Fume extractor/ventilator

Hi everyone,

Does anyone use a fume extractor or ventilator while welding? Or is that something that you normally only find in production shops? I'm curious to know if using one (mostly for SMAW/TIG) would be practical or a complete waste of time/money.

In my setup, I normally weld in my garage with the garage door open, and a fan running for fumes. Whenever possible, I take stick projects outside, but it's not always practical to shield the line of sight to the arc, which is why I usually work in the garage. Also, since the bugs have returned in the spring, I've found that they go nuts for the torch light, and at night you can just forget about it. Due to this, I'm probably only going to be able to work with the garage door shut, which is why I'm thinking about ventilation.

I do have a large dust collector that I use for my wood working tools. I've been giving some thought to that, and it seems like it would be a trivial matter to plumb the output into a vent outside, instead of into the dust collector bags. My only concern would be a spark igniting the dust residue in the ducts, but a fine mesh metal screen over the intake would act like a spark arrester, and should solve this issue. Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.

Thanks
Mike

Fume extractors and ventilators are used by shops to cover their butt against employee claims,,,good idea if you have employees that do day in and day out production,,,the average hobby type guy like me,,,leaves the shop or garage door open for a cross breeze to clear the air..It's all a question of how much time you spend exposed to the fumes and of course how much money you have that will determine if you need to get one..

If you have to have one,,might I suggest a stove range hood with variable speed fan on it,,,,cheap has lites and available almost everyplace,,run some dryer flex ducting and you have an extractor /ventilator

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Originally Posted by geezer

If you have to have one,,might I suggest a stove range hood with variable speed fan on it,,,,cheap has lites and available almost everyplace,,run some dryer flex ducting and you have an extractor /ventilator

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I was thinking more along the lines of a small hood that I could mount to a work stand or my table, like this: http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/200...Collector.aspx

Since I already have the collector and the duct work, it makes sense to reuse it if I can. I think if I have the hood high enough above the work (say 3ft), it probably will not draw off the shielding gas.

Thanks
Mike

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Originally Posted by posixPilot

I was thinking more along the lines of a small hood that I could mount to a work stand or my table, like this: http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/200...Collector.aspx

Since I already have the collector and the duct work, it makes sense to reuse it if I can. I think if I have the hood high enough above the work (say 3ft), it probably will not draw off the shielding gas.

Thanks
Mike

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That's why I suggest a variable speed fan on the range hood,,give you the option of setting the draft,,,plus the range hood is bigger than the one you list,,could be custon built to go over a small portable table with wheels,,,and just have it hooked to some flex ducting suspended from the ceiling,,,

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Originally Posted by geezer

That's why I suggest a variable speed fan on the range hood,,give you the option of setting the draft,,,plus the range hood is bigger than the one you list,,could be custon built to go over a small portable table with wheels,,,and just have it hooked to some flex ducting suspended from the ceiling,,,

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Sounds pretty neat... The range hood is about the size of the ones I see in the shops, unless is is some kind of big welding booth. You don't need a lot of air moving. Since a it is hot and generates smoke/fumes they are usually rise so it will take it right out.

tying into you dust collector is not a good idea. a dedicated fume removal system like the range hood suggested by geezer would be a much better idea.

Is the idea to vent it to outside air, maybe through a window? I was thinking you might sacrifice a window in the garage door if no other window was available or close by.

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Originally Posted by posixPilot

I was thinking more along the lines of a small hood that I could mount to a work stand or my table, like this: http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/200...Collector.aspx

Since I already have the collector and the duct work, it makes sense to reuse it if I can. I think if I have the hood high enough above the work (say 3ft), it probably will not draw off the shielding gas.

Thanks
Mike

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sorry, i misread your post. yes, i would use the existing dust collector to pull out fumes. does it have a shaker bag? i thought you wanted to tee into a unit still in use.

frankly, unless you are in a confined space i just don't see the problem as severe enough to warrant a fume collection system. most of the guys i see on here are not doing any serious production welding. even if you're stick welding hot dipped galvanized a fan will generally provide sufficient protection.

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Originally Posted by fdcmiami

sorry, i misread your post. yes, i would use the existing dust collector to pull out fumes. does it have a shaker bag?

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Yeah, the idea would be to disconnect the output from the collector bag and connect it to a duct that leads to an outdoor vent in the eaves of my garage. It's a convenience thing .... My garage doesn't have any windows, and it's not practical to leave the doors open while I'm welding.

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Originally Posted by geezer

That's why I suggest a variable speed fan on the range hood,,give you the option of setting the draft,,,plus the range hood is bigger than the one you list,,

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I think the range hood is probably bigger than I wanted to deal with, but I do agree that I should find something larger than the hood I found. With all of the duct work and wiring in place, the dust collector is going to be way easier and cheaper than starting from scratch. I can just drop the blast gate down a bit to reduce the flow rate if needed, like a draft.

