Home Made Garage Venting filtration

[DeuceV361]

Hi guys,

I am new to the site and have been reading a lot. I am wondering if anyone has turn an od HVAC blower into a filtration system. I have a blower here, it is a 208/230volt 60hz 2.3amp 1/3hp motor with 3 speeds. I want to set it up in a wodden box filter so I can circulate clean air in the garage. If anyone can help it would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[pseudorealityx]

Sure, why not. Use the largest practical filter size you can find. 1/3 hp means probably as much as ~1000 cfm. How ******** are you trying to be with the filtering? Just general dust or something beyond that? You could do HEPA's, but that would be spendy, and they'd need to be BIG.

 

[Halfdozen]

I used a squirrel cage fan out of an old furnace. I mounted it in the attic between two trusses, and made a 20 x 20 ceiling hatch out of sheet metal, put a furnace filter in it, and a door that latches closed. I paneled in the trusses, and added a bulkhead at the fan outlet, effectively separating the inlet and outlet. The fan is controlled by a wall switch, it draws through the ceiling hatch and exhausts through a louvered vent in the soffit. Hopefully the attached pics make it clearer than my description...

It works really well. It exhausts paint fumes or welding smoke in a couple minutes, pulls a nice breeze in through the screen door and windows. My garage is only 22 x 24 but well insulated and sealed up, so in hot weather I turn the fan on in the evening when it's cool, and the shop stays cool through the following day. I have a window air conditioner that I rarely use.

 

[bullnerd]

Thats pretty slick,nice job.

 

[Journaler]

That is pretty slick. Now I have to find a squirrel, and see if he has a cage fan to sell me.

 

[DeuceV361]

hi guys,
I had an old furnace that I tore up and kept the fan. I figure I can use it instead of throwing it out, so I said let's make a filter. I do a lot of wood finishing and this would be the best fan for filtration. Only one catch, I don't know how to hook it up.

 

[danielzig]

hi guys,
I had an old furnace that I tore up and kept the fan. I figure I can use it instead of throwing it out, so I said let's make a filter. I do a lot of wood finishing and this would be the best fan for filtration. Only one catch, I don't know how to hook it up.

Most likely it has about 4-6 wires coming out of it. One is a neutral wire and the others are various speeds. Low, med-low, med, med-high, high. So you would wire the neutral to neutral on the cord and then pick the wire with the speed you want and wire that to hot on your incoming power line. That's pretty much it. You can get fancy and add a switch or what not if you like as well. Just don't forget to wire nut and tape the speed wires you aren't using.

 

[DeuceV361]

I'll post some pics so you can see what I am dealing with. See I have no wires. Just plug area.

 

[danielzig]

I assume that is a female portion of a connector and that a male portion plugged into that. Is this correct?

 

[Ron Lombardo]

...Gents I think the idea is great ..but keep in mind it would be best if it the exhaust grill was down near the floor to pull the particals down ... and then out. Pulling up to the ceiling keeps them suspended in the air you breathe ... also hot air rises ... so it would be best to pull the dust down and out.

Ron

 

[DeuceV361]

Well I will have to say yes but no, it a hermaphrodite. But ye(s it is a pain in the

 

[danielzig]

Hah, ok. I understand now. So....the wiring in the furnace that the plug connected to is no longer available?

 

[danielzig]

I fully see now. I think. http://www.northamericahvac.com/servlet/the-4641/ICP-Heil-Emerson-K55HXRMD-dsh-5628/Detail

So it looks like they are just spade connections. So you would put female spade connectors on the wire you are attaching to the motor.

 

[DeuceV361]

Yep, now the problem I am having is where do I connect and how? It's a 208/230 volt motor and I don't know how to hook it up.

 

[danielzig]

So then if you have a 230 volt receptacle or whatever you are getting the 230 volts from, you would hook one wire to the speed you want and the other to COM.

 

[DeuceV361]

Libel not to sound stupid, but a230 volt plug is basically a stove receptacle?

 

[danielzig]

Yes. However, I am thinking someone who is more familiar with electricity should help you. We don't want you hurting yourself.

 

[DeuceV361]

I agree I just got a call from a friend who is an electrician telling me to stop bugging people on the net about this.lol my wife was afraid I would send limbs everywhere.

 

[Jeff Ivers]

Here is a link to the one I built this year:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=148025&referrerid=52679

Mostly, I was wanting to get as much grinding dust out of the air as possible when engaged in that activity. Most of the particulate is low to the ground when I am working so this unit pulls air into the front through double filters and then blows clean air out the top. It has trapped a lot of particulate this summer.

 

[pseudorealityx]

...Gents I think the idea is great ..but keep in mind it would be best if it the exhaust grill was down near the floor to pull the particals down ... and then out. Pulling up to the ceiling keeps them suspended in the air you breathe ... also hot air rises ... so it would be best to pull the dust down and out.

