Home paint spray booth fan alternatives?

I am building one of those poly boothes that poeple have talked about in other threads on this site. It is suggested to use an explosoin proof fan from grainger...I checked it out the cheapest is $1000.00.

Anything else I can use that is safe and cheaper?

Thanks for any input.

 

My brother is a prof. painter. He has painted many, many vehicles using a home build box fan for exhaust. Never any problems or issues.

 

I used a blower out of an old furnace for 4 years, the only problem was the paint would build up on the blades. Once I put a filter in front of the inlet it worked great. Just build a box and run the inlet to the booth...

 

Yep I used the old squirrel cage fan from my old house furnace when I painted mine. I built a box around the back of it and used some pleated furnace filters to filter the air. I also used a regular box fan and the other end of the booth so I had a little more movement of air.

 

Are you sure on the price? I havent lookedin several years but they were $187 then Its a big jump to $1000

 

I'm using a motor from an old gas pump driving an old fan using a pulley and belt.

 

I use a three-speed furnace fan I got at the flea market for $30. I made an inlet duct and use a furnace filter to catch the spray.

 

i've heard horror stories about explosions and assume that that's why folks get antsy about exhaust fans in spray booths. why not use a squirrel cage fan that has a pully instead of the motor using the same shaft as the fan cage? that way you can put the motor out of the path of (potentially) dangerous fumes?

i've never used it yet but latched on to a double squirrel cage fan a few years ago where one shaft goes through two cages and has a pulley on it. the sides of the housings are sealed so that the pulley and motor are totally outside of the air flow. it's made so that a duct attached to both the intake and output sides.

 

Like they said, old furnace blower works good, the other one I've got is one of those big attic fans from a house, about three feet across, belt driven, moves a LOT of air. I hang it outside a shop window which also puts the motor outside out of the fumes. I think these are around $150 at the lumber yard if you can't score a used one. I mount the fan so it blows into the shop through a filter and creates a pressurized paint booth. This helps keep things a lot cleaner because when you're sucking air out of the booth your replacment air coming in will pick up dust. Even if you have a window open with a filter over it for incoming air you'll still be pulling air and dirt through every crack in the building.

 

A swamp cooler on the outlet side works good. If you hook up some water and run the pump, it catchs the overspray in the water and on the pads and doesn't build up on the fan.

 

well that is good idea working about that... well you have try to search in some site that are related in that...





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Furnace Filter

 

I was told that as long as the actual fan does not come in contact with the fumes you should not have a problem. Like it was mentioned earlier, duct your filtered air in from the fan to the booth and you should be OK. Just keep the motored part away and no KABLOOMY!!!

 

There is one thing to think about what fan motor you use. There are "open" and closed style motor . Closed casings motors won't allow paint and solvents to come in contact with the motor brushes. Hence that's where the spark is produced to create the fire works

 

All I know is don't go to big as it will cause more problems than good, pulling in dirt and turbulance...............

 

Regards of the decision on the fan be aware of other ignition sources the fume can migrate to such as water heaters, gas dryers, furnances, stoves/ovens.

If the garage is attached to the house or detached with a covered walkway, the fumes can get into the house and to these other types of ignition sources.

 

I use a regular box fan with no problems. I also think that with today's paints, and HVLP guns, there isn't a whole lot of solvents making their way into the air. Anyone who's ever painted with an older-style siphon feed gun remembers the whole booth/garage being the same color as whatever you painted last. But with modern guns, most of the paint ends up on the car, so an explosion is unlikely. But it never hurts to be careful, but at the same time, be realistic in your choice of heaters and fans.

 

Why not use the fan to blow air into the enclosure. Then the fan motor will be in the clean air stream. It will also keep the Poly sheet expanded out from the paint. You could put filters on the outlet. May have to direct the air stream from the fan to have the least effect on the paint . Also put a filter on the in comming air.
My thoughts.
Mike

 

I made this tube-axial style fan because I couldn't justify spending the big bucks to buy a manufactured one or an expensive explosion proof motor setup. At the same time I plan on using my garage booth set-up two or three times a year so I didn’t want anything too cheap or dangerous. The unit is basically made up of a 55-gallon drum, a industrial air-conditioning fan blade, and a flange and pillow bearing.



I had to cut 5'' of the length of each blade to get them to fit.


The motor is totally sealed from the airstream



It sucks pretty good with a 3HP 1725rpm motor geared to turn as slow as possible using the biggest pulley I could fit on fan shaft and smallest on motor.

 

also not all paint booths are suction, some are pressureized, clean filtered air gets blown into them, the motor never gets into the fumes, you also should not build your booth so you cant open all the doors and windows in your shop when your useing it, just incase the worst does happen you need to be able to vent the explosion.

 

I'll second the vote for a regular box fan. It is better to be safe than sorry, but when safe costs $1Kish and potientially sorry costs $100, I'll take my chances. Besides, no one would really miss me. I put the box fans on the pressure side with furnace filters to keep them out of the path.

 

Look into waterborne paint, it's getting as good as the stuff with VOC's.

Jim

 

With waterborne, arent you still stuck with the VOC's from the clearcoat?

 

As far as I understand it you are. No waterborne clears as of yet in the US.

 

We are already using the Water bourne Clears and the High solids capatable primer at the shop I work at.. just started using the Prodcts about 3 months ago.


its Been a whole New Learning curve..

 

If you search on Google for homemade paint booth you will find some really good ones that are easy and cheap to build . I have seen some really good l will use !

 

squirrel cage works fine, i used one forever, my buddy walked into my homemade booth, which didnt flow at all i dont think and lit up a smoke, i flinched, but theni realized its not quite as flamable as i thought. So take it as you wish.

 

i use a home AC filter in front of a box fan, never an issue, filters are cheap.

 

You be better off to make a dry wall booth.. any type of plastic gives off static.. except for the Plastic Wrap thats used to mask off cars that type of plastic has a wax coating, where you can spray the car and not have to worry about dry paint flake flying around..

a squirrel cage works fine providing your electrical is out side of your spray area.. out side of the building..



theres little warning when a spark takes place..

 

That's a great idea, thanks. a cheap water fall unit , I'm going to go find one and scrap my furnace fan.

 

Chopo mentioned a closed fan. A standard fan that comes on a typical paint booth (where no fumes can get to the fan as you are painting inside the metal box) uses a totally enclosed fan. For painting where you do not have a spray booth you typically want an explosion proof fan as any solvent that comes across electrical will create a problem. For more on paint booth fans here is a helpful guide