Dust Collector leak

TOCAL · Post by **TOCAL** » Sun Nov 15, 2009 6:13 pm

My DC3300 leaves a U shaped outline on the floor of fine sawdust when I use it. The area immediately behind the collector is clean which I believe is due to the fact there is an exhaust fan that is blowing the dust away. The problem is, I can't fnd out where the sawdust is coming from. I have changed the bag, cleaned out the top of the collector, made sure the bag was sealed. Any suggestions as to the source and how to stop it?

Thanks

horologist · Post by **horologist** » Sun Nov 15, 2009 6:38 pm

There are foam weatherstripping seals between the motor housing and the wall of the collector and a few other places. (memory fades) My dust collector had spent the first ten years of it's life unused in a barn and these seals had deteriorated. Sorry, I can't find the pictures I took when I replaced them.

I used standard self adhesive weatherstripping purchased from a local hardware store.

Check your manual for the location of these strips, the design of the dust collector has changed over the years and my dad's DC is quite different than mine.

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Sun Nov 15, 2009 6:57 pm

TOCAL wrote:My DC3300 leaves a U shaped outline on the floor of fine sawdust when I use it. The area immediately behind the collector is clean which I believe is due to the fact there is an exhaust fan that is blowing the dust away. The problem is, I can't fnd out where the sawdust is coming from. I have changed the bag, cleaned out the top of the collector, made sure the bag was sealed. Any suggestions as to the source and how to stop it?

Thanks

I have no experience with a leaky DC3300.

But, the fan is way up off the ground so I doubt that the fan has much to do with this dust. Yes, the fan creates the airflow that might be moving the dust but the gaskets around the fan are, in my opinion, not likely suspects.

Since the hose carries air that sucks the dust in and not the other way around, I doubt that the hoses have anything to do with this unusual deposit.

If I had this problem to resolve, I would spread a thin but complete layer of fine saw dust on the floor and position the dust collector right in the middle. After running it for a few minutes, with nothing else going on in the shop, an inspection of the dust pattern should give you some clues.

I often find a thin trail of saw dust running across my shop floor. It does not happen all the time, just when there is a breeze outdoors that blows toward the shop door. The breeze moves fine dust along the floor until it collides with the power cord or hose and it then just lies there. Maybe something like this happens in your shop.

After thought: does the u shaped ring resemble the shape/size of the dust collect at floor level?

charlese · Post by **charlese** » Sun Nov 15, 2009 10:38 pm

Hi TOCAL! Welcome to the forum! New members and interesting new questions are always interesting.

For now, I'm going to side with Dusty and say the U shaped ring has been caused by power cords. Also the static electricity from the suction hose will attract sawdust and deposit it when touched (rubbed) just right.

However I would like to know more about your 'U' shaped deposits. Where, in relation to your DC do they appear? Are they always in the same relative place? Sides or front? How close to the machine? Do you move your DC or Shopsmith often while doing a project? Do you live in a location that has low humidities (more static electricity)?

Concerning the seals around the motor: I recently took my DC apart to check noises. The seals around my motor housing are pretty well shot. What I had found, earlier, was that these seals prevent sawdust from getting pushed into the motor chamber from the pressure inside the DC. This caused me to regularly use an air compressor to blow out the motor compartment (from the rear - trough the plastic vents). If you do this, make sure your motor is running while blowing. This will help insure the dust does not get lodged inside the motor.

Instead of putting on new foam insulation, I used double sided tape and uncovered only one side. With the tape I covered the joints. Last time I did this I used duct tape. That worked OK, but am hoping the double sided tape works better.

TOCAL · Post by **TOCAL** » Mon Nov 16, 2009 9:31 pm

Thanks to the feedback. I'll take a picture tomorow (I am assuming we can post pictures).

beeg · Post by **beeg** » Mon Nov 16, 2009 10:30 pm

TOCAL wrote:Thanks to the feedback. I'll take a picture tomorow (I am assuming we can post pictures).

SURE ya can add pics. WE LIKE pics.

https://forum.shopsmith.com/viewtopic.php?t=114

TOCAL · Post by **TOCAL** » Sat Dec 19, 2009 11:52 am

I finally got back to the shop and the DC3300 (Thanksgiving and the flu kept me away). I stripped down the unit. Everything seemed to be in good shape. The blade was dinged in a few places but nothing serious. There was a large gap between the motor housing and the wall of the collector. There was residue on the wall that looked like there may have been a seal there at one time. I blew out the unit with my compressor and using the advice of others on this thread applied weather stripping aroung the motor housing where it hits the wall. To be sure it lasted more than a couple of uses, I also secured the stripping with duct tape.

I now have a working dust collector and with the cold weather and closed shop I really need it.

Thanks to all for your input. It looks like this forum could be a good resource for us ShopSmith owners.