1/4 cup dust in 4 years. Extract outside to save space?

[pike]

My very occasional woodworking shed has an FM300BC HVLP extractor in it with the big filter cartridge and bag. I use it for P/T, TS, BS etc. Shop vac for powertools. In about 4 years it's got not quarter of a cup in it. Can I just rely on the my cyclone/barrel setup getting most of the dust and exhaust the fan out the wall? I don't mind about it getting cold, it's a draughty shed. It might be an issue if the extractor is a lot noisier though that way.

In this situation would you:

a. Accept that you're losing quite a big space in a small shed but keep the extractor filter and bag?

b. Hook up a pipe from the fan to the outside (back corner of garden) and gain the space?

Cheers!

 

[sunnybob]

Compromise. Run the pipe through the wall and have the filter outside in a little shed too protect it from the weather.
Very important if the dust will be blowing across your back door or windows.

 

[pike]

Thanks, I've read around a bit and seen some doing that. It's a good idea. I'll have another look at my options but the shed is in a corner with another tool shed and decking near by so I might not be able to fit that in. If I did just vent it out, it would be to an unseen back corner of a garden which is near other bottom corners of neighbours gardens and isn't ever walked past.

 

[Rorschach]

Not feasible for me in my current workshop but my future plans are to extract to inside in the winter to keep the heat in and as soon as it's warm enough I will extract to outside as you get better airflow and no filters to clean. I produce super fine dust in my work and the cyclone collects more than 99% of it.

 

[pike]

I guess that's a vote for just venting to the outside in my situation then, given I'm pretty sure I don't care about the temp. It's already freezing in there. I'm used to it.

 

[minilathe22]

I guess you could cut the bag much shorter, the one that hardly fills up, and maybe put the cyclone underneath where the bag is meant to be? Would that free up your space better?

 

[pike]

Yeah that's one way to save space. Given how little dust I get though I think I'll try just venting out and see how that goes.