Exhaust fumes in my shop

hello all, please let me know how you are exhausting fumes from your shop…i’d like to build a unit with your help.

My guy just installed a new exhaust. Don’t use the oven vent, they just blow the soot back into the studio. He vented through an existing opening, although he had to pipe it further then ideal.

The vent pipe is long and comes down to just above tripod height on the soldering station.

Deb

I’ve moved my shop several times, had employees and needed ventilation that works. I settled on inline fans, Fantech is a good manufacturer. One fan, sized for the number of stations can do the job. Inline fans can go up above the ceiling, are usually close to the exterior exhaust vent and can have variable speed. In a one person shop you’d usually have a kiln hood, bench fume soldering stations (one or two), and electroplating station. It’s pretty simple but you can hire an HVAC outfit to install it for around $1000, including fan, kiln hood and all the ductwork. I could give more detail you have questions but this may be more than you desire.

Welcome to Orchid. Since you specifically asked about fumes, I wonder if you are removing particulates with a different system?

Mark, it seems like the system you describe is strictly for fumes, because maybe the ductwork for particulates needs to be horizontal or lower?

In a combined ventilation system for fumes and particulates, I’m wondering if it’s for the purpose of metal collection, or if there are other reasons why they would put lapidary on a separate system from metal particulates?

In my situation, the fumes need to be exhausted outside and the particulates need to be collected. So it’s two separate systems. I don’t do lapidary so can’t speak to that.
Anything polishing related I do in one of my closed Clearview hoods made by Quatro. I have a flexshaft next to it and a 2x magnifying disc in the window. Also a standard polishing motor for two hoods. So all polishing dust and related gets sucked into my Velocity dust collector, also made by Quatro. It’s a good system, really reduces the shop dust when compared to open hoods.

thank you so much for your email re my fumes! strictly fumes from soldering. i’m making progress figuring it out and will continue to use advice i’ve received from Ganoksin members. thank you again!

ellen

Some excellent ideas suggested above. Less expensive and first step options are bathroom fans and Range (stove) hood fans vented outside. These work very well just a little less volume.

I put an inline fan over my soldering bench 10 years ago. I recently re-configured the soldering area. I raised the bench to 42" making it mostly a stand up bench, second, I had built a “hood” that sits 12 inches above the bench and against the wall, and is 9 " deep and 48 " wide. It’s nice to see the fumes race to get out and not up past my face. I don’t cough when soldering now.

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thank you SO much for the detailed email…i’m feeling very lucky to have found this website! thanks again for the excellent information.

ellen dimsdale

thank you for the email and for the advice…i’ve gotten excellent guidance and feel so lucky to have found this group. i hope i have a chance to assist in the future!..thank you again

ellen dimsdale

This is my set up for soldering and other noxious processes in my home basement studio. It’s the “Vent-a-Fume” model from a company called Vent-a-Kiln in New York State.

It’s basically a fan/blower and flexible ductwork that exhausts out a window (currently the intake is blocked with some towels when not in use to keep our cold Canadian winter air out of my house!). It was easy to set up and I can move the bit of hose before the fan around as needed whether I’m soldering or mixing investment or using chemicals etc.

I could have probably rigged up something myself but this came all neatly bundled together and I found that easier. They do make big industrial models with all sorts of customizations as well, and I found the owner great to deal with.

This is their website if you want to check them out: https://www.ventafume.com/

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We tried both the bathroom fan and range hood fans. The bathroom fan wasn’t strong enough and the range fan was blowing soot through out the studio. I actually set off the co2 warning when I was sweat soldering a large pendant. It took a couple hours to clear the gas out of the studio.

Most, if not all, range hood fans are designed to vent directly through a vent flue, or if that is not available, recirculate the fumes back into the room through a charcoal filter. This sounds like it might be your problem. The fan itself is not powerful enough to move enough air through a long exhaust pipe to be effective in most installations. In my case I have installed one directly on an outside wall over my soldering bench. It vents directly to the out side through an eight inch port and is covered with a vent cap that incorporates a flapper which prevents air back flowing from the outside. I have used this arrangement for almost eighteen years now with out without any problem.

Thanks Gulliver, you are correct! That is what was happening, we were unable to run the pipe through the rafters. The solder station is on an interior wall so we used an existing vent opening and the exhaust needed to draw about 25 ft.
Deb

I put a plywood holder in the window, braced with the sliding window half. The flexible tube has a fan inside it, and the working area is a stand for a router turned on its side. Works great. ON/OFF switch is the multi outlet’s.

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