Dust in clean out bin

[David01]

Hi, I am new to this forum. Thank you for any help.

I am a hobbyist with a small shop. Have had the ClearVue about 4-5
years. From my recollection, I followed all the installation directions- except the obvious blunder with a leak in the dust clean out bin beneath the stacked filters. I have the twin stacked filters from ClearVue.

Just now got motivated to fix the side hatch to the clean out bin-it has not been airtight, and has been spraying small amount of dust out for years. So, I secured that. No more leaks.

My problem has that there has been at least as much dust has been in the clean out bin (maybe a lot more) than in the trash can. I just wasn't in the mood to fix. I just did.

I bought some incense especially for this, and there aren't any other leaks that I can see. Transition b/t the cyclone into the 6" hose and into trash can are and have been good since beginning. Silicone, and the expensive silver 3-4" wide aluminum tape.

This am, I siliconed the top of cyclone to intake housing.

Since everyone is still asleep here, I am unable to see what effect fixing the clean out bin has had.

My questions are:

1) The nice lady @ ClearVue said that it is normal to have a teaspoon of dust in the clean out bin......Wow...I had mega....is a tsp what everyone else has?

2) can I have a heavy duty lawn bag inside my trash can, as I have had for years (ie-is this turbulence in the trash can the problem with all the dust in the clean out bin?)

Thank You,
David

 

[bababrown]

David,
You should be able to fill the trash can many times before getting more than teaspoons of dust in the clean out. A small leak in the clean-out would simply spray fine dust back into the return air. It should have no effect on separation performance. I suspect you have a very significant leak around the lid of the trash can. That is the usual source of poor separation. Make sure you have a good gasket around the lid. There are many posts and many photos in the gallery of/on trash can lids and sealing.
bababrown

 

[McRabbet]

David,

I concur with bababrown's comment that you must have a leak in the negative pressure side of your installation. While it would be unusual that the leak is in the body of the cyclone itself, it needs to be checked as well as all of the usual spots starting at the base of the cone. An incense stick (or a cigarette) should indicate any places where air is being pulled into the suction of the system. The most common locations are at the flex connections between the cyclone and the bin, the bin cover and at various places in the bin itself.

To help you narrow the possible sources, a key question is what type of bin do you use? One of the more common bins is the 30 gallon galvanized "Ash Bin", readily available at home centers and shown in lots of CV installations. The problem with them is they are often not air tight. Common leak points are the handles and around the base as well as the lid. In my opinion, the lid is not the best top for a cyclone application.

I am attaching a picture from one of my bin sensor customers that is one of the best methods I've seen to minimize bin cover leakage -- it can be made of 3/4" plywood or MDF and has a groove routed out for a neoprene gasket. The vacuum created by the cyclone pulls the top down tighter and insures a solid seal. If you use a garbage bag as suggested in your post, do you have anything that holds it in place? If you've had problems with the bag getting puled into the cyclone, a leak would cause the bag to "deflate" rather than capture dust. Let us know hope it is secured.

Hope this helps.

 

[David01]

Thank you for those responses.

I will look very closely @ this issue as time goes by. Especially with the information & pictures given here. First, I need to process some wood.

Thanks again; give me a few weeks to get back for how things go.

David

 

[David01]

Yes, the garbage bag is secured @ three places around the bottom. I thought I did a pretty good job with all that, but your set up in the picture is immaculate. What are those two black things, sensors?

 

[McRabbet]

The two "black things" are the sensors for the Bin Level Sensor system that I make and sell through the ClearVue Cyclones website for $225. The sensors detect when the bin has filled and will set off a strobe/audible alarm and can be set to turn the cyclone off automatically. Over 150 are installed on several types of cyclones and protect the expensive filters from getting clogged. Here is a picture of what is included with the package.

Contact me using a Private Message with your email address if you are interested in more details.