Attic Install

G

Gatesway

New member
Hey guys,

I've just moved to Henderson, NC and will install my shop in my garage. There is a large attic above the garage and I'd love to save the room in the shop and put the DC upstairs. My ceiling height is 10' in the garage and then another 8' up to the top of the CV. Wow, that is a big climb from the equipment!

Any thoughts of reduced performance or design considerations?

Thanks,

John
 
John,
The height the dust will have to be lifted is nearly insignificant. I would be concerned with the heat being dumped in the attic and the temperature the motor would see. Attics tend to be very hot anyway. Does the roof have a ridge vent? Is there an attic fan? If the filters are upstairs then you need a ceiling opening to return the air. Another possibility is to put the cyclone upstairs and the filters downstairs so only a small fraction of the heat is in the attic. Also, having the dust bin upstairs might be inconvenient.
bababrown
 
similar question but in my garage I have a living space above the garage with a small part of it unfinished. Its not tall enough to put the entire cyclone in given the roof pitch.

Do you see any problems with putting just the cyclone and motor in the space above the garage then running a slightly larger pipe from the bottom of the cyclone, through the floor and into the garage then putting the dust bin on a shelf above the floor aside from the dificulty in emptying the bin. I would guess the lenght of the pipe would be about 18 inches to clear the 2X12 floor joists.

Or could I install an even longer pipe from the bottom of the cyclone so i could put the dustbin on the ground. in this case the pipe would be roughly 9 feet from the bottom of the cyclone to the dust bin

With respect to filters could I also put a long extension on the output so that the filters are also in the garage and I dont have to worry about return air or dust getting out of the filter and into the living space
 
Kevin,

I believe that your plan to install the main cyclone in the attic and then extending the lower connection to your dust bin should work just fine, as long as you are certain to keep the entire stack completely air tight. I'd recomment using 6" S&D PVC pipe for the drop to your bin, with a clear section of flexible duct just above the bin. You could extend the pipe to a length that allows the bin to be placed on the floor to facilitate emptying it, but be sure you make some supports for the pipe section to keep it in the correct orientation. You may also want to consider adding a bin level sensor just above the collection bin.

Your filters can also be extended down into the shop, but I'd leave them closer to the ceiling with a collection box accessible at their base. You'll need to make an extension for the existing elbow that exits the blower housing, but that should be easy with some MDF and some supports.

You may want to verify this with ClearVue's customer support team.

PS -- Gatesway's initial post in this thread got past me, but I have since talked to John about his attic installation as he now lives about 6 miles from me after his move from Alaska. I'm going to help him with his installation, but his bin (and a bin sensor) are going to be in the attic space above his shop. He has adequate headroom and access for servicing the unit.
 
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Thanks for the feedback. What about having the filters horizontal vs vertical. Would that impact my collection performance. I guess it create issues with cleanout since the fines would settle on the filter as opposed to the cleanout.

Alternatively could I put the filter at an angle, say 45 degrees?
 
Your best orientation is vertical -- if space is an issue, review some of the installations in the ClearVue Gallery where users have made filter systems that are side-by-side to shorten the height of the filter unit. Here is one example of a floor-standing unit, but his cleanout box is way bigger than it needs to be.
 
thats a good idea. I have to check and see if I have enough clearance for a side by side. I would really like to get it out of the garage for both the space and the noise
 
McRabbet said:
PS -- Gatesway's initial post in this thread got past me, but I have since talked to John about his attic installation as he now lives about 6 miles from me after his move from Alaska. I'm going to help him with his installation.. [snip]
Click to expand...

Hey Rob,

I'm still in Alaska.. I don't suppose you get up here often, eh? <g>

Jim in Anchorage
 
Jim - I just got back from a week trip to Anch Wed. - and from what I experienced last week there - I suggest you open one window and let the seemingly constant hurricane force winds just suck your shop clean! WOW! Hope you made it thru Tues. nights storm well. :eek:

Wish I'd had known another Clear-Vue guy in Anch! I just moved down here 2 months ago.

Another idea is for you to come down here and McRabbit and I'll help you get set up!

Take care -

John
 
John,

Let me know when you have gotten over the jetlag and want some help with your installation! And if Kevin needs any more convincing to move to the beautiful rolling mountains of western NC, we'll treat him to some of our great local brews (the Asheville area is becoming a hot spot for great quality specialty brewing, including Sierra Nevada now building a brewery in norther Henderson County).
 
Thanks for all the input. I did speak with clearvue and they said a lot of people install the cyclone in the attic with the dustbin on the first floor. That seals the deal with. me for going with the clearvue.

Note sure about moving to nc but I do get out to Charlotte fairly regularly. Really great town and wood is so much cheaper out their.

Kc
 
Kevinmc,
I'm considering doing an attic install as well. Now that it has been a few years, have you had any problems with the dust collector in the attic?

Scott
 
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