# Keep children and animals away from the ports!



## NBeener (Sep 16, 2009)

WOO-HOO !!!

Great closet. Great DC system. Great write-up. Nice job !

From the first pic … that thing make margaritas ???

Lucky dawg…..


----------



## woodsmithshop (Sep 10, 2008)

I have had a Clearvue for a couple of years now, one of the best decisions I have made for the shop.


----------



## Fuzzy (Jun 25, 2007)

I know what you mean about the "JET ENGINE" scenario … I fired mine up once … then moved it into the attic … took a bit more "engineering", but in the long, run, it works GREAT !!!


----------



## mondak (Oct 30, 2011)

Your closet is almost a dead ringer to mine. I built 2×4 frame and used 3-1/2" fiber insulation and covered it with OSB. if I remember correctly, it took the db's from the high 90's down into the mid 70's. 
From jet engine noise down to being able to carry on a conversation.
I have had mine for about 4 years and if it were to quit me…..I'd purchase another one immediately.


----------



## motthunter (Dec 31, 2007)

i have one on the other side of the wall from my shop in a structure I spray foamed to keep the noise down.. works well


----------



## longboarder (Jun 17, 2009)

Do you have some kind of return air coming in to the closet. How is motor being cooled if needed.


----------



## thebigvise (Jun 17, 2010)

Thank you for the useful and detailed report of your experience. I decided to go with a 5 HP Oasis portable one-stage system. It will be used as a stationary unit with 4" PVC carefully intalled around the shop ceiling. I'll report back after intalling everything this weekend and then using it for a couple of weeks.


----------



## Manitario (Jul 4, 2010)

Hey guys, thanks for the comments. Longboarder; the thing attached to the closet in the second pic is the air return; there is a duct inside the closet that runs from near the ceiling to the floor, then through a series of sound baffles. 
Paul: if you have 5hp why just use 4" duct? You're basically killing off your CFM; not even 5HP will be able to make up for the reduction in airflow.


----------



## thebigvise (Jun 17, 2010)

Thanks Manitario. You raise a good point and I have even wondered whether I would burn up the motor. I am not an air flow physicist, but I have guessed that running twin parallel 4" PVC would be easier (i.e. it fits in my ceiling trusses), cheaper ($9.00 per 10-foot section at Lowe's down the street), and just easier to work with. I did one simple calculation: the combined cross sectional area of two 4" pipes is almost the same as that of one 6" pipe. My drum sander has two 4" ports, so that's what made me think of the twin 4" system. This may not work. I really don't know, but I will pass along to the LJ community any lessons-good or bad-that I might learn.


----------



## Manitario (Jul 4, 2010)

Paul, I agree with you that 2×4" pipes are almost the same as 6" in cross section. The issue though, is that by using 2×4" pipes you are increasing the friction ie. the static pressure of your system by almost 30% more than if you just used a 6" pipe. The efficiency of your system is dependant on the amount of friction it faces, which is partially related to pipe diameter; this is related to the amount of pipe wall the air is exposed to; for example if you used 9×1" pipes you would have the equivalent cross sectional area of one 6" pipe. However, the amount of pipe side wall the air would be exposed to in 9×1" pipes would be much greater than compared with just using one 6" pipe. Therefore, the friction in this system would be much greater and the efficiency and CFM much less. As I mentioned, 2×4" pipes increases the amount of cross sectional diameter and therefore the friction of the system by 30%. A 30% increase in friction leads to higher static pressure = poor CFM. 
My 2 cents is that if you are going through the time, effort and expense of putting in a dedicated DC system with a powerful DC, do it right the first time!
cheers!


----------



## thebigvise (Jun 17, 2010)

Thanks, Manitario, for even more specific information. I have not attempted to do the quantitative analysis, but your numbers make perfect qualitative sense to me. My hope is that I can get away with 4" pipe in the context of: (1) the 5 HP blower (2) smooth interior walls of PVC (3) minimal changes in direction and (4) minimal total length of runs. The acid test will be actual use in my shop. Anyway, I am committed to a 4" system with pipe and fittings currently piled up on my shop floor. Give me a couple of weeks to get up and running and I'll see how it goes. Again, thank you.


----------



## DanRoth911 (Dec 23, 2011)

Hi Rob, I am considering options for a new DC and was interested in your review of the ClearVue 1800. Are you still happy with it? What are the outside dimensions of the closet that you built?


----------



## Manitario (Jul 4, 2010)

Hi Dan,
Yep, I'm still glad I bought it; it has really transformed my ww experience; I was at the point where I was thinking about wearing a dust mast, which is really uncomfortable; having the DC has eliminated the majority of dust from my shop. 
The closet is 40×50" although I wish that I would have made it larger.


----------

