Cyclone outside the shop, how to get pipes in the shop

[Jim O'Dell]

For the 8" you will almost have to go with metal. It's hard enough to find the 6" PVC. Not even sure they make it in 8".
For the outside wall, the foam is a good idea, but look at the direct vent add in fire places that vent out the wall instead of up a chimney. They have caps that slide over the pipe and against the wall. These can be caulked to seal out rain. (Does it ever rain in California? ) My guess is that 8" will be a normal diameter for this.

And Reg, why didn't you shove that yellow beast up further and have the inlit pipe a staight shot into the cyclone? You could have had any size barrel under it you wanted, or used a y and split to 2 barrels if need be. There would be no problem with a long run of pipe from the cyclone to the barrel, and if you used the clear flex, you could tell by looking if you were over full! Jim.

[Reg Mitchell]

And Reg, why didn't you shove that yellow beast up further and have the inlit pipe a staight shot into the cyclone? You could have had any size barrel under it you wanted, or used a y and split to 2 barrels if need be. There would be no problem with a long run of pipe from the cyclone to the barrel, and if you used the clear flex, you could tell by looking if you were over full! Jim.

Hi Jim. I couldn't get it that high in that spot because the motor would hit the roof. Bit It is a nice thought to raise it more for a larger container. 2....I would get lazy and wait till they are both full.....then I would be complaining about so much saw dust....oops, "wood dust" I had to take out.
Mine works great with the reduction at the sorce. I couldn't get the 7" sprial here locally so I dropped it to 6" which works great but since yours is 8" you should be able to get it locally. & is an odd size I was told. The joints, too are about 1/3 the price from the local guys over mail order
Reg

[sascha gast]

trust me, at this point, the money is secondary, I have no problem running 8", but I need a place where i can just drop by and pick stuff up if I forget something or I get the wrong/not enough piping.
I just hat to order on the web and wait for the shipment to arrive just to find out I need another 2 pieces.

[Steven Wilson]

The snaplock pipe isn't that expensive to buy or ship. If you go spiral get it local. The expensive pieces are wyes, T's, elboes, and other fittings. You should spend the time to design your system so that you know how many of each you need and then order the correct amount. Having an extra piece of snaplock in the order won't break the budget. Your cyclone has an 8" inlet for a reason, don't choke your cyclone by going 6".

[John Bush]

Hi Sasha,
I have a friend in the HVAC biz and I used his referrence to buy from Gensco, a large national wholesaler. Google them to check out locations and if time permits, get their catalogue. It is huge and has pictures of most fittings to compare. IIRC most of the fittings were thinner ga. and, again, are "backwards". When I visited the warehouse to pick up my order(s) and make exchanges, the guys at the counter were very helpful inspite of my inexperience and small order(s). They had good suggestions and you will likely change your mind and need to return for more stuff. I posted earlier that I used 26 ga. snaplock, but I think it was 24 ga., just a little heavier. The stuff at the borg is usually 26 ga, I think. If you get Gensco's catalogue you could possibly compare with the official DC suppliers and if not a huge cost difference the DC designed stuff is well worth the time saved. Jim Becker mentioned that the spiral is usually rolled/fabbed locally and is not that much more, so that is a plus, but I tried some scrap pieces from my friend and they were heavier ga. and a little tough to work with. I used saddles to branch off the main and had to cut openings into the main, pop rivet the saddle flange, then caulk to seal. I would recommend buying the appropriate inline fittings as a big time saver and it would look a little cleaner too. Thay would make the spiral a more logical choice. Good luck, JCB.

[sascha gast]

thank you guys very much, many great ideas there.
today I finally assembled the monster in the shed and man this this is nice. loud, but at least it's outside the shop.

[Mark Hubler]

When you talk with the HVAC material suppliers, ask for "spiral duct". It come in 10' lengths, and in 1" diameter increments from 4" to 10" and 2" increments after that.

As for the design, try to maintain the same number of square inches of duct profile: example 8" duct with a 5" tap the remaining pipe main would be 6 - 7" (don't both with PI use 8"x8" - 5"x5" = 40" so either 6" duct 36" or 7" duct 49"). This rough calculation assumes that all taps are open (like your home heating system).

As for the hole through the outside wall, layout a hole roughly 1/2" to 3/4" larger than the duct (i.e. 1/4" to 3/8" caulk joint). Carefully drill multiple 1/8" holes around the perimeter until the center falls out. After the duct is installed insert some foam rod into the joint about 3/8" (foam rods is available at Home Depot in the same location that they sell weather stripping). Caulk the joint with silicon caulk (GE paintable is my favorite). If you want a "professional" looking joint, put masking tape around the perimeter of the duct, about 1/4" off the face of wall. Do the same for the plaster, but about an 1/8" from the edge. Use one of the fake plastic credit cards they are always mailing to you as a screed. Cut a small radius in the corner of the card and the joint will look perfect! Remove the tape after the caulk starts to harden.