Big mistake

B

bensonortho

New member
Well, I completely filled my filters with dust/chips. Spent hours taking system apart and cleaning (lost of compressed air both directions thru filters). Things are working again, but I am paranoid that I am not getting the same airflow. Is there any hope that the filters are still effective, or should I bite the bullet and replace them (never to let this happen again)?
Thanks for any input,
Gary
 
Gary,

As far as I know this type of filter is designed to be filled with dust AND to be cleaned with compressed air. They are normally used without a cyclone separator. The only thing you should take care of is not to put to much pressure on the air if you blowing from the outside to the inside.
Why? because they are normally used with the air flowing from the outside to the inside thus the outside is more 'delicate' than the inside. The inside is normally made to be cleaned with high air impulses called 'reverse jet pulse cleaning'.
also see: http://www.dustcollectorexperts.com/pulse/

I believe that they will do the job.

Erik
 
Filling Filters With Dust

Filling Filters With Dust

Gary,

I have filled my filters at least a dozen times with MDF Dust from not paying attention when running the cnc router. I always feel like i don't get the same airflow as when they were new but its still more than needed. But most times i just tap them to finish the day or week then take apart and clean with output of shop vac and or the airhose and then test and they are right back to where they were. I also use my filters for welding smoke as they are designed for that too.

Matt
 
So, experience now says that even with 1/8" screening, chips get through and to the filters when you are planing and the light shavings (which don't compact in the trash can like they did in our old "dust pump") fill the bag and the bottom of the cyclone and move on. As well, an undetected leak by the trash can also meant that we allowed a couple of weeks worth of fine dust get into the filters as well.

So, experienced people, what is the best way to clean the filters? I know you have to be careful with the pressure you put from the outside to the inside of these filters. How much is too much? How much damage can you do by vacuuming the inside, moving the pleats, etc.? And how do you know if you have damaged them, or if your airflow is impeded too much?

Thanks.
 
Cleaning filters

Cleaning filters

I have cleaned mine various ways. Normal cleaning for me is to beat (tap)on them with my hands then clean out my box under the filters. I have used 90 psi from my air compressor keeping the nozzle about 12-14 inches away at all times then clean the box out. And i have used the output of my vacuum cleaner to blow them out......this works the best and you can put it as close to the filters as you want. Worse case has been taking filter stack outside and using all 3 methods at once!!

As Far as air flow goes it always seems like i have less after cleaning them but then the next day it is always good again so for me it is a mental thing that i didn't get them clean enough. But having said that they are supposed to season and you will not get them back to new condition. Anyway you should notice an definite improvement if your airflow had decreased enough to notice in the first place; if not then either they weren't bad enough to need cleaning or they are still clogged.

You should not have any problem vacuuming the inside or moving the pleats other than taking the filter down.:eek: Personally from what you described i would tap them and maybe blow them a little(from the installed position) vacuum out the cleanout box and leave it at that. Now if the cyclone and the filters were completely filled with MDF dust( yes I did) then you may need to do more.

Hope this helps,

Matt
 
We took the whole thing apart when we redid the filter set up (pictures still to come in the gallery) as the 8" flex hose was getting "blown off" the cyclone. We figured there had to be major back pressure to do that, and we blamed the extral long hose, but I wonder if the dust on the filters was a contributor.

There was (and still is in the folds) some of the chips, but due to the screening we put in most of the big chips stayed in our box and didn't go up into the filters. (See Rod and Denise's Shop in the gallery for our set up.) But there was a fair amount of dust inside there too. You could still see the green of the filter, but most of what you could see was wood dust. I vacuumed the inside and blew from the outside and got a lot out, but wonder about damage to the filters, especially from the chips. We can't tell about a difference in suction because we made the 8" flex hose a lot shorter. (Doing this increased the noise, by the way.)

It still works well. I had to varnish tonight, and it has always been a pain to clean up before I did that so the dust wouldn't get on the varnish. Tonight - no dust, even though Rod was working out there all day. I asked if he had cleaned up before he came in. No!! It was just that clean!!! Yay!!! What a difference!!
 
Damage to filters

Damage to filters

Denise,

I cannot imagine chips doing any damage as they are flowing down and then getting pushed gently into the pleats if you will.

I am happy to hear that your shop is getting much cleaner. I hope it has been worth all the hard work you guys have put into it! Effort vs. results.

Matt
 
What if a person made a large tube out of screen wire (like used in window screens) to go inside the filters? It would plug up quickly if planer or jointer chips or table saw dust started going into the filters. It would keep most of the chips out of the pleats and you could even set up a back pressure sensor to shut the dust collector down.
 
Tube of Screen

Tube of Screen

Hi,

The tube of screen may work for the planer chips but the fine dust will still go through and collect in the pleats and over time will compact which would then be hard to get back through the screen when cleaning. If you were talking about something you can take in and out i guess it would be worth a shot.

Matt
 
Chip Screen

Chip Screen

I had in mind some screen tubes a little smaller than the filter ID that could be removed. I have another idea now that I like better. There would be a muffler section down to a clean out box. The filters would be mounted on top of the clean out box. The screen would be across the inside of the middle of the box to intercept any chips that come through the cyclone. A pressure switch at the blower outlet would quickly sense if the barrel overfilled while using the jointer, planer or tablesaw. The pressure switch could shut down the power and even set off an alarm or strobe if wanted.
 
Stop It Before It Happens!

Stop It Before It Happens!

We are all human and fallible at best -- as several have discovered, it is easy to forget to check the dust bin and allow your ClearVue to continue doing it's thing long after the bin is full, thus jeopardizing the filters on the outlet side of the blower. I'm quite active on the NCWoodworker.net website where a colleague, Alan Schaffter, came up with a simple solution to eliminate bin overflow as documented in two threads on that website (the second is referenced from the link I provide below). Alan's bin sensor (a 7-watt candelabra bulb illuminating a low-cost dusk-to-dawn photocell for a yard light across the base of the cyclone) can be as simple as his diagram in this thread: when the bin fills and blocks the light beam, it simply energizes a light or buzzer so you know the bin is full. I am going one step further with my implementation of Alan's bin sensor -- I'm using the 110 V signal from the photocell to energize the coil in an "ice cube" relay that turns off the power to the 30 Amp contactor relay coil (shutting down the CV's 5 HP motor) and simultaneously turning on a flashing light on in my shop. Like Alan's custom made cyclone (built using Bill Pentz's design) that is in his garage below his large loft shop, mine will be located under my shop where I cannot see it. But I'll know when the bin is full!

Be sure to read through Alan's two threads completely -- there is even a visit by Bill Pentz offering congrats to Alan for his idea.

BTW, I plan to draw up a good schematic and post photos when I install my cyclone and the sensor -- after my rotator cuff surgery I'm having next week -- you'll see it in late March, I hope!
 
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Bill,
We did something along the same line as you are thinking about - a muffler to the clean out box and a screen over the holes going to the filters. When we asked Ed about this, his concern was that in more humid climates, the dust would stick to the screening, decrease the air flow and increase the back pressure. He suggested 1/4" screening. We live in a dry climate and had 1/8" screening on hand. You can see our set up here: http://www.gallery2.clearvuecyclones.com/v/CV1800+and+CVMax/Ron-Denises-Shop/CV16.jpg.html
But I can tell you that with the airflow this thing produces, chips larger than 1/8" can go through our screening and into the filters. It keeps the worst out but not it all.

And yes, we need some type of alarm on our system to tell us when the bin is getting full. Even a window on the door into the cyclone room would help...
 
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