I'm looking to get a dust collector and am considering putting it in
the crawlspace below my shop. The air compressor as well. I'd just
wire switches to turn them on from the shop. I'd like to maximize the
space in the shop and eliminate some of the compressor noise.

The crawlspace is fairly accessible. Thoughts?

Thanks.
Jeff

wrote:
I'm looking to get a dust collector and am considering putting it in
the crawlspace below my shop. The air compressor as well. I'd just
wire switches to turn them on from the shop. I'd like to maximize the
space in the shop and eliminate some of the compressor noise.

The crawlspace is fairly accessible. Thoughts?

Thanks.
Jeff


Compressors need to be drained every day. That could be difficult under
the floor.

Dan

How much headroom do you have in your crawlspace? Most dust collectors I've
seen are fairly tall, and most crawlspaces I'm familiar with are fairly low
(thus the name). Also, you'll need regular access to the dust collector,
and it will be difficult to know when the bag is full, which may cause you
some grief. And finally, depending on where you're at, whether your
shopspace is heated or cooled, and if you don't pipe the air back in from
your crawlspace, you may run into issues when you blow your
"conditioned/heated" air out at 1200 cfm.

--
Clint
wrote in message
oups.com...
I'm looking to get a dust collector and am considering putting it in
the crawlspace below my shop. The air compressor as well. I'd just
wire switches to turn them on from the shop. I'd like to maximize the
space in the shop and eliminate some of the compressor noise.

The crawlspace is fairly accessible. Thoughts?

Thanks.
Jeff

wrote in message
oups.com...
I'm looking to get a dust collector and am considering putting it in
the crawlspace below my shop. The air compressor as well. I'd just
wire switches to turn them on from the shop. I'd like to maximize the
space in the shop and eliminate some of the compressor noise.

The crawlspace is fairly accessible. Thoughts?

Thanks.
Jeff

My DC is about 6' high. No, it cannot be laid on its side and work
properly. How high is the crawl space? I bet you'll curse when it comes
time to empty the bags.
--
Ed
http://pages.cthome.net/edhome/

Actually, head room isn't a problem. I have between 8 and 16 feet
(depending on location.) I don't have a pic of the crawlspace as it is
now, but here is a shot of it before the basement went on the concrete
block. The basement is about 2 feet above the top of the block
foundation shown in the pic.

http://www.astutesolutions.net/images/dscn1781.jpg

Here is another shot from within. I'd need to build a base for them
though so they don't roll down

http://www.astutesolutions.net/images/dscn1843.jpg

That is an extremely good point about the heating/cooling. I hadn't
thought about that. If there wasn't an easy way to redirect it inside,
I'll probably abandon the idea about the dust collector in the
subbasement.

Dan's point about the drainage is a good one, although I was thinking
about replacing the drain cock with a pipe that would give some
additional "capacity" before draining.

Thanks.
Jeff

Dan Kratville wrote:
wrote:

I'm looking to get a dust collector and am considering putting it in
the crawlspace below my shop. The air compressor as well. I'd just
wire switches to turn them on from the shop. I'd like to maximize the
space in the shop and eliminate some of the compressor noise.

The crawlspace is fairly accessible. Thoughts?

Thanks.
Jeff


Compressors need to be drained every day. That could be difficult under
the floor.

Dan


There are automatic drains that can be plumbed to your air tank. Harbor
Freight, among others, sells them. I've got one but haven't found time
to install it otherwise I'd be more than happy to tell you how it works
(or doesn'tg)

wrote:
Actually, head room isn't a problem. I have between 8 and 16 feet
(depending on location.) I don't have a pic of the crawlspace as it is
now, but here is a shot of it before the basement went on the concrete
block. The basement is about 2 feet above the top of the block
foundation shown in the pic.

http://www.astutesolutions.net/images/dscn1781.jpg

Here is another shot from within. I'd need to build a base for them
though so they don't roll down

http://www.astutesolutions.net/images/dscn1843.jpg

That is an extremely good point about the heating/cooling. I hadn't
thought about that. If there wasn't an easy way to redirect it inside,
I'll probably abandon the idea about the dust collector in the
subbasement.

That's one helluva crawlspaceg

How about building a small, insulated closet (ala equipment room)to
house the DC. Bring your intake piping down into the closet to your
trash can/cyclone next to the DC and then use one of those large floor
grates in a corner of the shop where you won't be placing a large piece
of stationary tooling in the ceiling of the DC's "room?"

Thats not a bad idea. I do have about 5 sheets of 4 inch 4'x8'
styrofoam that I could insulate it with. Eventually I'd like to put
some steps going down into the area to either move the shop down there,
or to store wood, but I'd have to get a dehumidifier if I don't
completely finish it out. The problem would be the stairs. I'd have
to cut (and support) a floor truss, and that would take room away from
the shop space.

