grounding dust collection system
wiskytango
| Posted in Power Tools and Machinery on
I just purchased a delta 1.5 horse power system and was looking at some fittings, hoses , blast gates and some other random stuff. I ran across a grounding system that they recommended to put on the hose to eliminate the possibility of static build up. Is this a real concern? and what could possibly happen if it does build up?
Replies
If you don't ground the system, you will get lots of static build-up, with dust and chips and shavings clinging and dancing around and all of that good stuff. If you do ground the system, you will still get static build-up, but perhaps not as much.
The supposed risk of said static build-up is that you may have a dust explosion. There has never been such an explosion in a home-sized dust collection system, as far as I know. There have been explosions in industrial-scale dust collection systems.
Personally, I would ground the system, not in hopes of preventing an explosion, but rather in hopes of cutting down on the annoyance of all of those bits of dust and chips and shavings clinging and dancing around.
-Steve
You can ground, but if you don't (I don't) you will get static in the hoses, and particles cling to the indsides and outsides of the pipe. I would like to see proof of one explosion related to static build up from dust collection.
If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it.
And if it stops moving, subsidize it.
It's a trade off. If you ground, you have the time, the expense, the drilling holes in your pipes, the wires grounding to things, etc., To be thorough, this will be inside AND outside the pipes. Then the wires inside the pipes, which the experts tell you to "pull tight," will likely vibrate and slap against the pipes, and, if they cross an opening like mine did, they will catch any large shavings and clog up your system in a week or so. On the other hand, a grounded system should work better because of less static (I hear) and not give you little static shocks (I hear). As you can probably guess, I grounded my PVC system in a 550 sq ft shop and then ripped half of it out.
As far as the home or small woodworker is concerned "these are early days," meaning that the entire dust collection thing is pretty new and conflicted.
Jim Bell
I followed the lead of somebody here on another thread and used copper foil tape. No slapping, drilling, etc. Got mine at http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Electronics,_pickups/Supplies:_Shielding/Conductive_Copper_Tape.html
If you build it he will come.
I put that 1.5 HP Delta unit in my garage shop this summer without grounding and have not been hit yet. I'm not in there making a living, but I'm an avid hobbyist and use it most weekends. I think the grounding may be more important for larger, more active operations. I love the unit and it certainly does what I need it to do. I have it attached to 12' of sewer drain with side drops and a Unisaw at the end with a 10' flex line to it. It sucks the saw dry. I was quite impressed. It seems like a good unit for a small setup.
Jolly
You sure you use your tools its pretty clean in there;)
How loud it it?
It is very clean, it is a brand new install. I cleaned out that side of the shop to set it up. I had a 12' workbench along that wall, removed it, cleaned, painted and put in that brand new shelf with absolutely nothing on it yet. It's still not too messy over there, but it'll be well broke in by the end of the year. That unit's noise makes its presence known, but it is not overwhelming. I don't run it very long. It's only on for milling pieces, but it sure does knock down cleanup time and the fine dust spread. It is a very welcome addition to the shop. It is more than enough to handle the one machine at a time work that I do.
No DUST anywhere! Do you use the tools?By the way, I like the layout of the machines.
Will,
Like I said earlier, that is a brand new setup, freshly cleaned and painted. Just being a weekend warrior though, I really don't create a lot of debris. I'll make one project, then clean the whole place up on Sunday night. Just using one machine at a time, I'm hoping I can work with the gear layed out that way. So far, so good. Here's a picture of the latest project. It was a present for a Missouri football fan. Glad I gave it to him last week.
Is this a real concern? I do not think so. Hell, a vacuume cleaner can give you a static shock. Never had a fire using it though!
wiskytango
I grounded my system but I sure wouldn't bother in the future. Peridically I have to go thru and unclog all the shavings etc. that have been caught in the grounding wire.
Pain In The Butt!
despite some allusions to explosion hazards and gubberment taxation, I'd say it this might be prudent to do so for your own comfort. The static charge does build up, and I've had two experiences that make me believe it is indeed prudent to ground the system.
And I live in Alberta, which may be oily, but it is dry.
The first experience was having a new dust collector hooked up to the table saw. Cutting particle board, for a few hours, the plastic connecting hose was covered in statically attached dust. Done for the day, I was doing tidy-up and put my left hand on the table saw top, and bent over to remove the plastic hose.
I guess my face was the closest ground to all them statically charged particles, cause a whole wack of em left the hose and ended up in my eyes, Trip to emerg resulted, as I couldn't flush em out. Nor, for that matter, could they.
No saws turning, no flying debris, ergo no safety glasses. Whoda thunk it.
The second was using a shop vac, one of them overated 6.0 hp contractors r2d2 units. I'd be vacuuming the floor of the shop and noticing that there was a static discharge from time to time, but when it built up to the point that it arced through the sole of my shoe, I surmised that I just didn't want that level of discomfort any longer. To me that is not just a small static build up, but really rather large. and it's passing from my hands to my feet, maybe straight through the heart (patate in Quebecois). Kinda like a k-tel defibrillator (with a mind of it's own) and thats something I can do without thank you.
Ergo, the dust collectors and the shop vac now have ground cables running through their suckitational appurtenances, and I is ever so much more comfortable now, living without the fear of when the next ZAP will come.
I dunno if I is actually safer, but I do know that I no longer experience mind blowing static discharges. And I am soooo much happier. You might be too.
Eric in Cowtown
When I was going to school just north of Calgary, we tested the relative humidity of our classroom in the winter--it was lower than the relative humidity in the Sahara Desert. It's dry--you can build up static just by breathing!
Jim Bell
Grounding PVC: all but pointless. Check with Bill Pentz, the man has dedicated his life to dust. As an engineer and a security expert (read: skepticisms is my mantra) I have my entire system in ASTM 2729. Since Risk Management is a professional hazzard for me let me say that Bill and Dr. Cole met the bar - my system is not grounded.
I will say that if I had the extra $$ I'd do the spiral metal stuff, largely because it looks cool as heck. But in the year I've had my clearvue and PVC ducting there have been no incidents.
refrences cited:
http://billpentz.com/woodworking/cyclone/Ducting.cfm#DuctingIntroduction
he addresses this issue directly through the work of Dr. Rod Cole
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/rodec/woodworking/articles/DC_myths.html
Exerpted:
Myths:
Here are just a few of the myths I have read regarding DC dangers and grounding PVC in particular.
1. The number one myth must be that PVC ducts are dangerous. As both theory and practice show, home shop DC explosions are somewhere between extraordinarily rare and nonexistent. The volume of a typical run of 4 inch duct, say 20 feet, is about 1.7 cubic feet or equal to a cube 14 inches on a side. I do not know the explosive power of this volume of dust, but I do not think this is going to level your shop.
2. The number two myth must be that you can ground PVC. You simply can't ground an insulator. There are things you can do to reduce the odds of a strong discharge, especially to your body, but they are far from perfect.
3. The number three myth is the unstated corollary to myth #1: the only thing of concern in a dust collector are the ducts. As seen above, the collected dust pile and the collection bag are greater hazards than the ducts. Fortunately, in practice home shop sized dust bags have shown themselves to pose little explosion hazard.
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