collection container: size

[Alliard]

Hello. In setting up a new CV1800, I noticed a pretty strong vacuum at the bottom end of the cone. I had planned on using a thermoformed plastic garbage can as the collection container but now think a metal can is a better choice because of the pressure drop it must withstand. The web site shows a ~30 gal can. I think a 10 gal can would be more convenient. So, as the phrase goes, does size matter? Would a larger can provide better "settling", e.g. lower turbulence than a smaller can. Or is size, at this point in the collection process, immaterial? Thanks.

 

[McRabbet]

Welcome to the forum! One immediate word of caution -- do NOT run your cyclone without an air tight bin connected to the base of the cone and without duct work attached to the inlet as you run a high risk of overheating the motor. A plastic barrel can be used, but not a standard home center "Brute" or similar garbage can as they cannot hold up to the suction without imploding. By "Plastic Barrel", I am talking about heavy polyethelene barrels made for the food and chemical industry with full diameter tops (many such drums just have small screw-on caps). I found mine at a local junk dealer. You can also use a galvanized ash can, although I have heard of some cases where they have imploded due to the high static pressure. It is important that the lid be well sealed and air-tight (both where the flex connection is made and where the lid attaches to the barrel). Many folks use MDF tops with a groove routed in with rubber weather stripping in the groove to make the seal and appropriate size galvanized "starter collars" silicone sealed into a hole in the center of the MDF for the flex connection. Unless you have a severe height restriction, I would recommend that you use a large bin (30-55 gallons) so you are not emptying it all the time.

Hope this helps.

 

[Alliard]

Thanks!

The 30 gal. can I saw at the hardware store looked pretty flimsy – very light gauge metal wall. And thanks for the tip about the MDF top. That makes a lot of sense, particularly as the ashcan lid I saw looked even lighter than the can – thinner metal gauge.

I guess I have a quest ahead of me; the stout metal can.

Happy Holidays!