Air Filtration

[Rhythm House Drums]

So I took advantage of woodcrafts sale on the 1000B air filtration. It was advertised as 70 bucks off which made the price 269.99. Not too bad. I went to the store and found out that I still had to pay shipping, which was 19.99, and then tax... *sigh* not as good of a deal, but not too bad, still 50 bucks off normal price. I went ahead and ordered off the website to save me a trip picking it up (if I was going to pay for shipping anyways).

Just opened it up last night and turned it on. Runs very nice, I'm impressed. For my small shop I'll rarely put it on high, the lowest setting seems to move quite a bit of air, and is fairly quiet.

I've got a few questions, my ceiling is a bit low, and this unit is a bit bigger than I was expecting, I could hang it but them I'm looking at 4-5 inches above my head (I'm 6'2)... I guess this would be alright, but I'd rather not have it in the middle of the shop this low. Are there any big drawbacks to putting this closer to a corner. I know it shouldn't be right in a corner.. but I'm thinking about 4-5 feet from the back of the unit to the wall and about 2-3 feet from the side to the wall. This way it wouldn't dwarf my shop so bad. My workable shop is 12x18...

Too bad the remote doesn't work, without it I can't set the timer, which is a really cool feature. I've written Jet to see if I can just get a new remote in hopes that's the problem... We'll see.

 

[manfre]

For longer shops, I read (can't remember where) that the ideal positioning is nearer to one of the long walls. Either in the middle or closer (at least ~5' from short wall) to the air filter intake side to get a good circulation pattern with more of the clean air flowing toward where you will be working most of the time.

My shop is 12x20 and it's going in the middle of the 20' wall with the bottom about 7' up. Is it possible for you to position this above a bandsaw, drill press or some other tool that will make it so you don't need to pass under it.

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[Howard Acheson]

Here are some general rules based on Nagyszalanczy's "Workshop Dust Control" and some of my own experiences and thoughts.

The two most important criteria for an air cleaner are the CFM and the filters. You want a CFM factor that will clean the size of your shop and a filter that removes the particle size that you are concerned about.

To determine the size or required air flow, use this formula: Volume of your shop (Length x width x Height) times Number of air changes per hour (typically 6 - 8) divided by 60. This will give you an answer in Cubic Feet per Minute which is how air cleaners are measured. MOST AIR CLEANER MANUFACTURERS RATE THE CFM OF THE FAN ONLY, but there are losses due to the filters. If you are building your own or if the air cleaner you are purchasing rates only the fan, figure you will lose about 25 - 40% for filtering losses.

As important as the air cleaner size is how and where you mount it. Try to mount at about 8-10 feet above the floor (no lower than 6'or 2/3 of the floor to ceiling distance if less than 8' ceiling). Mount along the longest wall so the intake is approximately 1/3 the distance from the shorter wall. Mount no further than 4-6 inches from the wall.

The exhaust is the largest determiner of the circulation pattern. You are trying to encourage circulation parallel to the floor/ceiling so ceiling mounting is not recommended. Use a smoke stick (or a cigar) to observe and maximize circulation. Use a secondary fan to direct air to the intake if necessary. Also, consider that a standard 24" floor fan moves a lot of air and, in some shops, just positioning it in a doorway with a window or other door open can accomplish as much or more than an air cleaner. It's all in the circulation patterns.

The exhaust is the clean air so that is where you want to position yourself. Do not place the air cleaner over the a dust producer. That will guarantee that the operator will be in direct line between the dust producer and the air cleaner. The operator wants to be in the clean air stream. If the dust has to pass your nose to get to the air cleaner, you get no benefits. If you have an odd shaped shop, two smaller units may be better than one large one.

DO NOT RELY ON A AIR CLEANER TO ACT AS A DUST COLLECTOR. The purpose of and air cleaner is to keep airborne dust in suspension and reduce airborne dust as quickly as possible AFTER THE DUST PRODUCER HAS BEEN TURNED OFF.

Finally, if you are looking for health benefits, you will not find any air cleaner manufacturer that makes health claims because there are few health benefits. CATCHING DUST AT IT'S SOURCE IS THE BEST LONG TERM GOAL. Rick Peters', author of "Controlling Dust in the Workshop", makes the point that spending your money getting the dust at its source is a better investment than trying to capture it after it is already airborne. If the dust is in the air, it's going to be in your nose and lungs too. Robert Witter of Oneida Air Systems has noted that "overhead cleaners can only lower ambient dust levels AFTER THE SOURCE OF EMISSIONS IS SHUT DOWN, and they take several hours to do this. This is why they are not used in industry." The absolute best answer, if health is the primary concern, is to use a NIOSH approved respirator. The dust cleaner will help keep your shop cleaner but have minimal or no health benefits. OSHA takes this position too. They measure the number of particles per a volume and most air cleaners will not satisfy their specs.

 

[Rhythm House Drums]

Lots of good info Howard, Thanks.

I've glanced at that book in woodcraft, but not really looked at it. Maybe I should. I've got a nice DC unit, and I wear good quality face mask when I work, this is mostly to take care of ambient dust, as I want to use this space where I teach my students also (it's too much for the baby and wife to keep doing drum lessons in the house)

About mounting it.. I plan on mounting it to the ceiling, which is a bit low anyhow (a few inches short of 8 feet to meet code for the overall building height) I can hang it without hitting my head on it, but i'd only be a few inches away, and think that sound would get to me right in my ear... that's why I didn't want to mount it in the middle of the shop.

I get what you say about mounting along the longest wall and intake within 1/3rd of short wall, but why no further than 4-6 inches from the long wall? It's pretty heavy so mounting it, blowing some smoke around.. and moving it isn't exactly going to be practical.

Thanks for your advice!