Vacuum fans?

george tichbourne

george tichbourne

Joined
Apr 19, 1999
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I ran across a number of 110V vacuum motors with fans, high volume but they appear to be sucking the air in over the windings before discharging it.

Best of all they are fairly quiet, not high pitched like the average shop vac motor. I am thinking of using them on equipment to vent the air directly outside of the shop instead of the shop vac I currently use.

Does anyone have any ideas on how to filter the large volume of air before it enters the motor?

The units are about 6" diameter and about 12" long with a 3" diameter intake.
 
This is how I have mine setup. I have a 24" x 24" window fan with a furnace filter in the front of the fan and a 12" X 12" dust collecting plastic funnel with a 6" outlet in the back connected to the vacuum unit. I just bungee cored it to the fan.:D
 
You may be able to use an old kirby vaccuum cleaner. I only suggest this because the brand new ones cost an arm and a leg. You could get new windings/brushes fitted quite cheap though id imagine. The motors are cooled via a separate fan behind powder coated steel which draws air in through a separate port. I know the newer ones pull about 650cfm but unsure on the older ones. As you might be able to tell, I used to sell them. :p
 
IG has a good idea. One improvement would be to move the filter a little farther out from the fan blade to get faster airflow...
I built one that uses a big squirrel-cage blower in a 24" square box with an electrostatic furnace filter. This keeps the little stuff out of the air.
 
Got a chance to take one of the units apart today.

It is a vacuum cleaner type unit in a solid cast aluminium housing and the air indeed does go over the windings like most vacuum cleaners. It might be a better idea for me to look for a shop vac filter that will fit the large opening and mount it, filter downwards, in the top of a garbage can lid in order to use the garbage can as a catcher for the dust.

While I was playing with it I noticed that the discharge is very powerful and it would make a great shop cleaning blower. Just blow out the dust instead of sweeping it up, like a leaf blower.
 
it is amazing how much sucking power a "24" x 24" window fan" can ceate. i had one in my apartment where i had it agenst the window and taped allaround to keep air from leaking back in. when you turned it on you could feal air coming out of the light switch cover and plug socket. it also would slam the bathroom door it the window was open. i think that is a good way to vent a shop and be not to loud.
 
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