Do you ever wake up in the morning and feel like you haven’t slept a wink? Maybe you’re experiencing intense sinus pressure and your eyes are burning like crazy. It could be a cold or allergies, but it could be the result of something else: dust.
Living and working in spaces with excessive dust wreak havoc on your body and make you feel horrible. Thankfully, a cyclone separator can help you stay healthy and minimize the impact of dust on your health. Read on to learn about this dust collector, how it works, and whether it’s right for you!
The Dirt on Dust
There’s an old adage that dust is mostly made up of dead human skin cells. Most people accept this as a fact, but as it turns out, that’s far from accurate.
The exact makeup of dust depends on the environment in which you find it. Dust that you find in your home differs from dust that you’ll find in a workspace. This means that you may need different methods of handling dust in order to keep both spaces safe and sanitary.
In Homes
Dust at home is pretty straightforward in its composition.
The rumor that dust is mostly dead skin cells isn’t entirely wrong, but the truth is that most skin cells are shed when you bathe. Most of the dust in your home is tracked in from outdoors. This could be dirt on your shoes or pollen and soot that has landed on you when you’re out for your walk or running errands.
That sounds pretty innocuous. In reality, dust is pretty irritating to your sinuses and can make asthma symptoms worse. This is all thanks to dust mites and their droppings.
In Workspaces
Depending on where you work, the dust in your workspace might be similar to the dust that you find at home. People who work in offices, for example, won’t see much difference in dust exposure.
If you work in a different environment, such as a manufacturing plant or anywhere that deals with lumber, then you’re going to have a different type of dust to tackle. Dust and particulates are a natural byproduct of the work you perform. While that work is necessary, it’s also necessary to take steps to eliminate that dust before it can cause harm.
Intro to the Cyclone Separator
The cyclone separator is known by many different names, including dust separator and dust collector. In general, smaller-scale cyclone separators are known as dust extractors, while larger-scale ones are referred to as cyclone separators.
Traditionally, cyclone separators are a tool used to remove dust and particulates from a gas stream. Those gas streams are typically the result of a manufacturing process, and they are also referred to as “flue gases.”
Traditional cyclone separators attach to manufacturing equipment. The dirty gas flows into the inlet of the cyclone separator where the gas is separated from the particulates. The clean gas is then released and the particulates are released for proper disposal.
Cyclone separators are effective for the removal of everything from toxic particles, to metalworking chips, to explosive particulate.
Who Needs a Cyclone Separator?
Any manufacturing plant should have a cyclone separator (or a few) to prevent the release of harmful dust and particles into the air. In large industrial settings, cyclone separators can vary from five feet tall to well over 30 feet tall. The size of the separator depends entirely upon the amount of exhaust that needs filtering.
Small Scale Applications
Cyclone separators are also useful on a smaller scale, too.
For example, if you’re a hobby woodworker, then you probably have a shop set up in your garage or patio. You probably also use something like a shop vac to clean up your workspace when you’re done. Failure to clean these spaces
The problem is, using an ordinary shop vac to rid your workspace of dust and particulates can wreak havoc on it. You might be noticing that your filter is getting clogged or losing suction. Those issues are largely caused by those dust and particulates!
The solution for shop vac owners is to install a dust separator kit to their shop vac. This kit uses cyclone separator technology to remove the dust and particulates from your workspace without harming the shop vac. Not only will this keep your shop vac in good shape, but it’ll help prevent you from tracking that dust into your home after a long day at work.
Alternatives for Your Home
Cyclone separators are perfect for homes that contain workshops because they keep the dust and particulates out of your living space. What do you do if you want to improve the air quality at home, but you don’t think a cyclone separator is necessary? There are some things you can do to improve indoor air quality.
The best thing you can do is to reduce the amount of carpeting in your home. If you have it, vacuum it frequently. It also helps to clean all of your linens on a weekly basis.
While prevention is the best way to stop dust buildup, you can also tackle it with an air purifier equipped with a HEPA filter. Be sure to get a purifier that is rated for the size of the room in which it is placed, and change the filter per the manufacturer’s instructions.
Ditch Dust in Your Home and Workspace!
Dust and particulates in the air might not be visible to the naked eye, but they can have a big impact on your well-being. No matter whether you choose to buy a standalone cyclone separator, or simply add an attachment to your shop vac, you won’t regret taking this proactive step to keep your health in good shape. Before you know it, all those symptoms of dust exposure will be gone for good!
Are you trying to find more great ways to keep your home and workspace safe? You’re not the only one! Check out the rest of our blog for tons of information on that and much, much more!