If you're familiar with the three vacs I mentioned, only the detachable head that inserts into the Bushkill has a self contained filter. It?s easy to remove for cleaning. Neither the Colorado nor the Owens have self contained filters. Invites motor burnout. (I keep the motors for each of these vacs running all the time during cutouts - to prevent bee escape and bee suffocation. This invites motor burnout also after awhile.)
I am not familiar with the details of each design and I have never done a cut out but I have years, and years, and years of experience with machine design and this is a machine. In a normal shop vac the suction air passes over the armature and stator of the motor to keep the windings cool. If you remove the filters dirt will pass through the motor and destroy the armature as you have found out. What Phil did is a bad idea both for the armature and the possibility of fire from bits of wax, honey and propolise going through the motor and around the arching brushes. A screen is not adequate. I doubt if any of the bee vacs offered today could pass UL. because of this problem.
Also, it?s absolutely necessary to check suction force - reason being obvious - so why do you advise not doing so?
Because the instant you close off the hose you stop air flow in the hose. If you stop air flow even for a few seconds the bees can clump. Now the instant you unblock the hose the mass of bees that clumped will be shot into the container like a ball throwing machine for batting practice. I am trying to get you off the idea of "suction" (pressure) as what you need to control because what you need to control is air flow (velocity). You should look for an air flow indicator mounted on the nozzle end of the hose that will give you a constant indication while you are using it. Then if the bees build up on the screen in your catch box you will see it as a loss of air flow. By using the devise you will determine what values are safe and when you are pushing your luck.
Now for controlling air flow you have two options. One is the traditional way of opening up another hole which let air in there by decreasing the amout of air that is drawn through you vacuum hose.. The second way is to down size the pump or reduce its speed. Actually I should mention a third way which is to increase the dia of the hose.
Because I have no experience I cannot tell you what air velocity would be good. I could advise you what to do if it is too high or too low but I think you can figure that part out yourself with the three options I have suggested.
Suggestions on hoses: The hose should be smooth on the inside so not a pool hose.
It is difficult for me to adequately reply to your post without sounding patronizing because since you have not worked with a bee vac I really don?t know how much you know about them. I?ll give it a try though.
It is a moot point about closing the opening of a hose - and what you describe happening to the bees inside the hose - because it is
never done. There is no reason for it.
Also, in regards to cutouts,
suction and
velocity are essentially the same concept and the terms are interchangeable.
Another point you mention is
air flow and how to control it. (By the way we can also say that this term is interchangeable with the two others above.) The design for air flow control is built into each bee vac. So there is no need to comment further on that. The things I always
constantly check during every cutout and which is
critical is suction at the hose tip. Tapping the tip gently is all you need to do to check for this. You will know immediately how to make adjustments. It?s fast and efficient. You don?t need a meter - and you don?t want one.
The idea of a meter on the hose opening to read flow is interesting but
completely impractical; if you have ever done a cutout you would understand this. There are a thousand things you need to keep track of and a meter is an extra you don?t need because there is a simpler way. (Note: Some have used a router control to adjust the electrical current coming into the unit. It works but that?s the weight of another piece of equipment and more wire that you don?t need climbing up a ladder - or onto a scaffolding.)