I had considered doing something similar to this (I was considering
atic above my shop) but decided against it. The reason I decided
against it was the risk of fire. I wanted to be able to see the DC in
the event that I hit a nail or something and a spark made it's way into
the seperator or bag. I'l admit that the chance is pretty remote but
it concerned me enough to abandon the idea. Might be something to
think about.

wrote:
Actually, head room isn't a problem. I have between 8 and 16 feet
(depending on location.) I don't have a pic of the crawlspace as it is
now, but here is a shot of it before the basement went on the concrete
block. The basement is about 2 feet above the top of the block
foundation shown in the pic.


Crawlspace? In this part of the country, we call that an unfinished basement.
If you have easy access, go for it. Be aware of the fact that you'll have to be
able to empty the dust collector from time to time and you'll need to check the
oil on your compressor as well as drain condensation regularly.

One other thing worth mentioning: a dust collector with a muffler on it is
pretty quiet. I can easily carry on a conversation with mine running... and
that's without shouting. The footprint is about 3' - 4' square if I had to
guess.



--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN

VE

Yeah, we were a big shocked when we first saw the foundation (at the
time the pictures were taken). At first I was thinking that they
forgot to put in space for doors and windows for the basement until we
realized the basement went on top. I would love to put a small
basketball court in the center section. Ah, if I only had the money...

With the DC, I was thinking more in terms of space than noise. You are
right, a DC doesn't take up much space, but I've got SO much room
underneath, I'm trying to find ways to utilize it. The compressor is
noisy but doesn't take up much space since it's a very small one
(Porter Cable pancake). I had a 20 gallon, but it was stolen during
construction :-( I thought of expanding my compressor, but I can't
imagine needing anything bigger since I only expect to use it for
finish nailer, brad nailer, or dust blower.

Jeff

wrote:
With the DC, I was thinking more in terms of space than noise. You are
right, a DC doesn't take up much space, but I've got SO much room
underneath, I'm trying to find ways to utilize it. The compressor is
noisy but doesn't take up much space since it's a very small one
(Porter Cable pancake). I had a 20 gallon, but it was stolen during
construction :-( I thought of expanding my compressor, but I can't
imagine needing anything bigger since I only expect to use it for
finish nailer, brad nailer, or dust blower.



Well, that was me too... before I started thinking about an air wrench. I need
a good 5 HP one to do every thing I can envision. I already have a pancake and
a Dewalt Emglo.

I keep trying to go on the cheap and I ALWAYS regret it. Think big, buy once.




--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN

VE

I had to have a portable one. I did buy big once (if 20 gallon is big)
until it got stolen from the job site. I had to move from floor to
floor for the finish work (3 floors), so this one has definitely served
its purpose. I thought about an air wrench, but if it would be corded
anyway, I use my big drill with a socket driver on it and get tons of
torque. Now that I'm in a "stable" mode, I have to decide whether to
upgrade to a larger one and I would rather spend the money on a
jointer, DC, TS, etc.

It was the same thing with my tablesaw. Yeah, it was a $100 skill saw
that is pretty much only good for basic ripping, but operating on 3
different floors its easier to to relocate it that way rather than
hauling stock all over the place. This saw served its purpose. Some of
the portable tools I bought were very nice. I bought the barrel grip
bosch jig saw (awesome), the bosch power planer, and the Bosch
1617EVSPK 2.25 Horsepower Electronic Variable Speed Plunge and Fixed
Base Router Kit.

You can see pictures of the interior finish work me and my brother in
law did at: www.astutesolutions.net/cabin.html. The exterior work was
not done by me.

Thanks.
Jeff

Compressors need to be drained every day. That could be difficult under
the floor.

Every day? Since when? I drain my compressor perhaps once or twice a
year. Not much even comes out.

Larry Bud wrote:
Compressors need to be drained every day. That could be difficult under
the floor.


Every day? Since when? I drain my compressor perhaps once or twice a
year. Not much even comes out.

Since they can rust out and explode. I think it probably depends on
the compressor but I have had them that drain significant amounts of
water every day. If the inside of the tank is not properly coated that
can mean bad news.
Dan

Dan Kratville wrote:
Larry Bud wrote:

Compressors need to be drained every day. That could be difficult under
the floor.



Every day? Since when? I drain my compressor perhaps once or twice a
year. Not much even comes out.

Since they can rust out and explode. I think it probably depends on
the compressor but I have had them that drain significant amounts of
water every day. If the inside of the tank is not properly coated that
can mean bad news.
Dan
I think it also depends a lot on the humidity. In Kal it is very dry
most of the time and only a small amount, if any, water accumulates in
the compressor. However, if we happen to have a couple of overcast,
humid days you can get quite a bit of water from it.
Regards
John