing port that allowed me to monitor the amount of material in the dust collection barrel. Nonetheless, I wanted to protect the filters as best I could. I assumed if debris made it into the filters I would be in for a long day of cleaning and would probably reduce the life of the filters. Anyway the extra money for the sensor bought me peace of mind, assuming it worked.

In the midst of a project, I made a mental note that I needed to empty the dust collection barrel soon. Looking through the viewing port revealed it was about 3/4 full. A few days later, while face jointing, I noticed the CV1800 spitting and sputtering and then it just quit. When I glanced at the cyclone, the strobe light on the bin level sensor was flashing. It was then that I remembered my mental note and when I pulled the dust collection barrel out, indeed it was completely full. However, nothing had backed up into the cyclone nor did debris make it to the filter stack. This one experience justified the time and expense of adding the dust bin sensor and revealed to me that the bin level sensor not only works, but works well.
 
Just closing the loop...

I had a Murphys Law moment/issue....

I did order the McRabbet Bin Level Sensor with my CV1800. It worked awesome for quite awhile. I am now having an issue with the sensors. The LED's on them are not lighting up. I have been trying to get my electrician buddy over to troubleshoot for several months to determine if I have a power issue or just a bad set of sensors. I did follow up with him and we are scheduled to work on it in the next few weeks.

I will post the outcome so that others can follow the issue to closure.

TY,
 
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