To all, I want to put in a exhaust fan. I was going to place it about four feet to center off the floor. I was going to put a filter in front of it so that when I sand I can do it in front of it. Also if I spray paint The exhaust will go outside. Does anyone have any input or ideas i.e. Fan size, brand,installation methods or locations.
Also, in the summer months I can use it to move some air around.
Thanks, Lou
Replies
An ordinary square box fan (one that you can pick up at a home center) will do for sanding dust. Put a good-quality furnace filter in front of it (between you and the fan) to catch the dust. Bear in mind that this will take care of the very fine suspended particles (which is good, since those are the ones that are the worst for your lungs), but there will still be a lot of coarser dust for you to clean up afterwards, unless you use a powered sander with some kind of built-in dust extraction.
Exhausting fumes from spraying finishes is another story. Unless you're spraying waterborne finishes, you need a fan rated for hazardous locations (Class I for most finishing materials, if I remember correctly, but don't quote me on that). Otherwise, you risk a fire and/or explosion. As you might imagine, fans for hazardous locations cost quite a bit more--typically around $1000 new, although you can sometimes find used ones for less.
-Steve
Explosion proof fans are really expensive. At least the ones I have seen at Grainger. I was thinking of making a belt powered fan and having the motor below the fan. While the fan itself is ducted out and up away from the motor. There would be 2 holes for the belt to run through though. For the ammount I would be spraying I would think this is more than adequate for safety.
Just an idea I had as I am going to be making a small paint room. It may be too shade tree for me in reality. But something to consider.
You need a fan rated for hazardous locations, which doesn't necessarily mean explosion-proof. (If a piece of equipment is rated "explosion-proof," that means that if an explosion occurs inside the equipment, as a result of infiltration of explosive vapors, etc., it will be contained and not propagate outside of the equipment. That's a stronger standard than what you need in a spray booth fan.) Fans rated for hazardous locations are still expensive, but not as expensive as explosion-proof fans.
While physically separating the motor from the fan would undoubtedly increase safety, don't kid yourself into thinking that it's the equivalent of a hazardous location fan. After all, if that's all it took to make a fan that could be rated for hazardous locations, that's exactly what the manufacturers would do. You also have to consider the materials that make up the fan blades and housing (steel can spark), etc.
-Steve
I have actually found a fan / motor combination that is rated explosion proof that is about 1/3 more cfm than needed for the size room I was thinking for $659. Grainger was like $1,199. I actually don't like to take chances with things, by the book as someone might say. I have seen several set ups where the motor was several feet from the fan, and the fan was ducted so the motor was not even in the paint room or inline with any of the fumes. Thats what gave me the idea.
Suggest you post this on Breaktime.
Spray can spray paint or a gun sprayer?
John W.
Gun (lacquer)
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