# GRIT Automation - Dust collection automation system



## EarlS (Dec 21, 2011)

Very interesting - how does their cost compare to I-Vac?


----------



## Redoak49 (Dec 15, 2012)

Interesting but what is the cost? Very expensive…..


----------



## RyanGi (Jan 13, 2021)

GRIT is a little more expensive. Their gates are cheaper ($100 regardless of size, but you have to provide your own gate…so about $10 cheaper total if you have to buy a gate?), but their machine triggers are more expensive $120 vs $75. And GRIT can accommodate 2.5" gates, which I'm not sure iVac will.

But there's obviously a lot more tech built into the GRIT devices, so to me it's understandable. Especially with the limitless configurability and the available data coming from the GRIT devices, assuming that's of value to you.


----------



## pottz (Sep 15, 2015)

ryan this sounds like something ive been looking for,i didn't really like the ivac system at all so this needs more of my attention.ill check out your vids and the company website. so tired of running around opening and shutting gates,or forgetting to.i dont mind a higher cost if it does what i want.im pretty low tech so this sounds like my kind of system.thanks for this review.


----------



## RyanGi (Jan 13, 2021)

> ryan this sounds like something ive been looking for


Pottz I think it might be. I'm impressed not only with their product but with the support they offer as well. Let me know if you've got any user questions. I don't have a ton of time on the system yet, but I'll answer what I can!


----------



## pottz (Sep 15, 2015)

> ryan this sounds like something ive been looking for
> 
> Pottz I think it might be. I'm impressed not only with their product but with the support they offer as well. Let me know if you've got any user questions. I don't have a ton of time on the system yet, but I'll answer what I can!
> 
> - RyanGi


thanks man as soon as i have time im gonna really check this out. i was not impressed with the ivac system at all.and support is a defiinite consideration.worst thing is you spend hundreds of dollars and no one is there when you need help.thanks bud.


----------



## EarlS (Dec 21, 2011)

I'm with Pottz. Very interesting and I want to get something that will work.

When I bought my Supercell, I couldn't use the I-vac system, or at least I couldn't figure out how to make it work. Your picture with the control module on the Supercell starter caught my eye.


----------



## RyanGi (Jan 13, 2021)

> Your picture with the control module on the Supercell starter caught my eye


You'd have to get the full explanation from the folks at GRIT but as I understand it, it's basically a relay that adds or subtracts power to an electromagnetic in the starter and that's how it turns on or off…so you don't have to physically touch it.

They're adding a maintenance scheduler to that unit (for your DC) based on hours and (maybe?) backpressure against the filter so you know when it needs cleaning. Don't know about that yet, but it sounds like an awesome option!


----------



## pottz (Sep 15, 2015)

ryan have you had any issues with the gates getting clogged with dust and not closing fully.


----------



## RyanGi (Jan 13, 2021)

> ryan have you had any issues with the gates getting clogged with dust and not closing fully.
> 
> - pottz


I haven't, but then I haven't put a ton of dust through it yet. I also have self-cleaning gates. However, my system did used to clog (since some of it is 2" ABS as ducting) so I altered my old gates to make them self-cleaning and that fixed it. With the new gates I installed being self-cleaning from the getgo, I don't suspect there will be issues.


----------



## pottz (Sep 15, 2015)

> ryan have you had any issues with the gates getting clogged with dust and not closing fully.
> 
> - pottz
> 
> ...


ok so this is used with the gates we provide.half of mine are self cleaning now but the plastic type.ill probably switch to metal if i go with this system.


----------



## RyanGi (Jan 13, 2021)

Yes, you provide the gates and they need to be metal to work with the system. I had all plastic gates before this so I bought metal ones in (small) bulk on Amazon and they work just fine for a reasonable price per unit.

The added benefit is that I got to do all the build up of the gates on a workbench, as opposed to trying to do it on already installed gates or pulling down the gates only to put them back up.

Most of mine (8 of them) are 2.5" gates (I've got four 4" gates too). If you watch the videos I posted you can see the build up process. Much easier to do on the bench than on a pre installed gate, although I did a couple of mine that way and it wasn't too terrible.


----------



## pintodeluxe (Sep 12, 2010)

I'm a big fan of these types of systems. I've used Grngate and iVac, and both work very well. 
It completely changes the workflow in the shop.


----------



## AMicheal (9 mo ago)

GRIT Automation is *really good*. We've used both GrnGate and iVac, moderate-size installations (10+ tools each) and neither can compare with GRIT. GRIT solves the dust gate problem with 1-to-1 tool/collector or Many-to-1 tools to collector. That's just the start for us. The level of management detail is crucial even getting just turning on the collector. E.g., what current draw starts the collector? For tools like a SawStop, they draw current for their circuitry even with the motor off. How long to run the collector after the tool stops? Every tool can be separately configured in the GRIT app if you need to.

