the only kind i have seen is the kind that has ribs running through the inside which creates friction and lessens performance. I have heard of smooth wall flex hose in 6" diam but havent found it. Anyone seen this unicorn hose and know where to get it?
have you ever seen smooth wall flex hose for dust collection?
- Thread starter Enigma
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Hobby_Man22
Well-known member
Could probably use that green pump hose stuff if you can get it in the right diameter.
it doesnt make sense. The makers of these dust collectors know full well that smooth wall hose is what is needed for dust collection because ribbed wall lower performance quite a bit and yet they dont, nobody in the dust collection business makes, knows of, or sells smooth wall dust collector hose????? Thank you for the tip. I just looked up its called green water hose and it comes in 6" and its pvc. Im checking into it now but just so annoyed that we have to go buy water hose for dust collection purposes because there is no proper smooth wall dust collection flexible hose on planet earth. So far its 328 dollars for 20 feet. Im still looking.
manwithtools
ALLIANCE MEMBER
4" @ $6.92 /ft. LAWN, LEAF, and DUST Collection Hose - FLEX-TUBE PV. About 1/2 way down the page @ https://www.blastgateco.com/Flex-Hose.php
I'm sure there are plenty of other sources based on a quick Google search.
I'm sure there are plenty of other sources based on a quick Google search.
Firebrick43
Well-known member
There are several brands of "smooth flow" hose. Its not common because its expensive and the dust collector manufactures doesn't expect anyone to use more than 4 to 8' of hose to connect the machine and use steel pipe/duct to put together the rest of the system. A short section of connection hose isn't going to degrade performance that much.
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jar944
Well-known member
No
Firebrick43
Well-known member
6" diameter? Absolutely not.
bmxdukie
Well-known member
My whole system (except for 2-1/2" drops) is plumbed with this 4"
Haven't had a problem with it in 15 years. Bought an earlier version of Onieda's super dust deputy, modded a Jet 1100 - that piping is smooth walled, built-in couplers that just slide together (for other fittings I just held 'em together with REAL short sheet metal screws (3 per joint) then wrapped joints with 3 wraps of saran wrap, later on I held the saran in place with HF's 1" wide velchro. If I ever need to change ANYTHING, it's all re-usable.
Also, there don't seem to be any "standards" between types of pipe OR actual dust products; when you run into that, FERNCO rubber couplings are your BEST FRIEND - same size, step UP or DOWN, etc, - however, 90 degree fittings are NOT your friend - you get less loss using TWO 45's if you MUST have a 90 degree turn.
Check out the pics - IIRC, I only had a couple of 90's in the entire system.
If I were you and wanted the least loss with moving the DC OUTSIDE, I'd use a length or two of the above linked pipe and ALWAYS PARK YOUR DC IN THE SAME PLACE - takes maybe 5 minutes to shove a couple pieces of the above pipe together. That way a 10' length of flex can be cut to serve 2 or 3 tools.
99% of my piping is overhead, no flex drops more than 5 or 6 feet long. Also, I have NOT emptied the lower bag on that modded Jet since I put the cyclone setup together - see pic#5.
BTW, I originally set mine up to be "mobile", then ended up just setting it out of the way and tying the piping to trusses (built in place by ME to eliminate inner poles shop is a converted horse barn).
Pic#19 shows that ALL drops (air, power, dust) can get disconnected ABOVE HEAD HEIGHT when not in use, and if I need MORE headroom they can be ******* even further. ALL that white piping (Pic#19) is attached to the riser side of the bandsaw, and moves out of the way with the saw. The LOWER part of that piping routes suction to planer, jointer and bandsaw. The top right corner of pic#19 also shows how few 90's there are in the system -
Pic#21 - The cast iron router table has a 3-1/4 horse router for raised panel bits, the other two are DeWalt 618's (Jessem lifts, tables and fences) that can be set up with stile bit and rail bit for cabinet door production - once I get 'em dialed in they don't change til ALL doors in a set are done.
Oh, yeah - not too obvious from the pics, but when ALL the machines are sitting on their blue tape markers, every machine has AT LEAST 10' of infeed AND outfeed space due to varying heights and angles. It's not a large space, so THAT took a few tries to pull it off
Tain't fancy, but gets r done... Steve
Haven't had a problem with it in 15 years. Bought an earlier version of Onieda's super dust deputy, modded a Jet 1100 - that piping is smooth walled, built-in couplers that just slide together (for other fittings I just held 'em together with REAL short sheet metal screws (3 per joint) then wrapped joints with 3 wraps of saran wrap, later on I held the saran in place with HF's 1" wide velchro. If I ever need to change ANYTHING, it's all re-usable.
Also, there don't seem to be any "standards" between types of pipe OR actual dust products; when you run into that, FERNCO rubber couplings are your BEST FRIEND - same size, step UP or DOWN, etc, - however, 90 degree fittings are NOT your friend - you get less loss using TWO 45's if you MUST have a 90 degree turn.
Check out the pics - IIRC, I only had a couple of 90's in the entire system.
