Let me preface by saying that I’m a WW hobbist, not a pro, and my present DC system works ok as I only use 1 machine at a time.
I’d like to upgrade my ducting from PVC to metal. My system is made-up of a Delta AP-400, 1hp dust collector with oversized, fabric bags, approximately 20′ of straight 4″ PVC pipe with 4 PVC wyes and 4 gates, one at each machine.
I know that the 4″ metal duct is better and safer than the PVC, but how about upgrading to 5″ metal ducting? I’d need to adapt the 4″ output of the dust collector to the 5″ pipe and go back to 4″ at each machine. Will using 5′ metal duct in place of the 4″ PVC improve the flow or will the adaptors negate the benefit?
Replies
I'm no pro just a hobbyist like you, but if you are changing from 4" to 5" to get better flow, I could see it. I would question throwing away good pvc just to go to metal? I have a 2hp that I just converted to a canister from bag(good reccomendation). I use 4" flex piping that I straped to hangers, and have been fine. Would I like a nice metal 6" main with 5" or 4" leads, yes, but cost was huge. I will say that I was concerned about the small dust particles that were getting through my bags and converted to a canister and was surprised at how much better my system performed. Something else I noticed is the performance starts degrading in perportion to how full the bottom bag gets. I never paid much attention to this until I upgraded to canister and the bottom bag was clear plastic. I don't wait till its full anymore. Just some thoughts Good luck on the upgrade.
Yes. You are on the right track. I also have the 1 hp Delta. Switching to 26 ga galv. duct (a mix of 4" and 5") provides me with more than acceptable performance from the small DC.
Go for it!
nazard,
I assume that your 5" duct is the main. Did you use a reducer to connect the 5" line to the 4" DC input or did you modify the opening to accept 5" duct?
RFD:
I used a reducer to connect to the DC.
This is my first "small" DC system in a growing basement shop. I was not expecting performance to come anywhere close to the 2 hp system I had in a previous location. My initial setup to the TS with a single 20' flex hose was a bit dissapointing. Using the metal duct, which I happened to have on hand, boosted performance significantly.
I would be interested to know if this setup works well for you, also.
Thanks nazzard, Probably a month or so to collect all the material and install it as I'm in mid-project now. I will let you know how it turns out. Btw. my DC connects to a straight run of PVC, approx 20' along a wall, with gates to my TS, planer, jointer and BS. Overall the system works ok, but If I can improve its ability to collect chips and dust, all the less I need to clean-up and breathe!
If the beginning and end of the new pathway is 4" and the entire path is straight, the 5" pipe in between won't give you any improvement. You might see improved airflow if any or all the bends in the pathway occur in 5" pipe instead of 4" pipe, but that's just a guess on my part. Is anyone out there trained in fluid dynamics :-)?
Check out the link below for a good ductwork primer.
http://www.oneida-air.com/design/Ductwork_Design_and_Order_Form-2hp_and_Under.pdf
Life is what happens to you when you're making other plans .
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