Outside enclosure for DX5000 (now vented outside with pics)

[matt]

OK, another dust extraction thread...

I'm planning to site my DX5000 outside (primarily so it vents outside). I have an odd tatty space between the garage and neighbours wall (as shown in pic below).

I'm looking for a simple way to build something here to enclose and protect it and also reduce the noise too (so as not to disturb the neighbours too much).

Any thoughts about materials, methods, etc gratefully received. I really need to do it under the wife's radar in so far as there's other stuff I should be doing so it needs to be time efficient. I've even considered mounting it on a trolled for the time being and carting it outside when necessary instead of building it a shack to live in.

I'll probably have to move the ladder so disregard that particular obstacle (and the junk on the floor).

 

[Recky33]

What size are the vents on a DX5000 and how many are there ?

 

[9fingers]

Have you considered the air flow issues?

The air you suck out has to come from somewhere so either you need the door ajar or windows open and if you are heating that air such as in winter, you heating bill goes up. If you don't provide an air intake to the workshop, then the efficiency of the DX will drop.
If however you arrange for filter air from the DX to be returned to the work shop, then this problem does not arise.

Bob

 

[chipchaser]

Apologies in advance for sounding negative but a simple and quick build doesn't equate much with a noise reducing enclosure. You can absorb higher frequencies with baffles faced with soft materials rockwool/glass fibre etc. For low frequencies you need mass and isolation. All need sealing so the sound doesn't leak out. On the other hand how noisy is a DX500?

My simple built woodshed is four pressure treated posts set in the ground, a few joists to carry an Onduline corrugated roof, three standard larch lap fence panels to make the walls and a good quality plastic tarpaulin for the front. Put it up in just over a day three years ago and its still fine. But it's not soundproof

Graham

 

[scholar]

Hello

I have a DX4000 which is the same I think, except it sits on top of a drum, rather than being wall mounted with the (larger) bag collection as with the DX5000.

I would say it is quite noisy (think two 1000w vacuums going at the same time) and it would definitely be beneficial to achieve some soundproofing.

I have contemplated making a soundproofed (or sound reducing rather) enclosure - basically a plywood box with sound deadening lining. I think I saw something like this in one of the ww magazines some time ago.

It will still need ventilation, so the sound reduction would not be complete.

Putting the whole thing outside is an option, but sounds like a whole lot more work; also there are issues with losing all your nice warm air.

I will follow your progress with interest.


cheers

 

[matt]

What size are the vents on a DX5000 and how many are there ?

There's a couple of vents - a series of oblong holes covering an area of about 10cm x 5cm (each)...

Apologies in advance for sounding negative but a simple and quick build doesn't equate much with a noise reducing enclosure. You can absorb higher frequencies with baffles faced with soft materials rockwool/glass fibre etc. For low frequencies you need mass and isolation. All need sealing so the sound doesn't leak out. On the other hand how noisy is a DX500?

My simple built woodshed is four pressure treated posts set in the ground, a few joists to carry an Onduline corrugated roof, three standard larch lap fence panels to make the walls and a good quality plastic tarpaulin for the front. Put it up in just over a day three years ago and its still fine. But it's not soundproof

Graham

Posts in the ground sounds good. Sound insulation is not critical. My neighbours are agreeable folk and I'm not in the workshop all of the time. Their dogs make more noise than I would.

Have you considered the air flow issues?

The air you suck out has to come from somewhere so either you need the door ajar or windows open and if you are heating that air such as in winter, you heating bill goes up. If you don't provide an air intake to the workshop, then the efficiency of the DX will drop.
If however you arrange for filter air from the DX to be returned to the work shop, then this problem does not arise.

Bob

I rarely heat the workshop - even in the winter. I also have a lot of "ventilation". I do also leave the door open in any case.

 

[the_g_ster]

I have a DX5000 and on both motors it makes alot of noise. It will also collect a fair bit so for what you build you need to make sure you can change the bags easily and not risk dropping it all over the place.

I put mine on the wall up highish and stays out the way pretty much.

 

[Recky33]

There's a couple of vents - a series of oblong holes covering an area of about 10cm x 5cm (each)...

Ah, not as easy as I thought then, you could build a box that covered them both and run a pipe out or... build a shed and run a pipe in. either way it should make it a little quieter, but your still going to have to drill a 100mm hole in the side of your garage

Not really much help, sorry

Allan

 

[matt]

There's a couple of vents - a series of oblong holes covering an area of about 10cm x 5cm (each)...

