Improvement to wet/dry vac muffler

[dougmac]

I've had one of these on my Emerson made Craftsman for quite a while now and it does make a noticable (2 db) difference. What I don't like about it is that the air output is converted into this even more powerfull stream of air. With the muffler pointed down, it blows everything that you are trying to vacuum !! Pointed up works ok most of the time ... exceptions:
In the basement it can blow settled dust & dirt out of the floor joists & ducts above and in upstairs rooms it tends to blast the mini-blinds and other things.

Solution: add an old sock (no holes) with a hose clamp to the outlet and point it down ... 100% improvement !! Got this idea from a guy on the Wood Magazine message board. This was real easy to do in the field, but this feature could also be easily added to the production piece for very little cost. Something made of black or orange cloth with the Rigid logo on it would look much better than the old white sock I used !!

Doug

[ 01-13-2003, 10:04 AM: Message edited by: dougmac ]

[UO_Woody]

HAHA...Doug, thats cool.
After lunch I'm headed to the shop to try it.
Though I cut all my old socks up for rags, I'll sacrafice the worst pair of got and give it shot.
Your right about the "jet stream" propelled from the muffler. The way I have it positioned I never have to clean out from behind the band saw. Down side is that it blows it under the joint planer.

[ 01-14-2003, 05:29 AM: Message edited by: UO_Woody ]

[KellyC]

Wow, great fix for a known problem...mine has the force of ten coming out of the table saw dust collector. I can't wait to try this tonite...THANKS!

[Shane]

Hey folks, I just want to caution you on the sock idea, because I read in the product FAQ section about the W/D vac's that one should NOT put a nylon stocking over the filter to increase filtration. The RIDGID folks said it would damage the motor. That leads me to wonder if a sock on the muffler might restrict the flow enough to cause motor damage as well. What about using some poly tubing or something similar, (I know that most home centers stock various types and diameters of flexible hose and tubing) to direct the stream of exaust to some location that will not stir up dust in your shop, such as a window?

[tsbrewers]

well they have a lifetime warranty. If it were properly designed in the first place we wouldn't have to resort to this.

Brew

[UO_Woody]

I just want to add, I run a Genie brand paper filter bag OVER my filter in all 3 of my Ridgid W/D Vacs for faster, easier cleaning. I have not noticed any problems with the Vacs in the 7 months I have been doing so. No loss of vacuum presure, no noticable rpm rise due to air flow restrictions, etc. I do clean them at regular intervals to keep them working in A1 shape. And that's because it's so easy to clean the filters.

After 12 cleanings, I remove the paper filter and examine the finned filter and blow it out with 90 psi air line. It does trap some finer dust that makes it through the Genie paper bag filter.

On a side note, the air streem circulates air in the shop, good in the hot humid air we have this time of year. Good in the winter to help circulate the heat from the non vented garage type propane heater I use in the winter and colder months.

Ya just gotta do what works and keep up maintanence.