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

[sascha gast]

ok, I just set up a 3hp Oneida super gorilla. I had to build a shed for it and now I am getting ready to install the PVC, just need to track it down. I am venting outside, I am in California, not worried about sucking hot/cold air out of the shop and when I work, the garage door is always open.

the cyclone has an 8" intake, I need to get through the wall of my shed and from the outside of my house(stucko) to the inside of my shop.

here are my questions

should I use mostly 8" or should 6" be ok?

what connectors should I use to go through the wall of my shed(watertight) and through the wall of my house(water tight)?

once I am in, I won't have a problem, I just wanna make sure the pipe creates a rainproof seal so I won't get water in the shed and house.

if you guys have any pics or sources for stuff, that would help a lot.
once i am done, I'll post pics, but maybe I have time to show some tomorrow.
also, what blast gates should I get.

I am so excited to get this thing running, it has a lot of power.

thanx guys

[Rick Levine]

I went with 26ga Snaplock galvanized conduit rather than PVC primarily to control static electricity. I live in a dry climate and didn't want to chance a fire. Besides, I like the industrial look. My Woodtek has an 8" intake so that was what I started out with then reduced to 6" and finally to 4". I'm not quite finished yet, as you can see.

The DC is located in an attached utility room built for the unit. and I cut a hole in the adjoining wall to bring the duct in. Be sure to add return air vents otherwise you'll be wasting either heated or air-conditioned (depending on the time of year) air when you run the DC. You can see the two return air vents on the wall. I sized them with the advice of the Woodtek technician.

[sascha gast]

ok, you have my attention. where did you get the pipe and fittings(other than Oneida) and how would you seal the outdoor hole in the wall.
I don't need to bring the air back, I never heat or cool and I am not worried about fumes being pulled, the garage door is always open, even in winter.
your installation looks very clean, I like it and acutally would consider it if it is easy to get.

I was thinking of bringing 8" in and reduce to 6 right before the machines and 4"if needed

oh, and did you ground the pipe with wire of sorts??

[Reg Mitchell]

although I don't have mine outside I do have a gorilla. It is a 7" and I reduced it at the sorce

I ran 6 inch all the way and reduce it at the machine to what ever the machine requires.


Try your local mechanical HVAC for the spiral pipe. I got mine for $1.35 a foot and in 10 ft. lengths. The plastic hose is a little pricy though at about $10 a ft.
If I were putting it through a hole in the wall I would tape one side of the wall and spray in the insulating foam so as it expands it would seal all cracks
Reg

[sascha gast]

foam..........now thats a good idea.
but what the heck is a HVAC store, what would I google up.
anybody know one in los angeles??

how would you cut the spiral pipe to length if needed??

[Kyle Kraft]

HVAC stands for Heating Ventilating & Air Conditioning. Look in the phone book under mechanical contractors/suppliers.

[Marty Rose]

Sascha, Yes do look in the Yellow Pages, In Burbank, and in San Fernando, multiple places that will help you.

[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.

[Jim Becker]

I don't recommend you reduce from 8" until after the first or second branch off your main...that Gorilla is designed to support an 8" main. Oneida will do a design for you free of charge since you bought your cyclone from them...you don't need to source your duct from them, but at least that will give you a plan of action.

I also don't favor PVC, but largely because it offers few options for components and duct sizes, particularly in "odd" number dimensions. While it's easy to work with, it's more important, IMHO, to be able to provide the right size for drops and in many cases, 5" is ideal/4" too small.

[Jamie Buxton]

That foam-insulation-in-a-can stuff cannot take sunlight exposure. It dies in a couple of years.

[Joe Chritz]

You should be able to seal up to the siding pretty easy with any number of methods. PVC exhaust for furnaces are often just stuck through and caulked well with silicone. If you have wood siding you could make a "block" that fit snugly against the pipe.

My Gorilla comes through a wall and I made a trim board that fits snug to the pipe. Something like that caulked well when put on and outside would work well outdoors.

My area is much smaller than LA (much much smaller ) and I had a difficult time finding heavy gauge pipe to use. I ended up purchasing from Oneida direct and the cost wasn't bad.

You will love that unit.

Joe