Cyclone drop box

[chataigner]

When first installing the excellent cyclone from Cyclone central, I was a bit concerned about how to avoid stressing the plumbing and plastic joints whenever the box needed to be removed for emptying. I didnt want to use flexible couplings cos they offer much more resistance to air flow than rigid tube, so decision no. 1 was to fix the cyclone permenantly. So how to remove the drop box ?

What I came up with was a box within a box, where the inner box can be removed for emptying.

The outer box has a neoprene type door weather seal around it to take up any irregularities, and is fixed in the first instance by 4 toggle clamps :

These just hold things in place, the main seal is due to the vacuum in the box which pulls everything tightly closed.

Since taking these pics, I've added wheels to the removable box so I can "wheelbarrow" it outside for emptying. Works very well.

The above pics are from my old workshop, but the same unit is now installed at Rue-Darnet, here's a view of the whole :

 

[AndyP]

David, brilliant, thanks for sharing. It was the flexibility issue with rigid plumbing when emptying the box that prompted my question yesterday. I was sure that you had posted this on the old haven but i could not remember how you did it.

I think I will get Mr Merlin to cut some suitable chipboard for me and I can crack on with the cupboard before the camvac arrives

 

[AndyP]

David, did you glue all the 100mm soil pipe joints?

I am just about ready to do mine and the push fit on all the elbows and Ts seem so tight I can't see the point on gluing.
The only joint that is anywhere near loose at the moment is the joint between the cyclone's two tubes where I have used 100mm sleeves and even these I think I will tape.

 

[9fingers]

The UK standard is push fit and I'm very grateful that it is as I've been able to make several mods to my extraction pipework over the years with ease.
The French 100mm system is good for interfacing to flexi-pipe* but I would not glue it. If you end up with a whistling joint then the tiniest fillet of silicone wiped round the fitting should shut it up and still allow removal.

Bob

*I recently bought 4m of 100mm French pipe back to UK in 1.3m sections for stock to make adaptors/couplers etc. Makes a good holder for wine bottles enroute too!

 

[AndyP]

Thanks Bob, I am itching to get this finished, busy weekend and now kids off school (cold and fever) so progress is slow.

 

[RogerS]

Out of curiosity are there any blast gates in those pipes? I can't see any in the ones going to the SCMS etc.

 

[chataigner]

Out of curiosity are there any blast gates in those pipes? I can't see any in the ones going to the SCMS etc.

Yes and no... There is one gate (ali, so it's the silvery bit top left of the cyclone) in the pipe that leads off to the right and to the saw and sander. I found that the flow shared between the two machines was still adequate, so no need to gate them individually.

The stub of 100mm pipe at the right allows me to add a long flexi for cleaning up the floor etc and also to link in my router table when in use. The end is closed with a threaded cap of the type used for rodding access.

As for glue, I've glued the long pipe runs, but not the elbow and other joints around the cyclone - as Bob says - being able to modify it without resorting to a saw would be good !