New shop, question about venting dust collection outside

Billm0066

Bill
User
Built a 12x20 shed. Bought a harbor freight dust collector and would like the cleanest air I can possibly get so I want to vent everything outside. No separator, filters, or anything. Just eject everything outside.

Shed is not heated or cooled and wont ever be.
It backs up to woods. No concerns about neighbors. Nothing important growing where I will vent.
Would like to keep the motor inside for the time being.
Shed is not air tight. I have soffit and a ridge vents. Door stays open most of the time.

I am brand new to dust collection and have spent a few hours searching google. Can I just run the tube from the dust collector outside? Rockler makes a through wall piece of plastic I was thinking of ordering. Siding is t11 and walls are drywall, no insulation. Or can I use a dryer vent? Lastly is it okay to not separate prior to the DC? I just want everything to go outside so I dont heave to deal with it inside.
 
Last edited:

Charlie

Charlie
Corporate Member
Bill, I have been doing it for years and my shop has HVAC. I made my own flapper valves for the ends of the ducts. It is great not having to empty barrels, clean filters, etc. I am located just south of Lake Wheeler if you would like to come and see my setup.
186945
 

Bill Clemmons

Bill
Corporate Member
You should be okay to just blow directly from each machine, through the DC, and straight outside. Hopefully Charlie and PhilS will chine in here. They both do that.
 

Bas

Recovering tool addict
Bas
Corporate Member
The only thing to be mildly concerned about is burning out the motor. If you remove all filters/ bags and vent directly outside, I'd make sure you always have some flex or solid pipe on the intake to provide some resistance.

Also, black walnut shavings/ dust is poisonous to horses and deer. I imagine that plywood shavings can't be terribly good either. The glues used these days emit less formaldehyde, but it's still somewhat toxic. Obviously you don't joint/ plane plywood like you do with real wood, so the amount is likely to be marginal.

As for efficiency, not having filters/ bags will significantly improve performance. Just don't suck in small screws, small project parts, or your sheet with measurements or you'll be playing Indiana Jones in the back yard :)
 

Mrfixit71

Board of Directors, Treasurer
Rich
Staff member
Corporate Member
I don't think you want a dryer vent, as it will restrict the air flow too much. I have a 2 HP Grizzly DC that has a 6" discharge and will shoot the dust and shavings 10-15 feet. I do not separate anything except at my miter saw. Since my dust collection is behind and below the miter saw, I put a piece of 1/2" square hardware cloth over the hole so that I don't get big chunks of wood going through the blower.
 

Mike K

Mike
Corporate Member
I did just that in my old shop. Attached the motor to the outside wall and buried a pipe to the woods. Worked great. I plan on doing the same in my new building.
 

Hjanes

Harlan
User
Built a 12x20 shed. Bought a harbor freight dust collector and would like the cleanest air I can possibly get so I want to vent everything outside. No separator, filters, or anything. Just eject everything outside.

Shed is not heated or cooled and wont ever be.
It backs up to woods. No concerns about neighbors. Nothing important growing where I will vent.
Would like to keep the motor inside for the time being.
Shed is not air tight. I have soffit and a ridge vents. Door stays open most of the time.

I am brand new to dust collection and have spent a few hours searching google. Can I just run the tube from the dust collector outside? Rockler makes a through wall piece of plastic I was thinking of ordering. Siding is t11 and walls are drywall, no insulation. Or can I use a dryer vent? Lastly is it okay to not separate prior to the DC? I just want everything to go outside so I dont heave to deal with it inside.
Built a 12x20 shed. Bought a harbor freight dust collector and would like the cleanest air I can possibly get so I want to vent everything outside. No separator, filters, or anything. Just eject everything outside.

Shed is not heated or cooled and wont ever be.
It backs up to woods. No concerns about neighbors. Nothing important growing where I will vent.
Would like to keep the motor inside for the time being.
Shed is not air tight. I have soffit and a ridge vents. Door stays open most of the time.

