J. Phil Thien's Projects

I care more about how smooth the fittings are on the inside than how they look outside. Mastic and tape can handle the outside. Hammer and something to act as a anvil horn is a good idea and 6" is big enough diameter to be able to get some tools in. I will try that.

Fortunately I don't have a lot of fittings to do this to.

I think I know the answer to this but maybe someone has a brilliant idea I have not found. Is it possible to un-crimp a metal fitting? I got some 6" wye fittings that have the crimped end on the wrong end for smooth airflow. I could adapt it but then I will have the crimps going against the airflow collecting dust and creating more turbulence.

Ordered one today. We shall see.

That is what I was thinking too. Mostly curious if it is really clear enough to be effective and if so is it brittle.

Has anyone on here used this clear 32 gal bin with a top hat? Does it work well? Seen any other businesses that carry it?

https://www.webstaurantstore.com/continental-3200cl-huskee-32-gallon-clear-ingredient-bin-trash-can/6902632CL.html?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=GoogleShopping&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIhIXeg7ja2QIVFo3ICh2kgwVdEAQYASABEgJiLvD_BwE

There is a regular poster and incredibly thorough resource on here named retired2.

What happened to Retired3 and 4?

My current drum would not give me room for that setup, but if I were to switch to a can like you linked I think it would. How fast does the 32gal can fill up for you?

That could work. You don't happen to have a picture of what you did do you?

Let me put up a picture of what I have.  The impeller and chamber are already mounted. The baffle plate has a slight funnell at the bottom to make it fit down to a 55 gallon drum (I oopsed on a meansurment and made the chamber larger than intended). Everything is MDF and weighs much more than I anticipated.

The drum OD is approximately 23". The bottom of the separator is slightly larger than that currently, but I have some ability to modify that if needed. I have not found anything flexible in that size range with the exception of renovation trash chutes, but I don't know how airtight those would be and they are sold in very long lengths.

My thinking is that I can make a short flexible rubber chute out of vinyl showerpan liner. The adhesive for that works similarly to how PVC pipe is glued so it it a strong bond, but I have no idea how that would behave over time with constant changes in air pressure pulling and releasing on it.

I'd have to greatly reduce the height of my collection drum to funnel down small enough to use a short section of flex hose. I have seen setups like you are describing and if I had the vertical space it would be a great solution for me.

So I am probably %80 through my build and finding some things I would do very different were I to start over again, the biggest being not use MDF while lacking a dust collector. One of my design features/flaws have made it so my tophat and impeller are rigidly fixed to each other and suspended from a steel rack. This has given me a new problem, the weight of the tophat cant be used to seal it to the collection drum. I have thought about some sort of clips that would hold the drum tight to it and suspended off the ground, but I am worried about the weight of a full 55 gallon drum being unsupported. I also have considered some sort of lift, but all my ideas for a lift mechanism are overly complicated. My latest idea is to make some sort of rubber chute that could permanently attach to the tophat and be slid over the drum and clamped tight with a band clamp.

Anyone tried this before or have any better ideas for me?

I got a 6" bellmouth along with other fittings from here:

http://warehousecatalog.rlcraigco.com/viewitems/ductwork-take-off-fittings/spun-bellmouth-take-off

Prices were decent and they were pretty easy to work with. Selection is somewhat limited however and 6" is the smallest bellmouth they list.

Yes this is another of my design dilemmas.  I can either transition it down or extend the laminate/plexi sides further around in a spiral shape. NucWW posted a spiral design with a straightener that I may try.