Other GRIT components we use: RFID cards to allow people access only to authorized tools. Reporting. Usage logs. (Who was the last one to use that bandsaw? Which of the planers gets least use?) These can be used to trigger maintenance as well-i.e., lube every 50 hours of run time.

We currently use GRIT to control about 35 tools and 8 dust collectors. Tools are 120, 240, 3 phase. They include nearly every woodworking tool: miter saws, CNC routers, SawStops, drill presses, sanders, ... We have both 4" an 6" gates.

I agree with the well-thought out details like not requiring an additional power outlet. I agree that the people are knowledgable woodworkers themselves and know their product!

We have about 20 people using tools in our shop. Nobody can forget to open or close a blast gate, or use a machine that they are not supposed to be using.

Can't recommend GRIT enough for any size shop.


----------



## pottz (Sep 15, 2015)

> GRIT Automation is *really good*. We ve used both GrnGate and iVac, moderate-size installations (10+ tools each) and neither can compare with GRIT. GRIT solves the dust gate problem with 1-to-1 tool/collector or Many-to-1 tools to collector. That s just the start for us. The level of management detail is crucial even getting just turning on the collector. E.g., what current draw starts the collector? For tools like a SawStop, they draw current for their circuitry even with the motor off. How long to run the collector after the tool stops? Every tool can be separately configured in the GRIT app if you need to.
> 
> Other GRIT components we use: RFID cards to allow people access only to authorized tools. Reporting. Usage logs. (Who was the last one to use that bandsaw? Which of the planers gets least use?) These can be used to trigger maintenance as well-i.e., lube every 50 hours of run time.
> 
> ...


thank you for sharing for experience with this.


----------



## LittleBlackDuck (Feb 26, 2016)

> ryan have you had any issues with the gates getting clogged with dust and not closing fully.
> 
> - pottz
> 
> ...


That is my concern… I found that all the ones I bought eventually got clogged up… that's why I went custom made… I usually argue against wasting time when it can be bought cheaper, however, their reps and salesmen never offered to come and clean the buildup out of mine…

I am skeptical as if I understand this correctly, the *GRIT* makes use of those dodgy gates.

Unfortunately here in *Australia* our selection of pre-fabbed gates are limited, however, any available from *Amazon* that people might recommend to *"not clag"* up would be appreciated so I can maybe take this to the next level.


----------



## RyanGi (Jan 13, 2021)

These are the ones I use. They haven't clogged on me yet.


----------



## LittleBlackDuck (Feb 26, 2016)

Thanks *R'Gi*... they look like the self-cleaning types… I'd be more confident with those.


----------



## EarlS (Dec 21, 2011)

I had issues with the metal gates in the first picture not closing all the way due to dust accumulating in the slot so I switched to the ones in the second picture and they work great. My solution to the 2.5" size was to use a 4" gate and reduce after the gate. Granted, I only have 3 gates (table saw, other tools, 2.5" hose) on my system and use the hose from Oneida, no duct work.


----------



## RyanGi (Jan 13, 2021)

> I had issues with the metal gates in the first picture…


Earl, I agree the complete pass through style gates are the bee's knees for keeping clean, but I've been pretty impressed with the other ones to this point. My original plan was to do as you said and neck down after the 4" gate, which I still think ia a better idea, but the way my tools are set up just really didn't give me the choice. If I was rebuilding from scratch, I'd surely go that route. With the Supercell the smaller ducting and gates just doesn't seem to be a problem, but that's unique to that DC. For anything else I'd have to have torn what I have apart and started over. But, as I said, those 2.5" gates are working like a charm with the GRIT system at this point.


----------



## zzzzdoc (Mar 6, 2010)

Add me to the Grit Automation fans. I purchased and installed a number of gates, triggers, hub, and Air Quality Controls for my system. I'm incredibly impressed by the products.

I have 3-phase, 5-7.5HP machines, with 6" diameter gates, so the triggers had to be heavy duty, so wiring took longer than just plugging things in, but the system works great. So nice to have gates and the cyclone turn on automatically and turn off after a programmed delay. My sole 120V tool (my router table) was plug and play. Couldn't have been easier.

The fine-tuning of the system is extremely impressive. You go on the app (in my case an iPhone app) and tap a button to fine-tune the gate open and gate closed positions. When done, the gates repeatedly open/close flawlessly.