Ah, not as easy as I thought then, you could build a box that covered them both and run a pipe out or... build a shed and run a pipe in. either way it should make it a little quieter, but your still going to have to drill a 100mm hole in the side of your garage

Not really much help, sorry

Allan

Your original question got me thinking along similar lines... The pic below shows the vents (you can see the second one through the first). It looks like quite a large void so I may be able to block these vents and replace them with a new hole to vent out of. Food for thought...

 

[Recky33]

Food for thought indeed, but don't go cutting holes in it til the warranties worn off

 

[matt]

Looking at the size of those holes I don't think I'd need 100mm to equal that current venting... In fact, the Camvac outlets are nowhere near 100mm I seem to recall? I'm guessing this is because the flow, post filter etc, is much slower (but then how does it maintain the volume/velocity pre-filter?! Hmmm...

 

[Recky33]

The holes look about 15 mm * 4 mm and there are 34 of them, so 2040 square mm, a 50 mm pipe is 2026, looks like you could get one of them through the top of your window frame.

 

[chipchaser]

but then how does it maintain the volume/velocity pre-filter?! Hmmm...

Is it because the mixture going into the machine is air plus solids, as shavings down to dust, but the exhaust is just the air? Sounds plausible to me but one of you will point out the obvious fact I have missed!

Graham

 

[matt]

but then how does it maintain the volume/velocity pre-filter?! Hmmm...

Is it because the mixture going into the machine is air plus solids, as shavings down to dust, but the exhaust is just the air? Sounds plausible to me but one of you will point out the obvious fact I have missed!

Graham

I like your thinking. I'm gonna drop Record a line before I start hacking it apart. Firstly to run the idea past them to see whether they express a view and secondly to make sure I can buy replacement tops for when it all goes **** up

FWIW - the slots are irregular sizes but, taking the largest at 15mm x 3mm (x34 slots) and I'm needing 1530mm2 free flowing output.

 

[big soft moose]

Food for thought indeed, but don't go cutting holes in it til the warranties worn off

why cut holes in it at all - surely the easy way to go is to enclose it in a cabinet (with a door access to change bags) and just run a 50mm pipe back from the cabinet into the shop

as the machine outputs air through the existing vents , assuming the cabinet is fairly airtight the air has to go somewhere and so it goes back through the pipe to the shop - simples

 

[matt]

Two things... Firstly, I do not want the air back in the workshop. My revised train of thought following your original post was to keep the machine in the workshop and vent it via a pipe to outside.

Nevertheless, your suggestion about building a cabinet remains valid to a point because I could enclose it in the shop and run the pipe outside. However, stealth and cost is the name of the game here... I can get away with my "plumbing" solution under the radar. Building a cabinet for my extractor (i.e. when it's inside the shop) just won't fly with the wife :lol:

(Although I do need to make sure it's all doable beforehand - explaining that I need a new extractor would not be good...)

 

[scholar]

Not directly helpful to your plan Matt, but this is the enclosure idea I saw in Fine Woodworking http://www.finewoodworking.com/subscrip ... x?id=29924

It will need scaling up a bit for a DX4000 and even more for a DX5000, but it might be helpful.

Cheers

 

[matt]

OK, this tells me all I need to know (i.e. there is plenty of space to incorporate an outlet in the lid):

So I think I'll use on of these:

To a short length of 100mm flexible hose (to allow the hood to be removed), the other end of which is connected to a soil pipe adapter which, in turn, is connected to a length of soil pipe routed over the ceiling, through the wall, and down to ground level.

FWIW - Record tell me that the latest DX5000's have vent holes around the entire perimeter of the plastic hood. I noticed that on mine the plastic lid deflected by about 3mm when the motors were switched on, suggesting there's a lot of pressure inside the hood when it's running.

 

[philb88]

Dont worry about damaging the yellow lid before the warranty runs out, as its its not covered! Mine melted when motors ran hot.

A common problem if you dont change the bags enough, and thus no longer covered! My new lid doesn't have those vents, and just seems to let air escape under the perimeter, not excessively like a vacuum cleaner though

 

[matt]

Sound like a significant redesign of the lid. Have the changed it to create a gap around the edge?