# New to forum, looking for dust collector advice!



## cromig27 (5 mo ago)

Hi everyone! I just came across this forum and am so excited because it looks awesome!! I started woodworking ~4 years ago and recently learned about grounding dust collectors due to the static the saw dust creates. I bought a dust collector from harbor freight and am almost done setting it up. Just curious if anyone has advice on properly wrapping the tubes with a copper wire, inside or out, and how necessary it really is? Thank you!
Chelsea


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## _Ogre (Feb 1, 2013)

Best idea I've seen online is to use short screws that just penetrate into the airstream. Alternate side to side, no screws in the bottom. Rather than circular wrap the pipe, which can be a job in itself, zigzag from screw to screw with a wrap on each screw.
Bare wire doesn't need to be big, 20 ga will be fine. You're not grounding a circuit, just keeping static at bay. Any 3 prong grounded equipment is grounded, you can use a screw on your DC for grounding. 
I'm just setting up my shop DC with 4" PVC. Will probably hold off on grounding the system until it bites me.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

cromig27 said:


> Hi everyone! I just came across this forum and am so excited because it looks awesome!! I started woodworking ~4 years ago and recently learned about grounding dust collectors due to the static the saw dust creates. I bought a dust collector from harbor freight and am almost done setting it up. Just curious if anyone has advice on properly wrapping the tubes with a copper wire, inside or out, and how necessary it really is? Thank you!
> Chelsea


There are two aspects to static shock and discharge in dust collection systems.
1. The first are the painful static shocks you get from contacting the pipes which are not "deadly" just painful.
It can be eliminated with a bare wire between the blower motor assembly and the separator, about 24" of wire in my case.
The 6" or 7" spiral wound clear plastic connection hose does NOT make an electrical connection between them, only a mechanical one so the static builds up in between them.
2. The second is the myth that static shock/discharges inside the ductwork can can a dust explosion.
Dust explosions are extremely rare and occur in industrial and farm setting where there are huge amounts of dust like in a grain bin.
The proportions of dust to air ratios must be correct and then there needs to be the ignition source.
If I recall, there's a statement to that effect somewhere in this massive site by Bill Pentz:





Dust Collection Research - Beginner's Corner


This site helps small shop workers understand the risks from fine dust exposure and how to effectively protect themselves and those close to them from airborne dust hazards. Fine dust is so extensively studied that researchers call it PM short for particle material. A Google search on PM Health...



billpentz.com





Waterfront-woods also has a similar point of view authored by @Rick Christopherson, a member here:
*Static in Dust Collectors
What to do and not do in building a dust collector system.*


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## DrRobert (Apr 27, 2015)

Are you running ductswork, or collecting machines thru a flex hose? 

Where are you located? I have PVC ducts. Here in FL I can get a minor zap only in winter months. No big deal when it happens. From what I’ve read, screws and wires inside the pipe don’t do anything. With PVC anyway, it’s the dry air moving across the surface that generates static.

I‘ve been looking at a Clear Vue cyclone, who makes units designed for PVC ducts. They have no information or products available relative to grounding wires, etc. Same with Oneida. That tells me a lot.

Bottom line I wouldn’t worry about it unless I lived in an area with very low humidity, I might wrap the pipes where I could touch them with insulation, maybe ground any metal blast gates.


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## cromig27 (5 mo ago)

DrRobert said:


> Are you running ductswork, or collecting machines thru a flex hose?
> 
> Where are you located? I have PVC ducts. Here in FL I can get a minor zap only in winter months. No big deal when it happens. From what I’ve read, screws and wires inside the pipe don’t do anything. With PVC anyway, it’s the dry air moving across the surface that generates static.
> 
> ...





woodnthings said:


> There are two aspects to static shock and discharge in dust collection systems.
> 1. The first are the painful static shocks you get from contacting the pipes which are not "deadly" just painful.
> It can be eliminated with a bare wire between the blower motor assembly and the separator, about 24" of wire in my case.
> The 6" or 7" spiral wound clear plastic connection hose does NOT make an electrical connection between them, only a mechanical one so the static builds up in between them.
> ...


Thank you so much that really helps me understand how it works much better! I’ve been nervous to set up my collector not knowing how much of a concern it would be with the static dust and this is very reassuring!!


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## cromig27 (5 mo ago)

DrRobert said:


> Are you running ductswork, or collecting machines thru a flex hose?
> 
> Where are you located? I have PVC ducts. Here in FL I can get a minor zap only in winter months. No big deal when it happens. From what I’ve read, screws and wires inside the pipe don’t do anything. With PVC anyway, it’s the dry air moving across the surface that generates static.
> 
> ...


I am located in upstate New York and will probably be using the flex hose? But not sure.. maybe I should do the pvc instead?


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## cromig27 (5 mo ago)

_Ogre said:


> Best idea I've seen online is to use short screws that just penetrate into the airstream. Alternate side to side, no screws in the bottom. Rather than circular wrap the pipe, which can be a job in itself, zigzag from screw to screw with a wrap on each screw.
> Bare wire doesn't need to be big, 20 ga will be fine. You're not grounding a circuit, just keeping static at bay. Any 3 prong grounded equipment is grounded, you can use a screw on your DC for grounding.
> I'm just setting up my shop DC with 4" PVC. Will probably hold off on grounding the system until it bites me.


awesome! Thank you so much!


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