I have Nordfab gates, so I really didn't want to replace those, plus with most of the machines being 3-phase, I had few options to make an automated blast gate system, and this clearly looked the best to me. Very, very happy I purchased and installed them. No more crawling under my table saw to open and close gates. No more forgetting to open the gate when running my wide belt sander (can you say dust cloud  ) No more leaving more than 1 gate open and compromising dust collection. And having the air filters turn on automatically when the air quality gets to a poor level (custom set threshold by you) is also fantastic for safety reasons.

Most impressively, their tech support is truly the best of any company I have worked with. World class. Multiple phone calls, e-mails from knowledgeable people who went way out of their way to make sure the system was working perfectly. And they were wonderfully receptive to making changes to improve things even more.

So I didn't want to write a full review (not my kinda thing to do), but I'm happy to hop in here to say this system is great, and if you're considering automating your blast gates, you should definitely check them out.


----------



## zandz (Feb 23, 2014)

I think this system is pretty neat. But it would take a bit of work to get it to work for my system. I have the ClearVue Cyclone system (I really need to write a review of it, as there are great positives and horrible negatives). So my dust system is 6" pipe until it gets to machines then it has the crazy square looking clearvue gates. 
Luckily its so powerful that I don't really need to just open one gate at a machine I'm using. 
I always have gate open at my cnc machines since I run them all the time. I usually have the one open at my table saw. I don't get into trouble until I have 4 or 5 machines running at once.

I'm a professional and have a cabinet shop. I was a bit slow in getting a higher end dust system. Using old push around dust collectors for years. But when I got my 2nd cnc machine I decided it was time to upgrade. Its a hard choice because most of my tools will make me more money, but a dust collector doesn't. Having a nice one has changed my shop. Its so much nicer not to ever see clouds of sawdust floating around.


----------



## zzzzdoc (Mar 6, 2010)

Looking at the picture on Clearvue's website of their blast gates, it looks to me that it would be easy to make them work. I'd contact tech support at Grit Automation. My hunch is that they've already tried these and they can be easily made to work with them.


----------



## RyanGi (Jan 13, 2021)

Their gate controllers are pretty adaptable. They planned ahead for stuff like this.

I use an Oneida Supercell which has ridiculous amount of suction. Regardless, I want the most draw I can get at each machine, which is why I wanted automated gates. To each their own, but i spent some coin of my DC and the associated bits for it, I want max performance from it and I want it easy (I'm lazy)! Automation fit the bill for me.


----------



## zzzzdoc (Mar 6, 2010)

I got a nice pleasant surprise after installing my Grit gates. I usually left the 4" gate open all the time for my table saw, as it was under the saw and I'd have to crawl on all 4's to get to it. And using my wide-belt sander, even with my 5HP Oneida DC led to particle counts I wasn't too fond of until the air cleaners could clean the air. Which took 10-20 minutes I would have to wear my respirator once I was done sanding.

Now, with the Grit automatically closing all my gates except for the wide-belt sander, my air quality is measurably better when using it, per my Dylos particle counter. Seriously, a huge improvement - below ambient levels, so a huge plus for me.

I know people say that you can keep open several gates of the DC to use several tools at once with a 5HP DC, but clearly this works better with only the necessary gate open. And it's automatic. Just awesome.


----------



## RyanGi (Jan 13, 2021)

For me, using the delay function on the gate actuation helped a lot since the SuperCell generates so much suction that the gates would stall. Awesome option.


----------



## zzzzdoc (Mar 6, 2010)

A new addition to my Grit setup today. A nagging problem I had is that my Grizzly wide-belt sander needs pneumatic pressure to start. So typically I send it 80psi from my air compressor. But I really don't want my air compressor running 24/7, and it's hidden in a difficult to get at closet.

Well, the nice folks at Grit Automation suggested a 120V collector trigger paired with a remote, wireless switch. The air compressor plugs into the collector trigger. That way, when I want to use the wide-belt, I first turn on the air compressor with the remote switch (which now lives on the wide-belt in the nice bracket/holder), and then turn on the wide-belt, which then turns on the Oneida cyclone. No need to climb down into the closet, and no need to run it 24/7.

Works like a charm. Problem solved. Thanks guys. Great work again.


----------



## RyanGi (Jan 13, 2021)

I'm hoping to work on something to automate my compressor as well, but I'm thinking more of valves. In my mind, I'd like to 'turn on' my shop and have the valves open to provide air across the shop, then have it time-out if nothing has been used after a couple hours and shut the valves up. It would be cool to automate the drain valve as part of it too. But I do like the idea of remote trigger to provide power to the compressor as an alternative!


----------

