This New Blast Gate Has a Trick Up Its Sleeve | Dust Collection

[@mikeygee2465]

Just watched the entire video. Very informative. I have not seen the Powertec before. The results from the other two were somewhat expected, but I’ve been doing this a few years now so I feel I have a fair amount of experience. I have a thought about the aluminum gates but I need to watch the video again first. EDIT: Ok, my understanding of the aluminum gates is they have an in and out side. The little knob is the clue. The knob is there to hold the plate tight up against the valve. So the knob should be on the in side (furthest away from the DC). The theory being that the suction pulls the plate flat against the valve. I have not tested this but I do remember reading about it and it does make sense. This should give you better results (0 ft/min) when closed.

[@spaceshopwoodworking]

Very interesting. I'll have to give that a try and see if it makes a difference. It definitely didn't seem obvious that there was an in and an out direction but I'll take a closer look.

[@larry527az3]

I know this is an old video, but with the aluminum gates, try putting the gate into the pipe with the lock screw facing away from the vacuum source. When you close the gate then tighten the screw, it will press the knife against the vacuum side helping to seal it better.

[@IceMonkey82]

Another thing worth mentioning about the Powertec gate is that pair of ramps actually creates a bit of a Venturi effect that could suck debris out of the gap in between.

[@seancgalliher7325]

They are made to do that. You open half way, turn on your dust collector, and it will clear whatever has accrued in the gap. The orange powertecs are the way to go. I swapped all mine out and they work great and always close fully

[@Gbfaninnm]

Seems like you are using FPM interchangeably with CFM. Big difference.

[@Devil-Made]

Awesome video. Thank you! I’m putting together my first dust management system using Powertec 2 1/2” fittings. When it came time to get the blast gates I was overwhelmed with all the choices, and Powertec certainly leaves a lot to be desired with their product descriptions. So I did a Google search. Surely I’d find a dozen videos and just as many message boards and forums from people comparing every Powertec blast gate. But nope! I couldn’t find any good resources. Except your video. It kept popping up no matter how I worded my search. But honestly, the title threw me off. I decided to watch thinking I might get some useful supplementary info, but I was very happy when the video started. This is exactly what I was looking for! I’m a bit surprised you don’t have more views, and I think if you changed the video title you might get better results. Just an idea. After all, I had no idea this was a side-by-side comparison of Powertec blast gates until I started watching. I’m sure many other people are in the same position. Thanks again for this useful info. You’ve made my decision so much easier.

[@spaceshopwoodworking]

I appreciate the feedback and glad you found the video helpful! Just out of curiosity, what are some ideas for titles that would have gotten you to click?

[@FirstName-nf4fx]

​@@spaceshopwoodworking"best blastgate design *current year* 8 models tested!

[@mgervais10]

Love the powertec gates. Brought 14 so nice.. 14 may seem like a lot. Very large shop five vacuum systems five rooms. Need to order 10 more gates.

[@chuckjohnson4048]

Excellent review, excellent video. I made a plywood plenum for my very small 10x20 ft shop and DIY'd my own blast gates out of 1/4" plywood and 1/4" acrylic. Arranging my plenum so that the flow of air is from top to bottom and not having a groove to catch dust, each acrylic gate suctions itself closed to the plenum when the vac starts. Seems to wprk fine, no need to clean the gates because there is no groove to clog up.

[@spaceshopwoodworking]

Sounds like a great solution! I've seen quite a few homemade gates that look like they're doing a great job and I may have to try some out. I liked the idea of an affordable set of gates that work well so it's been fun to test these different options.

[@csimet]

Nice comparison. I'd love to see how the new(er) Woodpeckers FullThrottle blast gate do... they have a butterfly valve design.

[@AxGryndr]

Just a thought, including a clear viewable collector pipe, like one from WoodRiver, could help show the viewer how the Powertec is performing while in use.

[@moldings_etc]

One thing to think about. Use the aluminum self cleaning gates on heavy chip producers, like a jointer and planer. Use plastic ones elsewhere for a more airtight fit on less chance of getting clogged areas. That will balance cost and the inevitable pain in the butt of cleaning out an installed blast gate.

[@mikeygee2465]

I haven’t had a chance to watch this yet, but what app and hardware are you using?

[@spaceshopwoodworking]

I bought this anemometer and it uses an app called iAnemometer that it connects to via bluetooth. geni.us/yoJM8

[@mikeygee2465]

@@spaceshopwoodworking Thank you very much!

[@DanielGeorge-c7t]

I suggest performing a toilet paper test around the gate while closed and operating. Sliding blast gates can leak by incomplete internal closure which your test quantifies. The second point of leakage is around the exterior of the gate sucking air in from outside the system. The combined air leakage equals the total efficiency loss. I suggest mounting your monitor between the blast gate and the vacuum to capture all leakage. Toilet paper being very light will move with the slightest air movement therefore identifying areas of air leaking into the system. I used this simple test on my whole system to identify leaks into the system. and found every sliding blast gates leaks into the system. The blast gate design simply is a very inefficient design. A ball valve and butterfly design at least overcome the external leakage into the system, however the butterfly design appears to be more problematic making a tight closure. Does anyone make a commercially available ball valve blast gate?

[@tomcooke9221]

I saw your other video as well... nice work. based on the numbers in that video, your filter needs a cleaning

[@chrisperrywv]

Where can I snag one of those hats nils?

[@spaceshopwoodworking]

Hey Chris, they were way too pricey- something like $35 each from CapBeast. If you actually want one let me know and I’ll look at getting one on order for ya.

[@Projectoftheday]

I like the tests, but think you have a problem in the method you use. The anemometer reduces the pipe size more the your open blast gates. Therefore, you get so very little variation on full opening. If you put the meter in a larger pipe that corresponds to the surface the meter itself takes then I think you will see much greater variation at full opening.

[@Marcus_Caius]

and this is why you should never trust those videos. I never tried any of the black ones because they are too flimsy. I have 6 aluminum ones and replaced them with the orange ones. Best change in my shop in 2023