Increasing impeller size

[Mike Cruz]

Has anyone tried to increase their impeller size? I don't mean buying a new larger impeller for their existing DC. I mean taken your impeller and welded maybe a 3/4-1" strip of steel to the ends of each blade to increase it from say 12" to 13 1/2-14"?

I know there will be other factors involved, like the opening to get said hypothetical impeller back into the DC housing being big enough. And, how large of an impeller can the housing take. Also, will the motor be able to handle a larger impeller? Just a little background... I have a Grizzly 3 hp DC model G1030 (the four bag model). The inlet is 6". The impeller is 12". They claim (haha) that the impeller draws 1800 cfm. The newer model claims (haha) to draw 2300 with a 12 3/4" impeller. Now, maybe they didn't just increase the size of the impeller, but also the shape/dynamics of it. But the way I see it (could be all wet), the 2 hp and 3 hp versions of this DC are identical other than one having 2 bags and one having 4 bags. If the 2hp 2 bag model can handle the 12" impeller just fine, the 3 hp 4 bag model should be able to handle a larger impeller.

Please, let's not take this into the direction of what filters are on the DC, etc. Thanks.

[Chris Damm]

I have a Jet DC-1900 3 HP four bag DC. It has a 14" impeller. The housing is about 18" in outside diameter with an 8" inlet. If you can balance the impeller you should be able to increase the size if you really have a 3HP motor.

[Matt Meiser]

A guy who went by "Dizzy" on the web did it several years ago. http://web.archive.org/web/200312071...k/cyclone.html I think you'd want to make sure whoever is doing the welding is really good. If I did the math right, the tips of those new extensions would be moving at 210 feet per second. Even then I'd think it would pretty much be luck if you have an efficient fan.

If you really want a bigger impeller, I wonder if the 14" impeller from the comparable Jet would fit? IIRC (and I might not be) the 2HP DC1200 had a 12" impeller and the 3HP DC1900 had a 14" impeller while the comparable Grizzly's used smaller impellers. (Edit: Chris posted while I was typing this and confirmed my memory.)

[Mike Cruz]

Matt, I did some research about a year ago and the challenge was to find an impeller that had the same shaft size and configuration (straight and keyed vs tapered). I don't remember if Jet's fit the Grizzly or not. But one thing I do remember is that impellers aren't cheap. So, I was hoping to not have to shell out the $ for a new one. I thought that if I tried to lengthen my blades, it would be a pretty cheap fix. But if for some reason it doesn't work, then I could either try to find an impeller from another manufacturer that would fit and spend the money, or just get another 12" impeller from Grizzly to slap back on there. Lengthening the blades was suggested to me by another Creeker at one point. Just wondering to what extent it has been successful... Thanks for the link. I'll check it out.

Alan, thoughts?

[Mike Cruz]

Matt, I couldn't get the link to work. Looks like it just kept cycling through...as if it were searching but not finding results. Not sure why...

[Matt Meiser]

Try going to http://www.archive.org and pasting "http://home.pacbell.net/jdismuk/cyclone.html" into the search box.

The site is no longer available but has been captured by archive.org.

[Chris Damm]

Dizzy had some real good ideas (I've borrowed more than a few) and he was a first class fabricator. He died a few years ago, way too soon.

[Dan Hintz]

Try going to http://www.archive.org and pasting "http://home.pacbell.net/jdismuk/cyclone.html" into the search box.

The site is no longer available but has been captured by archive.org.

Grrrrr.... company IT has blocked archive.org!

[Chip Lindley]

Most impellers nowdays are cast aluminum. Older impellers were welded steel. With either, welding would need to be impeccable to survive the centrifugal forces of in a blower. Re-balancing would be crucial. One must consider that the impeller clearances inside the blower housing were designed that way for a reason. A larger diameter impeller in the same housing may actually impede air flow rather than increase it. Just sayin'...

[Dan Hintz]

All I can think of right now if those electric turbochargers they sell for cars for $100

[Patrick Maloney]

Just FYI, I recently bought a 14" steel replacement fan for the Jet DC-1900 and it was right around $100 shipped.

[Mike Cruz]

Patrick, do you know the width of the impeller? Also, does it fit onto a tapered or straight shaft? Thanks.

[Mike Cruz]

Chip, while I've thought about that, I've also looked at a lot of "China" stuff and tilted my head wondering "why'd they do THAT?" since it made absolutely NO sense. Not saying that about this scenario, but I don't believe everything is done for an actual reason...well, yes for a reason, but not necessarily for performance. Many times because of cost or because that is what they "had". Or if was easier to put together that way. Those kinds of reasons. Thanks for the heads up, though. Something to keep in mind.

[Patrick Maloney]

Patrick, do you know the width of the impeller? Also, does it fit onto a tapered or straight shaft? Thanks.

I believe the total height is about 4". It mounts on a straight 7/8" shaft. Unfortunately I have to pull my system apart anyway, so I will take some measurements to double check and get back with you.

[Dan Friedrichs]

Don't forget about the housing - the major difference between an air raid siren and a material handling blower is the distance between the impeller and the housing!