Dust collection question

[recurvericky]

I have a dust collect unit that I have a question on. It is a unit where the motor and fan sits on top of a 55 gal drum. I will have this unit in my garage and need to limit the dust in my garage. Do the filtation bags catch all of the dust or does alot pass through. If it passes through I thought about using a 5 gal bucket with water as a filter. A line would be connected where the filter bag goes. Then ran to the bucket where a piece of pvc pipe goes through the top of the bucket and below the level of the water. The outlet from the bucket would be above the water line, using the water to filter the fine dust. Let me know what you guys think.

[recurvericky]

My actual shop is in my basement and the dust collection unit will be in my garage.

[BigJim]

There are 5 micron bag filters for most of those dust colectors, but I believe they still let a little threw. I guess I would try it a little and see what it does. Ultimately this will be the true test.
bigjim

[recurvericky]

Thanks Big Jim. I saw a bucket used to filter dust for sanding drywall. The bucket was between the sanding and a shopvac.

[KellyG]

recurvericky,
Look at the rainbow vaccums they have used water for years instead of bag and I have wonder the same myself.
Kelly

[IdahoCurt]

Maybe ad an air filter unit?
Air filters get the dust particles that the dust collector misses.I have a Jet air filter that works great.

[Eric Krewson]

I have a big 2hp Griz dust collector. It may have a 5 micron bag on it but after you run it a while layers of dust build up on the inside of the bag and it traps almost everything. I have virtually no dust transfer outside the collector so adding a bag to your drum will give you an almost dust free environment.

The picture is of the unit running, the bag collapses when it is turned off.

 

The dust you see in the picture on the motor is from me cleaning out the bamboo fibers from the blower suction that occasionally stops up my piping.

They make a 30 micron filter bag but it is pretty pricey.

One other thing, even with the dust collector I have a lot of dust in my shop because the bandsaw and belt sander aren't sealed well enough for the collector system to catch everything. I installed the dust collector in an adjacent room to keep the noise down in my shop, that room is dust free.