Utility of a clip-on cyclone dust separator

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neb

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#284389 18-Apr-2021 22:25

Part of the massive cleanup at the Casa post-build will be getting rid of thick layer of dust over everything. In order to spare the vacuum, I was thinking of getting a clip-on cyclone separator like this. Problem is there's little information on its utility online compared to the endless howtos and videos of full-size cyclones, which I don't want to have to drag all over the place with me alongside the vacuum cleaner. Does anyone have any experience with these smaller clip-on ones? It's a bagged vacuum so I've got some level of protection there, but I'd prefer to intercept as much of the mass of dust as possible before it gets into the vacuum and clogs the bag.

richms

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#2694611 18-Apr-2021 22:32

I have one, it works fine except the rubber seal is always falling off when opening the clear receptical.

you want to borrow?

Richard rich.ms

neb

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#2694612 18-Apr-2021 22:40

richms:
I have one, it works fine except the rubber seal is always falling off when opening the clear receptical.

you want to borrow?

Yeah, wouldn't mind, thanks! I'm dealing with fine airborne dust and the few videos that show it, e.g. this, all show it used with sawdust and similar, so it'd be good to know if it can trap the very fine dust as well as the larger, heavier stuff. The only place that publishes figures, Makita, claim it captures up to 90% of dust particles, but don't say what makes up the >= 10% that it lets through.

richms

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#2694613 18-Apr-2021 22:43

ok, you probably dont want to wait till curry so I will take it to work tomorrow and message you then

Richard rich.ms

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#2694614 18-Apr-2021 22:55

In general, they are excellent. Almost nothing goes in the bag. Bags last forever. Different manufacturers have slightly different designs. If you're not using a bag now, use one with the clip on to get improved filtering.

neb

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#2694615 18-Apr-2021 22:56

richms:
ok, you probably dont want to wait till curry so I will take it to work tomorrow and message you then

Oh, no hurry, can wait till then since there's still more dust-making to be done and it's not worth doing more than prep work at the moment, it'll just get dusty again.

Scott3

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#2694617 18-Apr-2021 23:32

I have one that looks exactly like that. Haven't been using it lately. Was finding that with the cycle the bad would get clogged with find dust prior to being remotely full and would need to be replaced anyway.

Figured that I might as well not use it, and hence avoid any loss of suction in the device, and the hassle of emptying.

One annoying thing for me was that it had to be removed before getting cobwebs etc from the ceiling as having the device upside down would cause stuff in the cyclone to get tangled in the discharge.

Fairly cheap, so may be worth trying to see if it works for you. And stuff gets clogged really fast dealing with jib / sanding dust, so anything to extend that may be worth the effort.

scuwp

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#2694683 19-Apr-2021 09:07

We just brought an elcheapo vacuum from Godfrey's for this task. Srill going as a garage vacuum.

Lazy is such an ugly word, I prefer to call it selective participation

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1101

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#2694686 19-Apr-2021 09:28

Godfreys sell those cyclone units.

They work really well,
but are an absolute pain as you have to hold on to it as you vac . Unless you find a clever way to attach it to the vac

mclean

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#2694707 19-Apr-2021 10:26

The one sold in NZ by Makita looks almost identical (although you pay 3 times the price to get it in the Makita colour). It works great on the typical crud that kids leave on the floor. But it may not be so good on fine dust - cyclones generally are not.

Bung

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#2694730 19-Apr-2021 10:58

I bought 2 of them in an op shop for $4. 1 sits between the garage 20l sawdust separator and the old vac to collect fine dust. The outlet seems to stay clean so long as you don't let more than about 50mm of dust collect in the bottom.

neb

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#2694809 19-Apr-2021 14:42

mclean:
The one sold in NZ by Makita looks almost identical (although you pay 3 times the price to get it in the Makita colour). It works great on the typical crud that kids leave on the floor. But it may not be so good on fine dust - cyclones generally are not.

They're out of stock here, but really cheap in Australia if you can find someone who'll ship. Problem is they only work with Makita gear, the small and large connectors are reversed compared to standard vacuum hoses.

Yeah, that was my concern, but looks like I can borrow @richms's to see how it does with dust before I get one. If I relied on the bag to catch it I'd be emptying or replacing clogged bags every ten minutes.

geoffwnz

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#2695134 20-Apr-2021 08:34

I've found my Electrolux Mondo has been brilliant for renovation clean up. Has dealt with everything from sawdust to plaster dust as well as the usual household vacuuming, and does the garage floor also (roughish concrete with dirt and stuff off the rally car). I figured I'd keep using it until it stopped then replace. Still going 12 years later.

Change the bags when full, replace the filters every so often. Seems all good.

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