Air filter - RecordPower AC400, initial observations

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Richard_C

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I though I would post this for anyone who may be thinking of buying one or a similar machine. It's not a review, I only installed it a couple of days ago so can't comment on effectiveness or reliability yet.

I am a hobbyist, using half a double garage as a workshop with the other half as useful space or for a car when we have visitors. I have reasonable extraction via cyclone and shop vac for the main tools, bandsaw and lathe, but a fair bit of fine dust settles on shelves etc. so I thought I would try to control it a bit. Happy to wear a mask when I machines are running but not all the time. Hence the AC400.

Buying: lots of places out of stock but buying direct from the Recordpower website was easy. They have an offer on, £160+£13 delivery but even without the offer they are well priced.

Locating: I had planned to hang it from the roof joists at the end of the garage in line with the main machines, but testing it on a pair of saw horses I realised that the control at the outlet end needs line of sight from the remote so couldn't be too close to the end wall unless you have 4ft long treble jointed arms: I put it sideways and slightly offset from centre line in the end. Looks OK and think it will be fine. It only works from the remote, unlike (say) my TV which has buttons as well, so you must have sight of both ends.

Fitting: easy with the supplied chains and hooks - I noticed that Axminster charge extra on their similar machine. Lead to 3 pin plug is 1.7m long so you need to think about extention leads or similar. It doesn't draw much current so not a real poblem. I fitted hooks and let chains dangle and did manage to lift it and hook it on single handed. Bit of a balancing act though, there is a heavy end so extra pair of hands would be good for the 2 minutes you need to hang it. If its going on a shelf, easy 1 person job.

Operation: pretty quiet especially on lower speed, will probably use it on that all the time I am out there and run it higher when I'm doing dusty things. There is a built in timeswitch so I can leave it on for an hour or two at the end of a session. Very little turbulence, bit like a fan heater blast at the outlet end. Filter change/clean will be really easy.

So I'm happy. When the weather is warmer I will open all the doors, put a mask on and clean as much as I can. After that I will be able to judge if it really does help but my initial impression is that the air does feel cleaner when its running.

If we get 6 week of unrelenting hot weather like we did in summer 2018 I might well unhang it from the garage and put it on trestles near the bedroom door - the timer, general quietness and lack of turbulence might be just the thing to get hot stale air moving.
 
I have one of these, had it for years.
A lot of very fine dust will come out of the exhaust, to combat this I use an extra 2 layers of spray booth fine filter media in front of the main filters (I cut it to size and use the little metal filter clips at the top and bottom to hold it) this acts as a very good pre filter which I vacuum off once it gets visibly dirty.
On the exhaust side I put a couple of tack cloths over the exhaust vent to try and get any fine dust. I never run it on anything other than top speed.


Ollie
 
It only works from the remote, unlike (say) my TV which has buttons as well, so you must have sight of both ends.

I have the AC400 in my shop, and it works fine without the remote. The display panel has "On" and "Off" membrane buttons that set the fan speed and turn it off. The timer function must be set with the remote, but turning the fan on and cycling through the fan speeds can be done from the panel.
 
I have the AC400 in my shop, and it works fine without the remote. The display panel has "On" and "Off" membrane buttons that set the fan speed and turn it off. The timer function must be set with the remote, but turning the fan on and cycling through the fan speeds can be done from the panel.
Thanks. I thought it was membrane, I prodded but obviously not diligently enough. New kit, fear of over prodding perhaps.
 
Your experience is pretty much as mine - good machine although the remote aligning isn't brilliant.

As mentioned elsewhere I found the chains a PITA and constructed a "cradle" attached to the joists forming a platform for the box to sit on (and a small space for a couple of tools) The bottom of the cradle just clears my head by about 50mm (need to keep my hair short :))
The white remote on the LH side of the cradle in the pic switches the shop-vac on and off - you can just see that and the cyclone/dust collection box made from OSB on the LH side (the grey shrouds are my push-bikes hanging up!)
DSC01200.JPG
 
I have the AC400 in my shop, and it works fine without the remote. The display panel has "On" and "Off" membrane buttons that set the fan speed and turn it off. The timer function must be set with the remote, but turning the fan on and cycling through the fan speeds can be done from the panel.

I have the AC400 machine too. Annoying that the timer can only be set with the remote.

It's reassuring having it running when generating dust.
 
I have one of these, had it for years.
A lot of very fine dust will come out of the exhaust, to combat this I use an extra 2 layers of spray booth fine filter media in front of the main filters (I cut it to size and use the little metal filter clips at the top and bottom to hold it) this acts as a very good pre filter which I vacuum off once it gets visibly dirty.
On the exhaust side I put a couple of tack cloths over the exhaust vent to try and get any fine dust. I never run it on anything other than top speed.


Ollie
Any link to the spray booth filter please?
Thanks
 
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