Help with Sandblaster Water Trap

[Nickshu]

Hi all, first time post, long time reader.

Anyone build/use a sandblaster water trap to protect your shop vac?

I'm running a Barrel Blaster in my garage and built the water trap that you see below. Problem is that I can't keep it from sucking up some of the water. Wondering if my vacuum is too powerful. I tried adding the elbow to the end of the long tube (see photo) but it has not helped.

Any tips or alternative designs out there I could use to keep it from sucking up water? I think what's happening is that the water/air is swirling so much inside the bucket that it ends up in the intake tube. Maybe a weaker vacuum or some holes somewhere?

Thanks!

 

[R.Anderson]

Here is a drawing of an idea I drew up based off the rainbow water filtered vacuum cleaners that I have been wanting to try. All the dirt and **** should be heavier than the air so centrifugal gravity pulls it the pail wall, then normal gravity pulls dirt and **** to the swirling water. As to what the water level and the 3" PVC length should be, I don't know so if you were to try this experiment with it. I am not sure this will work but it is an idea that might.

 

[Nickshu]

Thanks R, that just might work. But I am thinking you have it switched backwards...wouldn't you want the blast cabinet incoming air thru the long tube, which would push the water out of the way?

Those lids are about $3.99 at HD, and a few bucks worth of PVC is all it takes. I'll give it a try like that, what I'm doing isn't working for sure!

 

[R.Anderson]

Thanks R, that just might work. But I am thinking you have it switched backwards...wouldn't you want the blast cabinet incoming air thru the long tube, which would push the water out of the way?

Those lids are about $3.99 at HD, and a few bucks worth of PVC is all it takes. I'll give it a try like that, what I'm doing isn't working for sure!

Nop its not backwards, the water level should just be below the 4" PVC enough so water is not pull up as it starts up. The air intake needs to circle the 4" downwards around the tube causing the dirt and dust to pull towards the wall of the pail. This should cause the water to swirl (like a whirlpool) collecting the dust and dirt that gets pulled down.

Use 4" PVC instead of 3" for the vertical tube. I was thinking 4" but wrote down 3" which I think would be too small of a diameter. And seal the PVC pipes to the pail and the lid to prevent any air leaks.

 

[PCO6]

I use a water trap for mine and it works great. I have a small Shop Vac and an inexpensive vacuum pail lid that I purchased from Busy Bee. I have about 4" of water in the pail. Unlike some that I have seen I do not have a tube that goes below the water level.

The pail lid ...
http://www.busybeetools.com/products/dust-collection-cyclone-cover-small.html

View media item 36758

 

[ex-x-fire]

Why not get a Dust Deputy?

 

[nuts4coke]

Why is this even needed? I have a blast cabinet and I don't use any kind of water separator... What's it's use in blasting?


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[Ben Buck]

This type set up is used to keep the dust down inside the cabinet so one can see to blast.

I've copied this design, with the water trap bucket arrangement and had no problem with the vac sucking up unwanted stuff, just minimal dust particles.

This is just my 1/2 cent worth of knowledge.

I have an old Sears vac, old tubing and fittings, with just about an inch of water in the bucket I'm good to go. Here's some pictures of my goof setup, the ol vac is still working.

The first picture is of the dust and some sand that landed in the bottom of the collection bucket before the vac. The shop vac had minimal sand in the bottom after this set up. I should have measured it, but it was just yuck!
I don't know if this helps, but I'm happy!

 

[warweapon762]

Why is this even needed? I have a blast cabinet and I don't use any kind of water separator... What's it's use in blasting?


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Extends the life of the vacuum.

 

[csargents1546]

From the world of rainbow owners, to help with dust put a couple of drops of cooking oil in the water. It helps to catch the dust better. That is what rainbow recommends when cleaning up drywall dust. It works great.