I am brand new to dust collection and have spent a few hours searching google. Can I just run the tube from the dust collector outside? Rockler makes a through wall piece of plastic I was thinking of ordering. Siding is t11 and walls are drywall, no insulation. Or can I use a dryer vent? Lastly is it okay to not separate prior to the DC? I just want everything to go outside so I dont heave to deal with it inside.
Second the comment about dryer vent. It's too restrictive for the volume of air you'll be moving. And you'll be surprised at how fast nature will dissipate a pile of shavings in the woods.
 

Billm0066

Bill
User
I don't think you want a dryer vent, as it will restrict the air flow too much. I have a 2 HP Grizzly DC that has a 6" discharge and will shoot the dust and shavings 10-15 feet. I do not separate anything except at my miter saw. Since my dust collection is behind and below the miter saw, I put a piece of 1/2" square hardware cloth over the hole so that I don't get big chunks of wood going through the blower.
How did you get the pipe through your building? I did the dryer vent today and its moving a ton of air. I didnt test it very thoroughly but what I did today seemed to work well. The pipe from the HF dc is 5" so I had to put on a reducer for the 4" vent.
 

Phil S

Phil Soper
Staff member
Corporate Member
You are going to like your direct discharge. I piped mine into the woods years ago and it is great. Plus I have a fully conditioned shop and cannot tell any difference with the dust collector on. I also have a 5 inch discharge on my blower and I went thru the wall with a 5 inch pipe. You really need to remove the 4 inch dryer vent and install a 5
I have plenty of extra 5 inch if you need some
 

Billm0066

Bill
User
You are going to like your direct discharge. I piped mine into the woods years ago and it is great. Plus I have a fully conditioned shop and cannot tell any difference with the dust collector on. I also have a 5 inch discharge on my blower and I went thru the wall with a 5 inch pipe. You really need to remove the 4 inch dryer vent and install a 5
I have plenty of extra 5 inch if you need some
Thanks, I will change it over to 5". What did you use for piping and any ideas for keeping a hinged cover over it to prevent anything from getting in there?
 

Mrfixit71

Board of Directors, Treasurer
Rich
Staff member
Corporate Member
How did you get the pipe through your building? I did the dryer vent today and its moving a ton of air. I didnt test it very thoroughly but what I did today seemed to work well. The pipe from the HF dc is 5" so I had to put on a reducer for the 4" vent.

Mine had to go out through a concrete block wall under ground, at an angle, so used a carbide drill and hammer and chisel, then patched with concrete. It extends about 80' underground out to daylight. I made a flapper valve for the end similar to Charlie. It's a plywood ring with a sheetmetal flapper.
.
186960
 

JimD

Jim
Senior User
I plan to vent outside using a 6 inch dryer vent like this:

ttps://www.amazon.com/Lambro-Industries-361W-Louver-Vent/dp/B000KQ2CWS/ref=lp_2232342011_1_19?s=appliances&ie=UTF8&qid=1562692705&sr=1-19

I have a neighbor on that side of my shop but will be venting into my bushes. I may need to avoid using the DC when his grandkids are using the pool - which isn't very often. Debris would not get to them but the noise would. I will run the exhaust through a super dust deputy first, however. Neither I nor my neighbor would want the wood shavings in the yard. But your experiences are interesting to me. I plan to pull the screen on the inlet of the blower since debris will be trapped by the cyclone.
 

Phil S

Phil Soper
Staff member
Corporate Member
Thanks, I will change it over to 5". What did you use for piping and any ideas for keeping a hinged cover over it to prevent anything from getting in there?
For piping I just used standard 5" snap-lock pipe. Home Depot sells a better grade than Lowes for virtually the same cost
 

Billm0066

Bill
User
4" vent worked fine but found a 5" one on Amazon so I swapped it out. Cant confirm it performs better but it works so thats good. Now just need to get the tools to put the dust where I want it.
 

Premier Sponsor

Our Sponsors

LATEST FOR SALE LISTINGS

Top