Earlier today, a member noticed a lot of chunks coming out of the planer. We stopped the machine, opened it up and cleaned out any dust in the way. The dedicated trash can was also full, so we removed the chips from that. Next, we removed the hose and checked the suction but it felt low. This was my clue that the big Dust Collector might be full, or the filter might be clogged.
In this case it was both! First, we emptied the dust collector bin. Next we unhooked the filter and to my surprise it was very full; about a full trash can’s worth of dust was packed in the filter.
We shut down the DC for about 10-15 minutes so we could empty out the filter and clean up the mess on the floor.
The dust collector does not take much to clog it. The first clue should be if you notice chips or dust flying back out at you, or off to the side, more than normal. The next should be the red light indicator on the bin. In this case, the red light was not on or blinking, that is another issue, but shows to trust your instinct and check the DC even if the light isn’t on.
When bins are half full, it can cause a 70% reduction in suction to that particular tool. When the dust collector bin is full, or the filter is clogged, the reduction can be cut to nearly 20% or less for all tools.
There is one of me and 400+ members using this space. I could use a hand with some regular checkups on this machine and would gladly show anyone willing to put a dust mask on and empty the filter container on their visits. The more folks we can have pitching in to help keep this filter clean, the longer life it will serve and the more we’ll all be happy with a good sucking dust collector.