High Pressure Blower ???

[chrismxz583]

Last year I purchased this blower from harbor freight and installed a Variable speed planer control on it to regulate the fan speed for my forced draft. My question was if these style blowers would create enough pressuer for the AOF/AUF setups. The cfm's on the high setting are 1575.

http://www.harborfreight.com/8-inch-portable-ventilator-97762.html

[jmayerl]

Nope that's not a high pressure blower. A HP blower is a radial paddle design. It is measured in inches of water rather than cfm.

[maple flats]

That's right, on a high pressure blower the "paddles" throw the air put, the type you have has high CFM but low pressure, because your blower flings the air rather than throw it. Harbor Freight is not likely to have a HP blower. The blower needs to be HP to get the turbulance in the firebox to completely mix the air and gases for much better combustion.

[Bucket Head]

Guys,

I think Harbor Freight does have a small, high pressure blower unit. I thought I saw one there. I believe it was for a sawdust collection unit.

The high pressure blowers have a "fan" in them just like the engine-driven, walk-behind leaf blowers- if you have ever seen one of them close up.

Steve

[chrismxz583]

Thanks for the info.....I was looking around and I do see a couple units at harbor freight in the dust collection section. They have mixed reviews as far as longevity goes. I am assuming I need something along these lines...

8263
http://www.harborfreight.com/13-gallon-industrial-portable-dust-collector-31810.html

[saekeaton64]

Check out bounce house blowers on eBay.
Pretty good prices and will work great for AOF applications.

[chrismxz583]

I was just surfing around ebay in the bounce house blowers and come across this unit that looks to be identical to mine. Now it has me thinking. I might have to build a contraption to measure the water column displacment of the one i have.
8264

[maple flats]

That last Harbor Frt (dust collector) blower looks like the right type. I'd be afraid of the quality and specs. Reading the specs HF gives, they have no performance specs, just sizes so it is hard to say, it might work or it might have too little pressure.
However a high pressure blower is not highly technical, the tolerances don't need to be precision. I guess I'd only have two concerns, what is the inches of water column it generates and how long will it last. The one I have is likely 80 to 100 yrs old, but that should not be a requirement. For it to last until you get a bigger evaporator (or minimum 5-10 yrs) should be a requirement.

[BreezyHill]

The HF dust collectors will work well. I converted one into a air wash for our oats. It has clocked about 500 hours so far in its second life and atleast 2000 as a shavings collector in my dads wood shop. The switch went on it and he thought the motor went. I helped move it and forgot the motor was bad. Wired it in and it ran with the switch by passed. That was last year. I have the 1.5hp model.