Is the 90 deg. inlet for convenience, or does it serve a purpose?

[TwoBirds]

Hi All

I'm pretty new to dust collection so I've been reading all the "Tips" I can find and one that keeps coming up is to stay away from 90 degree elbows as they create friction and turbulence.

So, is the 90 degree inlet elbow serving a purpose, or is it just the easiest way to rig the inlet and get the airflow pointing the right direction?  would a 45 deg elbow work just as well if it were mounted at a 45 deg angle so the direction of the airstream was the same? or even a straight inlet mounted on the side instead of the top?

Sorry if this has been asked before, I did search but couldn't find anything.

2b

[alan m]

im not sure would you gain anything by using a 45 degree fitting. the dust still has to change direction 90 degrees. might be a small help but not a lot.

moving to a side inlet or top hat would really help

[TwoBirds]

thanks alan

I think I'll try the side inlet, as an added bonus it'll fit better in the space I'm using.

2b