Automate Your Dust Collection with iVac

Video - November 2, 2018

iVac contacted me a few months ago about automating my blast gates and dust collector. I gave it some thought and there were two reasons I jumped in. First, I’m kind of an IOT (Internet of Things) geek. My house has well-automated for security, safety, and convenience. I even have my mom enjoying a wifi-enabled coffee maker! So the idea of bringing some level of automation to my shop was quite appealing. The second reason is one of safety. After running a ducted system in my shop for over 11 years, I know that I don’t always open/close the blast gates optimally. Of course I open the blast gate of any tool I’m using but I rarely run around and close all of the other blast gates in the system. This can decrease the air flow at the current tool and sacrifice collection. A dust collection system that not only turns on and off automatically but also opens and closes my blast gates automatically is pretty much a dream come true.

This video serves as a quick overview of how I installed the iVac system in my shop and is not intended as a replacement for the instructions provided by the company. Below are some links to the products shown in the video.

Mini Review

Plain English Disclosure: iVac provided the materials for the installation and paid for this video feature. They did not pay for my opinion. So if you have a question or concern about the sytsem, please feel free to ask.

This video was filmed over a month ago and I’ve had some additional time to get to know the system in my shop. So far, so good. I’ve had one instance of a blast gate not opening when it was supposed to and it was just a matter of pushing on the movable metal plate to get it working again. Also, my “heads up” in the video about the cords and power requirements still stands. If you cluster your tools like I do, you’ll need to plan for the additional receptacles and cord management. Overall, I’m happy with the system and it’s great not having to hunt around for a remote anymore! The biggest challenge with this system is the price. If you’re looking for basic automation, the simple iVac Automated Vacuum Switch is probably a good bet. But if you’re planning on outfitting a full ducted shop, it’s going to be a sizable investment.

Discussion

John Hoffoss November 2, 2018 8:36 am

Regarding your last comment on cable ties, get a few rolls of this stuff and spread it around your shop. It makes managing cables much easier, faster, and neater. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004AF9II6/

Reply
Jim November 2, 2018 6:44 pm

Have you had any problems with dust building up in the slot of the blast gate and not allowing the gate to totally close? I have this problem with the generic plastic gates and have to dig out the packed in debris. (The self clearing ones do avoid this problem).
Is either the metal or plastic gate compatible with a PVC ducting system? I have a 4 inch PVC system connected to 1.5hp cyclone.
Thank you for the review. Definitely something to seriously consider.
Jim

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo November 3, 2018 8:24 am
  
  Hey Jim. Hasn’t been a problem yet. Also wasn’t a problem with my previous blast gates. I am guessing that both of their gates are compatible with PVC but you’ll want to check with them to be sure.
  
  Reply
Toby Cooper November 3, 2018 2:47 am

One could only dream…

Reply
- Shad Struble November 4, 2018 7:35 pm
  
  Indeed. Outfitting my shop would be a $2000 boondoggle before the additional electrical work required. Truly a solution for those that already have everything they want from an actual tool perspective.
  
  Reply
Doug Ullmer November 4, 2018 11:37 am

It looks like a nuisance to attach a sensor to an individual portable device like a jigsaw or sander. Is there a switch box that will operate the ducted system, similar to the basic box you showed? I suppose a work-around would be to attach the sensor device to a power strip or similar, that you could then use to power a portable device (or perhaps more than one).

Reply
Kyle March 7, 2019 12:34 pm

Mark, I just ordered my blast gates from iVAC. I also have Nordfab QF ducting. What did you do to connect the gates to your piping? Did the standard machine fittings slide over the gates or were did they have to be expanded? I’ve found some contradicting info out there on this.

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo March 9, 2019 2:22 pm
  
  The 4″ machine adapters can apparently be stretched slightly to accommodate the blast gates. iVac provided these for me so I don’t know if this is a regular item or special order or what. But the first ones they sent were the wrong ones and the stretched ones had to be sent afterward.
  
  Reply
  - Kyle March 11, 2019 10:58 am
    
    Thanks Marc. I contacted Nordfab and found out that they offer “expanded machine fittings”. You do have to specify the ID when ordering them and they will expand them to that dimension.
    
    Reply

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