Woodstock PORTABLECYCLONE W1823 - Manual (Page 25)

-23-
Model W1823 (Mfg. Since 9/10)
O
PE
R
ATIO
NS
System Grounding
Since plastic hose is abundant, relatively inexpensive,
easily assembled and air tight, it is a very popular
material for conveying dust from woodworking machines
to the dust collector. We recommend using flexible hose
(flex-hose) to connect the woodworking machine to the
dust collector. However, plastic flex-hose and plastic duct
are an insulator, and dust particles moving against the
walls of the plastic duct create a static electrical build
up. This charge will build until it discharges to a ground.
If a grounding medium is not available to prevent static
electrical build up, the electrical charge will arc to the
nearest grounded source. This electrical discharge may
cause an explosion and subsequent fire inside the system.
To protect against static electrical build up inside a non-
conducting duct, a bare copper wire should be placed
inside the duct along its length and grounded to the dust
collector. You must also confirm that the dust collector
is continuously grounded through the electrical circuit to
the electric service panel.
If you connect the dust collector to more than one
machine by way of a non-conducting branching duct
system and blast gates, the system must still be
grounded as mentioned above. We recommend inserting
a continuous bare copper ground wire ( Figure 29) inside
the entire duct system and attaching the wire to each
grounded woodworking machine and dust collector.
Be sure that you extend the bare copper wire down all
branches of the system. Do not forget to connect the
wires to each other with wire nuts when two branches
meet at a “Y” or “T” connection.
Ensure that the entire system is grounded. If using plastic
blast gates to direct air flow, the grounding wire must
be jumped ( Figure 30) around the blast gate without
interruption to the grounding system.
We also recommend wrapping the outside of all plastic
ducts with bare copper wire to ground the outside of the
system against static electrical build up. Wire connections
at Y's and T's should be made with wire nuts.
Attach the bare ground wire to each stationary
woodworking machine and attach the dust collector frame
with a ground screw, as shown in Figure 29. Ensure that
each machine is continuously grounded to the grounding
terminal in your electric service panel.
Always guard against static electrical
build up by grounding all dust
collection lines.
Figure 30. Ground jumper wire when using
plastic blast gates and metal duct.
Plastic
Blast
Gate
Copper
Ground Wire
Metal Duct
Figure 29. Flex-hose grounded to
machine.
Ground Screw
External
Ground Wire
Flex
Hose
Internal
Ground
Wire