Drops, Pipe & Fittings

Vacuum Drops & Fittings:
Eurovac drops have either single or double inlets. The inlets for the Eurovac I, 5HP and 10HP systems usually have a microswitch which turns on the vacuum system when the inlet flapper valve is opened. Eurovac III and larger systems are usually continuous run systems, because frequent starting and stopping of the larger motors uses a lot of extra electricity – and it is very hard on the electronic components. Drops can either be hanging (2" vacuum hose attached to the pipe overhead) or wall or pillar mounted (2" pipe running down the wall of the bay). The hanging drops are usually hung 6-1/2 ft off the ground (low enough that the shortest person can reach them and high enough so that people don’t bump into them). Each drop includes a hose hanger and tool hanger. 10, 15, 20, and 30 ft articulated arms with single and double inlets are available. Articulated arms are particularly useful when sanding, grinding, and cutting is done below a moveable crane.

Compressed Air
To make the system user friendly, it is important to have air available at the vacuum inlets so it is easy for the technicians to plug in their vacuum hose and air hose at the same place as outlined in the Air Line section. For new shops with hanging drops, it is important that the compressed air lines run parallel to the vacuum lines as opposed to along the wall. By having compressed air lines at the drops, hose reels are usually unnecessary.

Vacuum Pipe
We use 14- and 16-gauge graduated thin-walled tubing and long radius bends. The fittings have expanded ends that fit over the end of the pipe ... held in place by heat-shrink tape. Metal pipe is preferred because static electricity which can cause static shock does not build up in metal pipe versus PVC pipe, which has shorter radius bends requiring a larger pump to offset the resulting static pressure losses.

The pipe is graduated from 2" at the end of the runs to 3" at the pump on Eurovac I and II systems, and to 6" at the pump on most Eurovac III systems and up to 8" at the pump on the largest systems. As the piping gets closer to the pump, larger diameter pipe is required to accommodate the CFM from the “feeder” branches. In general, 2" pipe will accommodate two technicians sanding, and 3" pipe will accommodate five technicians sanding and will maintain the required airspeed to move the dust through the pipe.