I need help with my cyclone.

[Steve knight]

I wanted to vent outside and moving the air outside but I am in the basement of a warehouse and the outside is not possible. plus if I overfilled the cans it would make a pretty big mess.
I have not checked the can lids it is a fiber drum and plastic lid and clamp made just for dc systems. but if it leaks it will be a pain to seal.

[Alan Schaffter]

A lot of excellent advice already. You have a couple of potential causes- I suspect a number of issues are at work here. Nothing really new, but to summarize and provide additional details:

1. Ductwork could be affecting flow and separation in the cyclone- straighten the inlet. Should be a straight run for a minimum of three feet leading into the cyclone. Straighten the output. Get rid of the T and all joggles and excess fittings on the outlet. Seal all duct.

2. Dust outlet, flex, dust bin fitting, dust bin lid must be absolutely air tight, can't have any leaks at all, they affect pass-through.

3. Previous backups, dust build up, and cleaning have likely caused both a breakdown in filter fibers and its efficiency especially for fine stuff- hence dust. Also, cake on the filters, reduces air flow and can inhibit separation- a lose-lose situation. Due to the filter's history, I suspect the bags have a significant amount of dust permanently embedded which can not be cleaned- permanently reducing flow.

4. Aromatic wood smells are not stopped by a filter.

5. Judging by dust coating the cyclone, ducting, etc. your filters are not working or they leak badly, and have been passing dust for a long time. Have you physically looked inside the drum and flex leading to the drum to make sure there are no clogs, maybe a dead rat in there?

5. The long flex between the cyclone and dust bin might be a problem. It might be affecting the reversal points and allowing dust to pass through to the filters.

6. The way you operate the system could be causing pass-through- If you continue to generate dust while the cyclone is winding down, it will pass. Same goes for powering up. You need good velocity in the cyclone to separate fine dust.

7. If at all possible, after you seal all leaks and straighten the plumbing, I would set your system up to discharge outside.

[Steve knight]

I do need to check around the cans rim. it is a plastic lid with a band clamp. I never thought to check it though I have checked the adapter to lid connection and that was the worst leak and i sealed that well.
when I first set this up where was a elbow where the t is going to the cartridge filters. the dust gettign to the filters seems about the same even after I went to the bags.
now right out of the outlet it goes to 9" then 12" so even with that jog it is a less of a curve then a 90 degree turn down to the filters. the angle is about 30 degrees or so. the t of course is a waste but it is full of sawdust so i doubt it is too much of a problem.
the bags are only 2 years old or so. but they have very good airflow they don't even get tight unless I go 6 or 7 months between shaking them out. I way overdid the airflow on them. so airflow is never restricted compared to my other setups have been. two bags were the recommended amount I have 5.
getting rid of that jog would be very hard to do. I would have to take the cyclone apart so I could rotate it. I think it is more that non straight run to the dc. that will be fixed when I gut my shop and rerun the dc. it got changed so many tiems that it really needs changed. my poor wallet will really hurt when it is done again.
I was never sure of the film of dust was from the bags or when I spilled some dust or when I emptied the buckets on the bags. that was bad it really fogged my shop.
I just replaced the flex hose the other one had holes worn in it. I used some industrial hose and as soon as I changed it I started getting some serous static discarges so all the wire around the cyclone.
so I will check the lid to can for leaks (I have no idea why I did not check that) the inlet will be straightened out soon.
like I said I don't have a problem with back pressure I have very good airflow. when I first installed the bags and turned it on the bags did not even inflate. if you look at the one picture with the bags this is the dc running.

[Jim Andrew]

When I put my woodsucker up, the instructions were to use some foam weatherstripping around the lid of your drum, to keep that from leaking.

[Steve knight]

When I put my woodsucker up, the instructions were to use some foam weatherstripping around the lid of your drum, to keep that from leaking.

yes I will check tomorrow and seal it if needed. I don't why I did not check it.

[Steve knight]

the bin is tight. so thats oen thing not to worry about.