Blast Gates: Self-cleaning or not?

[Dan Case LR]

Part of reworking my DC system is replacing my shopbuilt blast gates with metal ones that marry better with the metal ductwork. My shopbuilt gates are all self-cleaning--except for the ones that have had the open side of the slide snapped off along the way (oops...). My knee-jerk is to go with self-cleaning metal gates, but I know there are a bunch of the regular gates out there that have been working for years. I have a couple of 4" aluminum gates that I've used for years and I've never had to clean them.

The difference in price isn't the issue here (not much, really). Not having to accommodate the through slide will make it easier to position them for easiest access--but if I'm looking at posterior pains later on with the non-self-cleaning option, I'll go self-cleaning.

FWIW, I'll be getting my gates from Blastgate Company (blastgateco.com).

What's your experience been? Opinions? Thoughts?

Thanks!

D.

[mike mcilroy]

I just invested in self cleaning 6" & 4" gates because my old 4" gates were constantly jammed. This could be because the whole old system was innefficient and could not clear out everything before the gates would be closed but I was so tired of dealing with it the cost of self cleaning was worth it.

[William C Rogers]

I also went with self cleaning. The non kept getting saw dust where they required constant cleaning to get them to close. I haven't installed mine yet. I have the 6" from Lee Valley and they appear to be good quality.

[Bill McNiel]

I have the self cleaning ones from LV. Really happy with them.

[Clay Crocker]

I have the self cleaning ones from LV. Really happy with them.

+1 on LV self cleaning ones.

[glenn bradley]

I have both but, do not have clogging issues on the ones that are not self cleaning . I have osme locations where the self-cleaning versions won't fit well. If you are not having clogging problems now you are probably fine. On the other hand, if the cost is incidental and you don'r have any clearance issues, better safe than sorry.

[Jim Andrew]

Think the problem shows up when you turn an Y down off your main trunk line. The last time I redid my dust system, I kept my Y's flat, then turned down with a long sweep 90, put a short piece of pipe vertical with the gate at a height I can reach without climbing on top of a stool. If you turn a Y down, the Y can fill with dust when the gate is closed, and when you open the gate, the system has to suck up the dust that was stored in the pipe. That can cause a plug in your system.

[Bill Adamsen]

I only have an issue with one (out of fifteen) of my metal "regular" blast gates. It happens to be on the tool that essentially "will not run" without dust collection (planer). The reality is that taking it apart to clean once every six months is not a big deal and takes about fifteen minutes. It jams by getting dust in the track on the back of the housing, so the slide cannot go all the way in. It may clog because of install orientation ... the gate is in sideways on a 45° Y. But I think it's simply because it gets a lot of use. My gates are very similar to your blastco.com gates.

[David Kumm]

Let us know how the Blastgates fit. My only complaint with their fittings was they seemed to be undersized relative to the pipe. Dave

[John Donofrio]

Hi Dan,

Whcih way did you decide to go? I, like you, am in the middle of designing and soon to be building the duct system. As you noted the cost is negligible but the clearance may not be in some situations. I'm trying to get as much procured before the unit arrives in a couple weeks and I'm on the fence here.

[Dan Case LR]

Hi Dan,

Whcih way did you decide to go? I, like you, am in the middle of designing and soon to be building the duct system. As you noted the cost is negligible but the clearance may not be in some situations. I'm trying to get as much procured before the unit arrives in a couple weeks and I'm on the fence here.

John, I went with the self-cleaning option. The longer slides can usually be accommodated with a little creative thought. I bought mine (6" Self-Cleaning) from Lee Valley.

D.