# Can a person buy only the exhaust blower part of a dust collection system?



## JDS81 (Oct 11, 2011)

I was'nt quite sure how to word the title of this forum topic but I'm hoping I can get away with explaining my situation a bit to help articulate my question.

I have a smaller shop (around 14×24') that I'd like to put a dc system in. I'm in a rural area so I can easily vent it outside or do about anything I'd like without bothering anyone or anything. I've heard of folks mounting just the exhaust blower to an interior wall and venting outside to a trash can, 55 gallon drum etc… in order to save interior space AND decrease exposure to dust making its way through the filter and back into your work space. Or maybe mount it on a wall on the exterior and build a little soundproof house around it and the collection tank but still have the switch inside? Most of my dust comes off a ridgid edge belt/spindle sander, two 4" disc/ 6" belt sanders (with 2.5" dust ports), a table saw, and bandsaw. So I dont have a ton of machines to hook up to nor do I have to travel very far to get to them. Any thoughts on a possible set up for me given my situation? Could I just mount a blower on the wall to vent outside given my fairly small/simple setup? And if so, what kind/power blower would you recommend? And Can I buy just a blower only (without the vertical bags setup) that would do the job well? Would just a 2hp kind of "lower end" blower with 4" hose be enough? Hopefully this makes sense to someone other than me! Thanks, Justin


----------



## Finn (May 26, 2010)

the blower on dust collectors are the type made to move material not air. They have flat blades not curved. A HVAC contractor should be able to order one for you. I bet it would be cheaper to just buy a dust collector from harbor freight though.


----------



## JAAune (Jan 22, 2012)

Exhausting outside will certainly allow a blower to pull air a lot faster but using 4" pipe will put a severe limit on the cfm. I'd recommend going with 6" pipe if you want to maximize the efficiency of the blower. Edge sanders need a lot of airflow to achieve good collection.


----------



## MoPower (Feb 6, 2009)

I bought a Harbor Freight 2 HP blower on ebay for $50.00 new. It was off the HF 2 HP dust collector that had been damaged in shipping. There are a couple of ebay stores that sell Harbor Freight scratch and dent items and that dust collector is being sold there often, HF doesn't pack there stuff worth a darn when they ship. I used mine on a cyclone separator and exhausted it outside up until I built my new shop this past year, it worked great. In my new shop I am not venting outside so I bought the grizzly dust collector with canister filters. The only problem I had was that 2 HP blower was blowing 1200 cubic feet of air conditioning or heat outside per minute ! But it was quieter !


----------



## longgone (May 5, 2009)

One of the things you need to take into account is that venting the air outside will mean pulling the outside air back into your shop instead or recirculating the shop air…unless you want to create a vacuum and suck out all the inside air. Recirculating the outside air is fine when the weather outside is good but it will also pull in the cold air in winter and the hot in summer…humid air when raining etc.


----------



## MoPower (Feb 6, 2009)

The cyclone separator I got on ebay has a 7" port that connects to your dust collector or blower, the intake is 6", and the hopper connection is 6". I used 6" inch clear hose to connect to the hopper so I can see if the hopper is full. 
The seller on ebay has lot's of pics showing different ways people have set it up


----------



## MrRon (Jul 9, 2009)

You can order all the parts for a DC from Grizzly or Jet or even HF. Just pull up the manual on line and refer to the replacement parts lists. The only trouble is, the parts separately will cost you more than a complete DC.


----------



## Manitario (Jul 4, 2010)

Clearvue sells the motor/impeller assembly separate if you want it without the cyclone.
clearvuecyclones.com


----------



## Gene01 (Jan 5, 2009)

I used the HF 2HP and removed the bags and vented it out side. It only runs when one of the saws is running. I don't see any difference in my propane usage for the shop. Some have said that I should be losing suction but, I haven't noted that either. The cyclone lidded collector ahead of the DC might help with that, though.
It's MUCH quieter and the modification saves a ton of space.


----------



## hhhopks (Nov 22, 2011)

I see no reason why you couldn't use a HVAC fan type and vent it outside.
The main thing is CFM value for the volume of air.
You should still collect the big stuff (bag/cyclone can>>>). Right?
Otherwise over time you would have wood dust/shavings…......everywhere.
It might be a fire haz.


----------



## Finn (May 26, 2010)

"I see no reason why you couldn't use a HVAC fan type and vent it outside".
The problem with this idea is that HVAC fans have forward curved blades that will fill up with sawdust quickly and become very inefficient. The blades on a dust collector fan are flat and do not collect sawdust and remain efficient.


----------