Ron

Depends on what you're exhausting. Being that the OP does a lot of wood working, definitely keep the inlet low. I would keep in mind that this will not substitute for a true dust collector system, but it will keep a lot of the lighter stuff out of the air.

Also, do you want to just recirculate air or do you want to exhaust it outside like the other guy posted with the photos?

 

[Blk88GT]

I love the idea of exhausting through the soffit. I may copy your idea

 

[pseudorealityx]

If you do exhaust through the soffit, remember to provide a means of intake air. You don't want to be pulling air from the house. (if attached)

 

[homeowner72]

Also be careful when the garage ceiling is a fire rated ceiling that protects the house. In that case you can not cut a hole in the ceiling. Actually you can, but your insurance in case of a claim won't like it....

 

[DeuceV361]

Thank you every one for all the ideas and help. I plan on setting this up so that I can vent outside in the summer and recirc in the winter, so I don't loose any heat. I was figuring just like a forced air furnace, I would basically have an air return vent at the ground and at the ceiling. In all reality it sounds good on paper, but till I actually get it running that is where the idea stands.
Now I have an electrician buddy coming by to help with the wiring, he did a prelim check of my setup and told me I have to change my breaker box. What a shock!!!! YOu know how it is when you have a good idea, it cost you when you try something new in an old building.

 

[Ron Lombardo]

... duct collection and exhaust system from a auto would be something else .... paint booths are also mostly down draft also.

 

[DeuceV361]

I did knot know that. So in an auto shop they have a fan blow down into the filtration system?

 

[Ron Lombardo]

yes the make up air unit with heat usually is a positive pressure ... a downdraft, side draft and cross draft booth the fan creates a pos. pressure so the air from outside the shop doesn't infiltrate in tot he booth. The air circulates thru filtration so you don't loose heat / energy. Some bring is small % of outside air ... so a 100% exhaust system depending on cfm and size of the space will have an air change every X amount of time ...some times good and sometimes bad. You will exhaust Cooling and Heat.

 

[DeuceV361]

Yah in the summer it doesn't matter if I exhaust outside cause I have no cooling in there, but in the winter I would like to keep the heat in. Something to look into.

 

[Ron Lombardo]

.... with a small amount of round duct work and a manual damper and a filter track you could vent it out side in the summer and in the winter close the damper and leave it open only 10% and recirculate the air thru the filter ?

 

[DeuceV361]

Good idea, I have lots of round duct 6 inch in diameter. Now I just have to draw the setup.

 

[ndoran]

not wanting to pour cold water on anything but the mention of spray booths and dust collection systems raises a key item. Spray booths and dust collection systems are considered hazardous areas requiring explosion proof approvals on all electrical equipment even the telephone. I know it is not your plan to build this type of facility but people often expand of ideas they read. It is one thing installing a fan for ventilation it is another thing installing a fan when the air is expected to have fine wood dust suspended in it. If this is what you have instal an appropriate dust collection system first to keep your garage air clean then add the ventilation. A ventilation system does not replace or substitute for a spray booth or dust collection.

Here is a link for a phone for a hazardous location with flammable gases
http://www.twacomm.com/catalog/model_P4011.htm?sid=E335D79AA6BF7B6B717A2E64240D0B57. The one in my paint facility cost a mere $3,500.

 

[kb2tha]

not wanting to pour cold water on anything but the mention of spray booths and dust collection systems raises a key item. Spray booths and dust collection systems are considered hazardous areas requiring explosion proof approvals on all electrical equipment even the telephone.

Not electrical, but yet tons of dust collectors are sold every day with steel impellers that when coming in contact with a sucked up nail or screw pose the risk of spark and a hazard.

 

[DeuceV361]

not wanting to pour cold water on anything but the mention of spray booths and dust collection systems raises a key item. Spray booths and dust collection systems are considered hazardous areas requiring explosion proof approvals on all electrical equipment even the telephone. I know it is not your plan to build this type of facility but people often expand of ideas they read. It is one thing installing a fan for ventilation it is another thing installing a fan when the air is expected to have fine wood dust suspended in it. If this is what you have instal an appropriate dust collection system first to keep your garage air clean then add the ventilation. A ventilation system does not replace or substitute for a spray booth or dust collection.

Here is a link for a phone for a hazardous location with flammable gases
http://www.twacomm.com/catalog/model_P4011.htm?sid=E335D79AA6BF7B6B717A2E64240D0B57. The one in my paint facility cost a mere $3,500.

Thanks! The more info I get the better my resolve. I only have a car and a half garage with mostly wood working tools, table saw, drill press, thickness plane, routers, blinked, etc. I have been setting up the garage with the little room I have. I am currently working on this and will be finding a way to store the 4x8 sheets of wood out of the way somewhere.