Delta Air Cleaner Review – Model 50-875

Delta 3-Speed Ambient Air Cleaner – Model 50-875

One of the health hazards associated with woodworking is getting fine dust particles trapped in your lungs. Fine dust particles ranging from 1 to 5 microns in size are so small that they are very difficult to see. Primary dust collections systems often times can’t filter particles that small or they simply don’t capture all the particles. To combat this properly designed woodshops should include fine dust particle collectors similar to the Air Cleaners from Delta. In my shop I use Delta’s 3-Speed Ambient Air Cleaner – Model 50-875.

Note: Delta no longer sells the Model 50-875. The model was recently replaced with Model 50-875T2 which is basically the same air cleaner except that the rear filter is slightly different. I’ll mention that later on in the review.

Features and Specifications

• 120 volt
• 3-Speed Fan Settings
• Outer Filter Captures particles that are five microns and larger.
• Secondary Interior Filter Captures 91% of the Dust Particles that are one micron and larger.
• Will filter the air in a room measuring 20’x20’x8′ either 13, 16, or 18 times depending on the fan speed.
• Remote Control available in addition to main control panel for turning the unit on/off, setting fan speed, or setting the timer.

Installation and Ease of Use

The Delta 50-875 Air Cleaner is built specifically to hang from the ceiling in your shop. The user’s manual also mentions setting it on a shelf or bench but the vast majority of installations are likely hanging from the ceiling just like I’ve done in my shop. As you can see above I’ve hung mine from the ceiling in the shop. The unit comes with 4 eye-bolts that screw into the top of the unit. I installed 4 eye-lag screws into the ceiling (with additional blocking on the ceiling to distribute the weight). Then I used miniature clevices  to attach all the eye-bolts. This makes it very easy to take the unit down and work on it if necessary.

When I built the shop I knew I’d be installing an air cleaner so I also installed a dedicated 20 amp outlet above the unit. The unit comes with a fairly long power chord which provides some options on the actual mounting location.

Installation took about 45 minutes from start to finish and the only assembly required was screwing the four eye-bolts into the top of the unit.

Using the unit is very easy as well. You can either control it from the control panel on the unit or you can use the remote control. I like the remote control because it’s easier than reaching up high to turn the unit on and off.

Filter System

The Delta 50-875 Air Cleaner uses two sets of filters to filter dust particles from 1 to 5 microns in size (or larger). This is the only real difference between this model and the newer 50-875T2. The new 50-875T2 uses a pleated filter while the 50-875 uses the an electrostatic filter shown above. The electrostatic filter can be purchased as an accessory for the new 50-875T2 if needed.

I really like the electrostatic filter on my air cleaner. I can quickly take it off the unit and clean it out with my vacuum or compressed air (typically I blow it clean with air in front of my dust collection hoses to collect all the dust. The outer filter captures dust particles 5 microns and larger and I find myself cleaning it often which just shows you how much dust can be kicking around the shop even with a large dust collector running.

The inner filter is a 3 pocket filter that collects dust particles in size from 1 micron up to 5 microns. This particular filter cannot be cleaned and must be replaced when it’s full of dust. This is the filter that provides the vital protection against dust that the naked eye can’t even see.

Performance

Performance is a fairly hard thing to measure on an air cleaner like this unless you work in a really cool science lab! However, what I can do is share my experience with this air cleaner. Prior to installing it I always had fine dust lying all over my benches, my tools, and in my clothes. Now that I’m using the  50-875 in my shop the amount of fine dust is almost negligible and my clothes are not nearly as dusty.

I’ve been using the system for the last 6 months. Just this week I had to clean out the outer filter because the system was air flow indicator (shown at right) indicated that it was time to clean the filters. As you can see the arrow was in the red which meant the air flow was restricted due to the filters being full of dust.

Once I cleaned off the outer filter we were back in business. From what I can see I’ll probably need to replace the inner filter after another 3 to 6 months (I use my shop probably 4 to 6 hours per week).

Video Review

Check out my short video review for an overview of the Delta 50-875 and how I’m using it in my shop.

Final Thoughts

Shop safety is a very important issue to me in my shop and it should be for you as well. Woodworking is such a rewarding hobby and career but it does come with risks. Fine dust can pose serious risks to your health so it’s really important to filter the air in your shop. The Delta 50-875 Air Cleaner works great in my shop helping filter out small dust particles.

The unit is very well built with high quality materials. The only small complaint I have is it’s a bit noisy. Obviously noise is a result of moving so much air so it’s a small price to pay for clean air. If you’re in the market for an air cleaner I highly recommend the Delta 50-875 along with their entire line of dust collection equipment.

Where To Buy

As I said the Delta 50-875 is being phase out. However, there are still units available for sale. You can buy it on Amazon at the following link:

• DELTA 50-875 3-Speed Air Filtration System with Remote
• Delta Power Tools 50-875T2 3 Speed Ambient Air Cleaner The NEW Model