Has anyone ever used an electronic air filter to filter the air in their shop? I have an Emerson Electric Electronic Air Cleaner that was given to me a few years ago. I was thinking of using it in conjunction with a squirrel cage out of an old air handler to make a shop air cleaner. Any thoughts?
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"Any thoughts?" Well, depending on efficient your at-the-source dust collection is........... I'd be concerned it wouldn't have enough capacity. Can you provide a model number??
Forestgirl,
Forgive me if it seems like I'm hijacking this thread, but I recently read an article in WOOD AND WOOD PRODUCTS--a trade magazine--that cites a Tulane University study that concluded that breathing wood dust "posed NO adverse effects to respiratory functions" as long as appropriate measures were taken.
Now, what are those "appropriate measures?" I think it would be dust masks, ANY sort of dust collection, and a fresh air source.
I think lonetexan--and others--would be fine without an elaborate system.
Here's a little more info on the study.
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Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest.~ Denis Diderot
dgreen,
I hate - I really hate - to be cynical about this study. But when I read these words at the bottom of the page...
"The study was funded by the Intra-industry Wood Dust Coordinating Committee that represents 16 wood products associations."
Well, I'll have to confess that my cynicism took over from there.
Are they kidding? I wonder if a line can be drawn between this study and the ones (funded by tobacco companies) that found that tobacco had no adverse effect on lung function and did not cause cancer.
Oh. Sorry. That's just me being cynical again...
ZoltonIf you see a possum running around in here, kill it. It's not a pet. - Jackie Moon
I had the same cynical thoughts. Much like the drug studies funded by big pharma...
................................................
Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest.~ Denis Diderot
All together now, can we say “Tobacco Institute”
hi don,
a study sponsored by the wood products industry? one hopes it is not a case of the fox guarding the henhouse.
however, i've often wondered about this issue. i have three friends, all of whom, i've known for at least 25 years, each is a cabinetmaker and none wears dust protection. they all seem fine. i,myself, tend to wear dust protection about 75% of any given work day. i work as a woodshop teacher in high school, a very dusty job...
eef
Give 'em another 15 years or so, see if their O2 bottle shows up.
Nothing to say that respiratory problems are inevitable. But I won't take the chance. I breathed so much 2nd-hand smoke and awful smog in my childhood (up to age 18), the deck's already stacked against me.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
"breathing wood dust "posed NO adverse effects to respiratory functions" as long as appropriate measures were taken." Perhaps they consider a lung transplant an "appropriate measure"???
If you have completely effective dust collection (somewhat of a challenge) and a fresh air source, then you wouldn't be actually breathing the dust. If I take the blue quote above as literal, then they are saying that you can breath dust with no concern about losing respiratory function.
I would love to have a link to the study so's I can read it. I learned decades ago that whenever the media boils down a study and spews forth a summary or conclusion, it's best to go to the source before adopting the statement as a true representation of the original study.
If you can get me to that article somehow, I'd appreciate it! In the meantime, I have no doubt whatsoever that breathing sawdust isn't good for you, and the smaller the particles and the greater the cumulative exposure, the more risk.
I agree that one doesn't necessarily need a super-sophisticated system. Collecting at the source is important, but some of us can't afford high-horsepower cyclone systems in our shops, along with all the ducting and gates and such. If there's dust escaping the source tool and circulating in our breathing space, it's time to consider what kind of dust mask or respirator to add to the system.
Discipline is essential. Always turning on the dust collector, wearing the mask, etc., even if it's only a few cuts. I'm as guilty as the next gal of not following my own guidelines, it's part of being human I guess.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
http://www.iswonline.com/ArticleLanding/tabid/67/Default.aspx?tid=1&contentid=18341&issueid=678Near the end of this story is a heading "After the Tulane Study--What Next?" That is the crux of my initial post. To dismiss it as biased--as some posters have alluded to--is to also dismiss Tulane University as well as those who have reviewed and published it as having merit.
forestgirl-------
It is an Emerson Electric model 20C22M-40000. I think that it is almost an antique, I can't find the model or cross reference. Best I can tell, Emerson now manufactures as White-Rodgers. 20x24 filtering area. I wasn't looking to get too elaborate, just have the filter and the fan and the stuff to make the box up...getting close to becoming a cheap, cheap, cheap ole bird.
As far as the dust not being an issue based on the article someone found, for me I can't hack the dust as it makes me hack! I can definitely tell now that I am getting older! HA, not that I'm that old but I don't really want to take an oxygen bottle with me every place I go because of the adverse affects of wood dust.
I'm not sure why you'd need to add the electronic gizmo to your set-up. The squirrel-cage blower is the most expensive component to a shop-made air scrubber. You need some plywood, a pre-filter (furnace filter), a bag filter and a diffuser of some sort, and you're good to go.
Click here for a written description of one build. Unfortunately, he didn't include any pics. :-(forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
I have an electronic air filter on the house furnace, a Honeywell. With out a pre-filter to get all the big stuff first it was overwhelmed in a very short time so I added another filter in front. They're great at getting the sub micron bits like pollen and the wood dust that go the deepest into your lungs.
I always thought they would be great on a cartridge filtered cyclone enclosure as a final stage before the exhaust re-enters the room. In your case you will need to have filters before or after the blower, ahead of your Emerson to trap the dust you can see, and the electronic should get the stuff you can't.
A cautionary note; electrostatic discharge is a common occurrence with these filters which means they spark and will cause a safety issue with high concentrations of particles in the air and when volatile chemicals are used in the shop.
that was one of the issues I thought about...but if you are using a good source collector, would the dust/spark issue really be a concern? I am thinking of switching to mostly water based products as my shop is in the basement so the fumes should not be a big issue.
Have you every seen a whole shop air filtration system employ a electronic filter?
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DustyMc<!----><!---->
No, I haven't ever seen a shop air cleaner with an electronic air filter. However, is that because of the cost or the danger of explosion from wood dust? If this was the case, then wouldn't the static electricity created by using a shop vac on dust cause an explosion? Or, the static created by a dust collection system?
My problem with electronic air cleaners is OZONE !! Why would you want to breathe in free radicals? Ozone is an oxidizer! A family friend has Ozone generators all over his house and swears they are helping him, even though the whole family has constant headaches. No thanks!
Google- Electronic air cleaner ozone
You will change you mind about using one.
Work Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!
Bruce S.
Edited 3/18/2009 9:13 am ET by BruceS
Please forgive me for responding too late, maybe you can consider a car air purifier, I have an Olansi car air purifier in my car.
Here's my air filter.
When it gets dirty I just take it outside and blow it clean with compressed air,
preferably on a windy day
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