Angled discharge pipe?

[beanstalk]

I am wrestling with a few questions as I begin designing my DC location and duct layout. Here's the first one:

I have an open loft above half of my shop. I hope to locate the DC in the loft to save floor space below, and to hopefully help reduce noise in the work area. My plan is to extend a pipe from the bottom of the cyclone through the loft floor/shop ceiling, down to a barrel (on rollers) on the main floor.

Would this drop need to be exactly vertical? Or could it be angled slightly - say 10 - 15 degrees - to give me some flexibility in where I place the barrel? Any practical restrictions on the length of a discharge pipe, vertical or otherwise?

One thought is that if dust/chips will flow at such an angle, I might be able to penetrate the shop wall, and locate the barrel outside. This would eliminate dust escaping into the shop when it's time to empty the bin.

I generate a lot of chips/dust. So bin emptying is a frequent, messy chore (especially with my current portable single stage DC)!

Thanks,

John

 

[McRabbet]

The discharge pipe could be angled, but I would recommend that you do not put any fittings in it (you could use flex or a pair of 22-1/2 elbows for the offset). I'd also leave room for about 6-8" of flex above the bin cover to allow for easy removal when the bin fills. I'd also suggest you retain the collection bin indoors as very little dust "jumps" out of the barrel when you remove the cover. Place it on a barrel dolly so you can roll it out to wherever you dump the dust and chips.

A bin sensor will help determine when the bin (and not the long discharge pipe) is filled. While the sensors on the Bin Sensor I make (the one available through the ClearVue website) can be located with the bin and will shut the cyclone down when the bin fills, they need to be protected from direct exposure to outside weather.

Hope this helps.