# Enclosed Dust Collection Unit



## Jimbo1953 (Jan 16, 2017)

Being relatively new to this forum (hopefully I posted this in the right place) a relative noobie woodworker and hobbyist and never having had a dust collection system (which is yet to be designed) I would appreciate your thoughts on what issues (heat, air circulation, etc) I might have, if any, by putting a dust collection unit in an enclosed room. Later this year my wife and I plan to move into a new house with my shop (approximately 25'x40' or 1,000 sf with a 9' ceiling) planned to be in a daylight basement. I would like to put the DC unit under the stairs (assuming it will fit) which will be enclosed with access through a 3' wide door. Since the ceilings will be soundproofed I thought it would be best to put the unit in an enclosed area to also keep the sound down in the shop rather free standing in the shop. The DC is planned as a "shop warming" gift to myself. Looking forward to your replys.


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## J_L (Apr 22, 2014)

A dust collector is basically a fan that moves air. The air moves by a series of ducts attached to tools and it moves it to a filter bag of sorts. The air then passes through the filters and returns to it surrounding environment. 

If you were to stick the dust collector into a sealed room it wouldn't work well. It would pressurize the room from all of the exhaust air and it would reduce the suction dramatically. You would have to have a louvered door for it to work at all.


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## difalkner (Nov 27, 2011)

I agree with the louvered door or vent but remember you can put a filter (or two) over that vent to not only help contain dust but also keep noise down a bit. Be sure to post photos of your new shop - we love looking at spaces bigger than ours - LOL!

Welcome to the forum, Jimbo!

David


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*A DC unit is a giant air pump*

If it were 100% efficient, then the air "in" would equal the air "out", but they aren't. When you seal the unit in a confined space you are restricting the air "out", it has no place to go. So, you can make vents in the door or wall to allow it to escape. If you just want to hide the unit, then that's fine. The DCs that I have aren't all that noisy when running and are much more quiet than a table saw cutting stock. So, if you are wanting to reduce the noise factor it may help some, you'd have to experiment. There is a decibel meter app for your smart phone that can be used to measure noise levels.

Another consideration is the length of the runs to the DC unit from the furthest machine. Ideally, the DC would be centrally located to reduce the runs. Flex hose reduces efficiency. Bends should be kept to 45 degrees and smooth elbows. You can use 2 -45's to make one 90. Blast gates can be prone top clogging unless the sliding plate is totally out of the air stream. 

Some folks here and on the web exhaust their DC's straight through the wall for maximum efficiency. They are preceded by a separator to catch the fines so you and the neighbors don't get into a "dust up".

There are several good threads in the dust collection section here. Check them out! :smile3:


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## TimPa (Jan 27, 2010)

one thought is that the stairways is likely a vertical chamber running up through the house. sound from the bottom could possibly run up though the house. maybe try a sound test before committing to that location.


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## sanchez (Feb 18, 2010)

You're getting the entire basement?! What luck!


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## Jimbo1953 (Jan 16, 2017)

Thanks to you all for your replies. Based on your input I think I will move the DC down near the middle of one of the long walls to get it more centrally located in the shop. I also found out today the builder needs to install 3 columns/supports down the middle of the basement/shop to support the roof. I'm sure he can engineer the roof trusses to eliminate the columns, but like everything else it will cost more. May need to reconfigure the tool layout. It may work to put the DC against a column. Back to the drawing board. Good planning is essential, but I want to make some sawdust. Haha. Oh, and I will send photos once the tools are placed. Being a newbie it may take me awhile to make make my outfeed table, bench(es) and cabinets.


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