I need to find specific instructions on building a safety ventilation
system for an individual workshop. I have looked all over the
internet. Specifically, how many CFI’s are necessary to vent away
fumes/flux etc from a distance of 14-25" from my soldering station?
I’m planning on building this myself and really need specifics on
hood/fan/ etc. Thanks so much-this is really important to me because
I have contracted bladder cancer and believe it is due to my many
years of exposure to workshop chemicals. thanks, Kathe
Note From Ganoksin Staff:
Looking for a soldering station for your jewelry projects? We recommend:
If you have a window in front of your soldering station, a simple
soulution is to get a window fan. Place a plywood panel below it to
rase the fan unit to the desired height. then add another plywood
panel @ the top of the fan unit to allow attachment of a hood. The
hood can be made from sheet metal, perhaps 18 in across, with 6 in
sides, protruding about 30 in from the window. you can hang the hood
simply, from the upper plywood with hooks. Do your soldering benith
the hood.
The fan would take the fumes confined by the hood and blow them
directly outside. If the fan blew in it would push the fumes into the
work area.
The hood should be about 24 in above the work space, made of sheet
metal for fire resistance. the top of the fan should be a few inches
below the hood to collect the rising fumes. an open window, even in
another room would replenish the air pushed out by the fan and
thereby help the venting work efficiently.
If your window is a double hung type, you will have to assemble the
above every time you work, if by chance it is a casement type window,
you can leave the fan in place and just open the window when needed.
This is my set up and it works just fine. You might want to leave
another window open to allow for make up air.
I use an inexpensive stove hood (the kind you put over your stove in
the kitchen), over my soldering bench exhausted through a short hose
and vent to the outside. Keep it on low all the time and high if you
are making a lot of fumes. Don’t forget to filter your polishing and
grinding areas too. I use an Oneida dust deputy cyclone and it works
great for the grinding area and exhaust my polishing hood to the
outside after filtering to remove the good stuff. This is important.
Rob
When ventilating a soldering station you will need a hood over top
of this area that catches all the noxious fumes.
For every foot around the hood that is open to the surroundings, you
will need 65 cfm.
Therefore a 4’x3’ hood exposed on 2 sides will need 4+3=7’x65 =455cfm.
In order to exhaust this amount of air to the outside an air intake
with the capacity of 455 cfm needs to be installed.
a good distance away from the exhaust outlet. (+/- 10"x8"duct) In
climates where the winter outdoor temp. drops so that the incoming
air is uncomfortable to the occupants the air needs to be tempered by
a special “make up air heater”. These units can be bought with an
automatic louver and thermostatic control that will let the air in
while the exhaust system is in operation.
Many who solder indoors think they can just have a little bathroom
fan without the air intake, but research has shown that these noxious
fumes do a lot of damage to the lungs and this does not show up
until many years later.
Some states have “Workers Safety Standards”. These standards
safeguard the health of workers and protect the health and well being
of those who work with noxious fumes.
On a related topic. I am thinking about purchasing the Quatro
SolderPure fume removal system from Ottofrei for just soldering
fumes. Does anyone have any experience with this unit, or similar
units? I need to vent a soldering station and am thinking this may
be a viable alternative to afull vented hood for soldering. Mostly
smaller stuff, standard fluxes (prips, Batterns type stuff, white
paste flux) no cadmium solders, not high production. Sterling,
Argentium and high-karat gold. Thanks!
There is a book, Ventilation, A Practical Guide for Artists,
Craftspeople and Others in the Arts. By Nancy Clark, M. A., Thomas
Cutter, P. E. and Jean-Ann McGrane, M. S.
It’s kind of an oldie, from 1984.
When I have put in ventilation systems I have either used or
consulted with a good HVAC outfit. They really know how to figure
out how to calculate how much air to move, what you need to do to
move it and how to best replace the air you pulled out. The right
people are worth the money. Bad fumes are bad fumes, I don’t think
it’s necessarily industry specific. You just want bad air moving
away from you and clean air replacing it. There are some very quiet
in-line fans that really move a lot of air, I’ve had good luck with
those.
Sorry to hear about your scary diagnosis Kathe, that stinks, and
glad you’re taking care of yourself.
I am thinking about purchasing the Quatro SolderPure fume removal
system from Ottofrei for just soldering fumes. Does anyone have any
experience with this unit, or similar units?
It is an awesome unit and the people at Otto and terrific to deal
with. good purchase…
Andy “The Tool Guy” Kroungold
Note From Ganoksin Staff:
Looking for a soldering station for your jewelry projects? We recommend: