How much suction should there be????

N

nortana

New member
I don't know where I should put this question..........the moderator can move it if it's in the wrong forum.

I've had my clearvue for 3-4 yrs now with 0 problems. I have noticed there is considerable dust building up near the top of my cyclone. Plus it seems that I am not pulling dust from my tools like it did before.

Now my question..................what tool/meter do I use to check the air suction at my tools....................and what are the numbers I should have??? Is it in PSI or vacuum????
Oh ya........I have a 6" run of PVC from my cyclone along the wall with 4" drops to my tools. The 4" lines are from 5' to maybe 10' in length, with short lengths of spiral hose hooked to the tools.
Thanks,
gary
 
Gary,
First, it is not unusual to have some dust and discoloration above the ramp near the top of the cyclone. There is a dead space there where some dust collects but does no harm. As to the airflow, do you use filters? And are they clean? The best tool to measure airflow is a pitot tube with a U-tube manometer but the combination will set you back about $100.00. I measure the airflow in a straight section of 6" pipe near the cyclone. I use the dust gates to close off all tools except the one I'm measuring. This approach works well as long as you don't have leaks. The second thing I do is to measure the static pressure at the top of the filter stack with a home made U-tube manometer so I know when the filters are dirty.
Dwyer makes a 167-6 pitot tube and they also sell simple u-tube manometers. Hope this helps.
bababrown
 
Buba.........it is beyond discoloration in my opinion. The dust is beginning to pile up. My plan is to disassemble my cyclone soon and clean it out.

I do use filters and I just removed them here a couple of weeks ago and cleaned them. If I had to guess.......I would say I got a half gallon of fine dust out of them.......maybe a bit more. Both by shaking and using an air hose to blow from the outside in.

I'm going to have to ask around locally to see if anyone has the pitot tube and utube manometer that I can borrow..........or better yet........someone that knows how to use it properly. At this time I am totally lost but maybe with the tool in hand........I could figure it out.
Thanks,
gary
 
Our newer cyclones have a rubber grommet near the intake chute in order to decrease the build up of debris above the ramp. If your cyclone does not have this, you may notice build up. As bababrown mentioned, this is not harmful to your cyclone.

If your cyclone does not have this grommet, you can drill a 1/2" hole one inch from the intake chute and one inch above the ramp in what we call the "dead" zone. Our current Assembly Manual (http://www.clearvuecyclones.com/assemblysheets/CV1800MaxAssemblySheet.pdf) shows where this grommet is located (page 17).

In order to clean out that dead zone, you can use an air pressure hose at the grommet location and blow air in the dead zone while the cyclone is running.

If you are noticing a large amount of dust in your filters, it is possible that you have an air leak. Make sure that your system is sealed anywhere plastic meets the MDF (blue MDF for our newer systems), between the cyclone base and the collection bin, and the collection bin itself.

If you continue to experience trouble, please contact our office.

CVC Support
 
My first thoughts on the filter being that dirty is also that there is a leak at your dust barrel. May not be very bad, and you will need some help to find it. That help is in the form of a stick of incense. Get the light "smoke/vapor" around all the joints of the cyclone, but most importantly around the cone to chip barrel and all of the barrel connections. Use silicone caulk where you notice the smoke being pulled in. Most people report only getting a few teaspoons of silky dust out of their filters after months of use. Since you have more, you have an issue. The incense will help you find it. Do a thorough cleaning of the filters as it sounds like they are really packed. If you use compressed air, take caution to not damage the filter element from too strong of a blast, and go in the reverse direction that the cyclone pushes the air through the filter. I know, too elementary, but someone reading this in the future may not know. If the leak was a major one, then you would be getting more than the fine dust into the filters. My bet is that taking care of this will take care of your CFM issue.
Oh, and the dust in the "void" section at the top of the cyclone body is no issue. I'm not a heavy user at this point, and I have an inch or more in spots. And I sealed mine with silicone on the dead air spacebefore I installed it. At least, I tried to as much as my arms could reach. ;) Jim.
 
Jim.........When I set up my clearvue I was very carefull trying to make it as air tight as possible and that should be the same around my dust barrel. I used a galvanized 35 gal garbage can and duct taped a soft seal around the top that when the cyclone is turned on.........the lid sucks down tight against the seal. That being said..........I will check wally world tomorrow and see if they have an insense stick.
Having dust in my filters does bother me........but I hope you understood me in that I have had my clearvue system for 3-4 yrs. So that dust is an accumulation of that time span.
Jim.....you say the dust at the top of the cyclone is a non issue.........but it sure does bother me. If I knew how to post a photo on this fourm.....I would show you how deep that pile is getting to be.

cvcsupport........I'm not sure I understand the photo. I will look tomorrow or monday to see if I understand this "hole" placement. But I will 1st check for possible air leaks.
Thanks all,
gary
 
Have you ever woke up in the middle of the nite with a solution to a problem???? Well...........I did last nite. I had installed a new hose and blast gate behind my lathe here a while back.......and hadn't done anything else in my shop but turn and turn and turn. Well........got back to my saws and planners etc...........and.........well.........you know.......I had forgot to close that gate and it is real close to my cyclone........so I imagine the air was taking the line of least resitance. Problem solved......I think.
I did pick up some smoke sticks today.......and could not find any leaks....yet.
Thanks for all the help.
gary
 
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