extractor fan that doesn't

[Wildman]

I bought an Electra Beckum 1000 Extractor to use for chip/sawdust it was secondhand and collected by one relative then bought to me (175 miles) by another doing the normal Christmas run. I took it to the workshop and reassembled it today hoping for great things, boy was I disappointed the suction is really poor, it will lift sawdust if the hose is right on top of it. Otherwise not a chance. I made a reducer for the 4" hose and fitted my vax hose even that was little better. At that point I gave up and went home thoroughly peed off. The hose has seen better days but I taped up a few splits. I now wonder if someone has sucked up chunks of wood and damaged the pump vanes. I suppose the filter bag could be clogged other than that no idea. My table saw is till playing up it starts and eventually runs up to speed, then after 15 seconds or so the speed dies right back before picking up again and then running fine, only on start up. I purchased so DW40, yes DW not a typo and it was advertised as a rust inhibitor so I sprayed everything with it, guess what there is rust now on things that have not rusted before. I am beginning to get a little despondent to say the least. Then to cap it all I get home and find the 10" sanding disks I ordered turn out to be 350mm not 250mm and I have to cut the beggers down (yes I know I should read and double check and when it is metric treble check). I see everything in imperial and do not compute metric, daft I know but that is just me I cannot visualise any metric measurement but change fractions to decimals in my head in imperial no problem years of ingrained use.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Roger, please post a pic of your EB100. I have a different model EB, but it might be similar and I know mine inside out.

 

[transatlantic]

I have the Scheppach HA1000 and get exactly the same thing. I'm not very experienced with these kinds of extractors, I only have ever had shop vacs, so don't have anything to compare it to. But I did the same test and you have to put it right above the sawdust, about an inch away to get it to suck anything up. If it can't do that, then I don't know how it's supposed to work with planers which will produce much heavier shavings. Anyway - I got mine for free, and it's currently packed up until I get a tool it's designed to be used with.

scheppach-ha1000-extractor-t101333.html?

 

[WellsWood]

The one thing you must not do with this kind of extractor (HVLP) is reduce the inlet size - they are just not designed for it. They are intended for machines that produce large shavings like a P/T where a large volume of air is moved but with a relatively low pressure drop. Vacuum machines (shop vacs etc.) work the other way - big drop in pressure but relatively small amounts of air. This is why they have such coarse filters (and as such are unsuitable for fine dust), so as to impede airflow as little as posssible.

A few things to try, in no particular order.

Check the inlet is not blocked where the hose meets the machine. Most have a grill arrangement here to stop children (and fools) sticking their hands into the impeller which is notorious for collecting shavings and reducing airflow. Many people clip these out to alleviate the problem, but be aware you run the risk of impeller damage if large chunks of stuff are subsequently sucked up, particularly if it is plastic.

Check the impeller blades for damage/missing blades, and the internal airway(s) for blockages.

Take the filter bag(s) off, turn them inside out and give them a good shake - outdoors and make sure you stand upwind - then if you have a shop vacuum give them a good going over on the inside surfaces, you'll be amazed what a difference this step can make if the machine has been used for fine dust.

Hope this helps.

 

[Steve Maskery]

All wot Wellswood said.

=D> =D>

 

[transatlantic]

So should I not expect it to be able to pick up sawdust without getting it supper close?

 

[Steve Maskery]

Does this machine have a 100mm/4" inlet? If so, then it is a High Volume Low Pressure, or HVLP system, designed to remove big chips from your P/T. The chips are already airborne when they start their journey.

That is very different from picking up stationary, settled particles from a standing start. For that you need a shopvac, which is High Pressure, Low Volume, or HPLV.

Of course, in an ideal world we would all have HVHP systems. Just hook up a jumbo jet to your workshop and away you go!

 

[Wildman]

Roger, please post a pic of your EB100. I have a different model EB, but it might be similar and I know mine inside out.

Cheers Steve it is an EB SPA 1000

this second pic is a stock picture but appears to be the same, mind you it does show some attachments I was not fortunate enough to get.

 

[Wildman]

cheers everyone, well at least it should work ok with the P/T, I was hoping it would be ok on the router , the table saw and the bandsaw as well. Just need to source some hose that does not cost more then the machine.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Yup, that is the same as mine in all but name.

You can remove the hose and see if anything is blocking the orifice. If it is, pull it out, if it is clear carry on. That's about it really. You can rotate the fan by hand with the hose off to see if any of the fins are damaged, but basically that is suitable for a P/t or a drum sander like my 16/32. It's not the right machine for a router table. The jury is out on its suitability for use with a BS ot TS. I have both, they both have 4" ports, but mine does not do a good job on either. I tend to let it accumulate and then have a good cleaning session, but I can't say that I actively encourage that as a general practice.

 

[deema]

What ever you do, don't put your hand over the inlet if you remove the hose, if it working, it will pull your hand in, and if the safety fence has been clipped out (they tend to clog up) the next thing your hand will hit is a metal impeller. I did this trick on my nice new extractor, pulled my hand straight in, couldn't stop it! Thank goddess the safety fence was in place or I'd have lost it. It was a definite change of underpants time, and after I'dstopped shaking with shock, a new very health respect for the machine was born!

I can't pick up saw dust with my system unless the 4" hose is on top of it.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Very good advice, especially as my version of that machine does not have a safety grille.

 

[mikefab]

I had a similar machine and it was always clogging up so I removed the grill - much better.

Was vacuuming the bench a while later and accidentally sucked up an oak bench dog and BOOM! The plastic impeller shattered into a few pieces. It was an old model and I couldn't get a replacement to fit so after some discussion with my learned colleagues on this forum I epoxied it back together. It worked for a while and then the motor died (mechanical not electrical problem). Not sure if this was the result of an imbalanced impeller....

I now have an Axminster trade extractor with a metal impeller but it still clogs sometimes particularly when planing sycamore it seems. Sometimes I'm tempted to cut that grill out but it ended up expensive last time....!

 

[MattRoberts]

You need to bear in mind that HVLP extractors are primarily designed to collect moving dust and chips - not suck them up from a static position. They work by moving high volumes of air, as opposed to using pressure like LVHP.

That said, I believe that extractor is fairly low powered - 1hp? HVLP are pretty weak when they're under 2hp I'm afraid. Try cleaning the components as you suggest, and then hook it up to a machine and try it out