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Originally Posted by DaveO

Is the idea to vent it to outside air, maybe through a window?

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Yeah, I'm going to find a eave vent with a 6" fitting and run some flexible duct down to the collector output.

Cheers
Mike

I've been watching this project from Jody @ Welding Tips & Tricks. I think this would be handy. I got a feeling all that black stuff inside my nose after a day of welding is not good! I am considering building something like this.
http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/...-projects.html

I like that idea for plasma ... kind of like one of those vacuum boxes they make for sanding/routing wood. I'll have to keep that in mind when I figure out what I'm going to do for a welding table. You would need something like a dust collector to move enough air though.

Cheers
Mike

Quote:

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Originally Posted by geezer

If you have to have one,,might I suggest a stove range hood with variable speed fan on it,,,,cheap has lites and available almost everyplace,,run some dryer flex ducting and you have an extractor /ventilator

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Not enough air flow... unless you get one of the really large and expensive ones.

I do glass work, or will again when I get space (small figurines) and these come up regularly in discussion. The fans in them just don't pull enough to vent out the CO, so I'd wonder if they'd vent out the fumes and/or shield gas.

Rather than dealing with your dust extractor going dual duty, the risk of a spark, contamination of the waste, etc. why not pick up one of the small portable dust extractors from HF and duct it direct?

Personally, I have a gable vent rated for 2000sqft attic installed in the wall of my garage opposite two windows. Plenty of air flow with the door shut. If you're in a position to cut a hole in your wall... there's an option.

Agreed, a dust collector isn't really suited to what you're talking about. How 'bout getting a ventilator from Harbor Fright http://www.harborfreight.com/8-inch-...tor-97762.html and fun the fumes outside. This one is good for 1500 cfm which should do fine. With a 20% off coupon, it's about $65.

The downdraft table jody describes would be great, but you'd need a pretty capable blower to make it work.

We used a bathroom fan in the chemical hood at work and it works well. It's vented to the outside using 4" duct I believe.

A metal 55 gallon drum cut lengthways makes a good welding or range hood , 1 drum makes 2 hoods or 1 long one . we have a desert bar out in the desert her in parker az that what the use for the kitchen hoods , they to 1 drum cut down center the welded the 2 half's together . after welded they had some one powder coated in Chevy orange with a black Chevy emblem on it the drum hood looks cool . http://www.thedesertbar.com/

Do fume extractors interfere with the shielding gas in any way? At some point, I'm going to get tired of waiting for good weather and welding outside ....

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Originally Posted by undercut

Do fume extractors interfere with the shielding gas in any way? At some point, I'm going to get tired of waiting for good weather and welding outside ....

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All depends on how rambunctious you get with fans. If you can feel a noticeable breeze where you are welding, you will have problems. As long as you can increase the distance, or lower the speed, you will be fine.

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Originally Posted by undercut

Do fume extractors interfere with the shielding gas in any way? At some point, I'm going to get tired of waiting for good weather and welding outside ....

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I was thinking the same thing... BTW if you want a fan with some strong venting, swipe a blower out of an old furnace. You can get them used for free and they are pretty easy to mount. They also have several speeds.

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Originally Posted by Trip59

Rather than dealing with your dust extractor going dual duty, the risk of a spark, contamination of the waste, etc. why not pick up one of the small portable dust extractors from HF and duct it direct?

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Mostly because I do not need a second dust collector ;) . For the cost of a tee, some blast gates and 6' of duct I think I would have a workable solution. I would be redirecting the output (via a blast gate) before the collector bag, and I think that a spark arrester intake screen would eliminate the risk of a spark. Basically I would just be vacuuming up warm, smoky air.

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Originally Posted by Trip59

If you're in a position to cut a hole in your wall... there's an option.

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Unfortunately, I have brick on my garage, and no windows. I'm going to run a duct up over the header and vent through the eaves.

Cheers
Mike

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Originally Posted by SeanMurphy265

I've been watching this project from Jody @ Welding Tips & Tricks. I think this would be handy. I got a feeling all that black stuff inside my nose after a day of welding is not good! I am considering building something like this.
http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/...-projects.html

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I've been watching that series too--pretty cool. Really wish I could fab like that!

I was looking at a DIY fume extractor. Turns out, when you look at the parts, fume extractors just use a MERV 15 level HEPA filter.

Outside venting is the cheaper route but that means pumping the conditioned air outside and replacing it with the rather sultry air we have here in the south. That causes an unwelcome patina on your machinery.

With only a filter to purchase, a recirculating fume handler seems affordable.