I am struggling to solve the dust problem in my basement workshop. Currently it does not have any ventilation, although I have dust collector it does not eliminate dust fully. I am thinking about installing some sort of ceiling mounted exhaust fan to suck the dust from the workshop outside. Is it a good idea? What type of exhaust fan can be used for workshop? I don't think bathroom type exhaust fan is suitable for workshop.
Sasha -
An inexpensive trick I've seen mentioned is to mount a square furnace filter to an inexpensive box fan. If you use an allergy style filter it should get the stuff the DC is missing. Use a wooden frame, or hell, duct tape.... Blow it out every once in a while or replace it...
Of course if you're dealing with fumes from solvents or finishes, it won't do that, but it will get the smaller particulates. And for under $50, prolly, you can't beat the price.
Hope this helps!
John Moorhead
I've used exhaust fans and had some ideas of venting my basement when I had one. I would suggest looking around for a sealed, non sparking motor to begin with, and think about air intake somewhere else to assure the air clears. The obvious choice is out a window opening and I would use a side exhaust instead of overhead. The problem with overhead exhaust fans in painting, and fine dust, is that the fan sucks everything under the fan first. Any decrease in suction, or shutting off the fan allows the crap in the air to fall on your project. You might try a large vacuum bag arrangement, and put it on wheels, to move next to your project.
I have a 3 ' attic window fan mounted on the inside of the sash frame, justopen the window and turn on the fan voila no dust . One added mention, put your dust collector close by and the fine dust goes out the window also.
Well I am in the process of putting in a cheap bathroom fan for the workshop. I have a DC with 1 micron bags and an air cleaner. I just want to establish an air freshness gradient to help get out the smells. And if something is being finished, more smells I will hang some plastic and the area can be a low pressure area for the night sucking in ambient house air. It will make up for it somewhere.
John
You will be greatly dissapointed. Those things are meant to pull farts out of very small spaces, and they don't do a very good of that. You will not be able to tell when it is on or off, except for the noise.
My personal favorite is a blower out of a furnace. I have a 12 inch heating duct hooked to the outlet, and the other end of the duct ends in a piece of plywood that fits in a double hung window, when I raise it.
I can position the fan near the dust, or smell, and it nicely grabs it all, and sends it on it's way.
-- Jim in NC
Look up OSHA standards for air turnover times for airborne dust control. Unless you have a very small shop, 650 cfm is no where near enough.
-- Jim in NC
You didn't say anything about filtering. Just trying to blow or suck the dust out is not always the best answer. A filtering system is designed to filter your air. Always blowing your air outside means that it has to be replaced from somewhere. This may be okay in the summertime, but in the winter it could mean blowing a lot of your warm house air outside. In my garage which is not heated this would not be a problem but i would hate to think what it would do to my light bill if I just exhausted the air continuously out of my basement. I think a recirculating filter system would be a better (econimical) answer for indoors. It would no doubt cost more initially but the end saving on the electric bill could be significant. Ken
There are a number of considerations involved.
First, an exhaust fan is not a replacement for dust collection. You say that you have a dust collector. Make sure that you use it and that it is set up to gather in as much as possible. Some tools have accessory hoods for use with dust collectors. If so, it is well worth getting them. A bit of ingenuity ( and trial-and-error) may improve their ability.
I have an exhaust fan in my basement shop to help with what the dust collector misses and with any finishing fumes. Even though I use water based finishes, the smell can still permeate the house.
If you use finishes that have flammable solvents, then you should look for exhaust fans that are designed for use in explosive environments.
In any case, look for high volume fans. Don't worry about the noise. Usually fans are rated in both areas. You want a rapid air turnover so high volume is a must.
You must vent it to outside. I put the fan in my shop ceiling and ran metal ducting to a vent in the outside wall. Depending on you situation, routing the duct can be a challenge.
You msut provide a way for replacement air to enter. To get a god air flow, you need more than the normal air leakage in most homes. You can probably get by with opening a window in another part of the basement, but make sure that you do open it and that there is a path for the air to get into you workshop.
What cfm fan did you use, and do you feel it is adequate, or more than adequate? finishing fumes are my concern and I hate them filling up the house at night. Well anytime actually.
John
Hey John,
Doesn't your fine dust collector take any of those fumes out? I was thinking of getting one of them for my basement. I should also be trying to vent outside but if you vent the air outside, where does the make-up air come from? Could drive up the cost of heating this winter. Maybe I should look into one of those air exchangers that attempt to pre-heat the air.
Blair
Well I will open up another window. Older houses have amazing leaks. outlets and wall swithces. Who has a proble when their bathroom or kitchen fan runs??? Stains and polyurinate really smell up the house and it is too cold it the garage in the winter. I was thinking of hanging a peice of plastic to contain the area and have a small bathroom fan evacuate to the outside. This is a 20 dollar borg model, 50 cfm. Llike most cheap bathroom fans.I was thinking it will help a lot. It will exit via a basement window. The iar cleaner does nothing for fumes.
John
Blair wrote:
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.