If I were you and wanted the least loss with moving the DC OUTSIDE, I'd use a length or two of the above linked pipe and ALWAYS PARK YOUR DC IN THE SAME PLACE - takes maybe 5 minutes to shove a couple pieces of the above pipe together. That way a 10' length of flex can be cut to serve 2 or 3 tools.
99% of my piping is overhead, no flex drops more than 5 or 6 feet long. Also, I have NOT emptied the lower bag on that modded Jet since I put the cyclone setup together - see pic#5.
BTW, I originally set mine up to be "mobile", then ended up just setting it out of the way and tying the piping to trusses (built in place by ME to eliminate inner poles shop is a converted horse barn).
Pic#19 shows that ALL drops (air, power, dust) can get disconnected ABOVE HEAD HEIGHT when not in use, and if I need MORE headroom they can be ******* even further. ALL that white piping (Pic#19) is attached to the riser side of the bandsaw, and moves out of the way with the saw. The LOWER part of that piping routes suction to planer, jointer and bandsaw. The top right corner of pic#19 also shows how few 90's there are in the system -
Pic#21 - The cast iron router table has a 3-1/4 horse router for raised panel bits, the other two are DeWalt 618's (Jessem lifts, tables and fences) that can be set up with stile bit and rail bit for cabinet door production - once I get 'em dialed in they don't change til ALL doors in a set are done.
Oh, yeah - not too obvious from the pics, but when ALL the machines are sitting on their blue tape markers, every machine has AT LEAST 10' of infeed AND outfeed space due to varying heights and angles. It's not a large space, so THAT took a few tries to pull it off
Tain't fancy, but gets r done... Steve
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Maybe this is true in the U.S., but in Europe we have no shortage of smooth wall flexible ducting for DC systems in sizes from 60mm (2.3-inch) to 300mm (12-inch). It is sold by the meter and I think I paid the equivalent of about $5 per meter for 120mm flexible ducting. I'll look for a manufacturer and part number as a reference point. The flexible ducting does not compress easily, and in normal use the internal wall is smooth.
At the risk of sparking a vicious debate (pun intended), you might want to consider using commonly available storm and drain pipe from the big box store of your choice for the main runs and whatever flexible ducting you can find for the short connection to the tool. To the best of my knowledge, there has never been a hobbyist woodshop fire because of static discharge from a DC system. There is no shortage of naysayers who argue against S&D pipes, but to date, none have produced facts to support theory. I am not doubting a static buildup can occur, but am still waiting for anyone to provide proof that the static discharge is adequate to create a hobbyist shop fire or explosion. I used 120mm metal pipes in my system because I received a great deal. However, when I upgrade my cyclone, I will correct some mistakes I made in the duct routing and use 150mm S&D pipe for the main trunks and 120mm flexible ducting for the short connection to the tools.
The ducting must be sized correctly for the blower to ensure the proper velocity of air through the system. It doesn't do any good to have dust and chips collected at the tool, but not able to pass through the system and fall into the collection bin.
I am not an expert in DC design and am learning as I go, but I have realized the manufacturers usually do not accurately describe the capabilities of blowers. Despite claims by Jet of 1200 cubic feet per minute airflow and 13,745 feet per minute velocity in a 4-inch duct, I think you will find much lower numbers in practice. I think the Jet airflow claims are based on the blower with no obstructions, and the velocity is a simple math exercise that disregards internal turbulence of the ducting. All of the online airflow to velocity calculators I found do not consider the internal turbulence. As Bill Pentz has demonstrated (and I have observed in my system), the maximum airflow possible in a 4-inch duct system is about 350 CFM, regardless of the blower HP.
You might be able to get away with 350 CFM with short ducting runs.
andyvh1959
Well-known member
Go to a local Parker distributor or Parker Store. Parker makes EZ Form hose in sizes up to 4". Bigger than 4" in a smooth bore flexible hose is a tough find. Parker also has an extensive line of industrial hose products. Parker Stores are the retail part of Parker, so the prices are dependent on what the store owner is willing to take off list.
jar944
Well-known member
What is your end goal? The 2hp bag units are the first tier of DC. If you want more performance it's likely cheaper to just upgrade to a larger unit.
Yeah I think the idea is it’s more affordable to use a more powerful dust collector, rigid smooth wall pipe for the long runs, and limit flex hose for the final machine hookup so there is flow to spare and the loss from the ridges won’t matter. I will say that all DC flexhose isn’t created equal and some is considerable smoother that others.
CraigStu
Well-known member
I get 6 inch smooth inside hose from McMaster for my lawn vac. Quite expensive but works well.
Why can't you use regular galvanized dryer exhaust pipe?
Most of the expensive dust collection systems all use metal pipes because PVC has static and dust attraction issues.
They are 6-7 bucks a pipe, so its not super expensive, you will need to spend some time fabricating the setup though.
Most of the expensive dust collection systems all use metal pipes because PVC has static and dust attraction issues.
They are 6-7 bucks a pipe, so its not super expensive, you will need to spend some time fabricating the setup though.