Shop Exaust Fan

[Mopar_Mudder]

I want to put in a 32" or so barn type fan with shutters to **** out any dust and fumes plus the heat in the summer. Question is what are people doing to insulate these in the winter when the heat is on. Plus I still want to be able to use it in the winter. My only thought is I would have to build an insulted door over the inside of it. But that would be a pain to open when it is way up high in the peak.

 

[dmcintosh]

I have asmilar set up, though I’ve not yet completed the winterization. My current thought is to build a box out of rigid forms that I can cover it with. My fan it not up very high, so it’s nit too hard to access it. What if you mounted the box on a hinge and rigged up a string/pulls system to open it? Like this https://www.google.com/search?clien...i30j0i8i30.CbBanpUaTFU=#imgrc=I7dOQGEq5yXq-M:

 

[Stuart in MN]

You can get exhaust fans with insulated and power actuated shutters. They will cost more, of course. You probably will need to go to a commercial HVAC company to buy one.

Don't forget that if you have an exhaust fan you also need an air intake - ideally it would be an intake louver that's interlocked with the exhaust fan but an open door will work as well.

 

[930dreamer]

I use the high up window in my shop and place a box fan in front of it. This location had a sky light panel on it so I cut out a piece and installed a cheap window. Problem is in the Summer the wind is from the South, yep the window is on the South end. It really draws air in though.

 

[Pontiac787]

If you hinged the insulating door at the top you could raise and lower it with a pulley and rope.

 

[brownbagg]

just insulate the shutters on the outside, glue some foam on the outside

 

[LS6 Tommy]

You won't lose any noticeable heat through the standard barometric shutter that comes on attic exhaust fans.

Tommy

 

[Mopar_Mudder]

You won't lose any noticeable heat through the standard barometric shutter that comes on attic exhaust fans.

Tommy

You have a thin piece of metal with lots of seams and no weather stripping, it is -20 outside, you are going to loose a ton of heat.

 

[soj]

As suggested a top hinge with cord and pulleys to open & close. Mine is 36", steel housing covered with 3/4" foam board. Wooden frame door covered with same. One cord to a pulley above, pull open and wrap around a cleat. The other cord to a pulley on the wall under the fan, pull it tight to close. The door has self stick weather stripping to seal.

Also, I highly recommend mounting the fan to blow in instead of exhaust. Mine is an exhaust fan, first mounted that way. I could never feel any air movement that way. After the first summer I removed it, turned it around and remounted the shutters on the outside. Now, if I leave the door angled down it deflects the air flow toward the floor where I can feel it. No dust created in the shop goes through the fan, but out the doors. For rattle can painting I have only one door open about half way. I stay inside, out of the overspray by using a turntable. All the overspray goes out the door, not through the fan, as it would an exhaust fan. YMMV.

First pic is fan mounted as exhaust.
jp

 

[BruceMc]

You have a thin piece of metal with lots of seams and no weather stripping, it is -20 outside, you are going to loose a ton of heat.

/\ This

I've been thinking about this, and the biggest problem is the "chimney effect". It's really hard to effectively seal an opening near the ceiling, and still keep it a functional on-demand opening. One idea is to duct the exhaust down on the outside, which should keep the warm air from simply rising and drawing in cold replacement air behind it. A fan should have no issue pushing the exhaust air down and then out, and as a bonus the duct opening wouldn't require a ladder to reach it.

 

[n20junkie]

We build an insulated box around them here. Make the box the size of a common HVAC 3/4 thick filter so it will slode in during the summer to keep bugs out and keep dust and paint off of the exterior.

Come winter, we have a piece of 3/4 plywood with insulation glued onto it that slided in place of the filter to seal off the draft and add a small layer of insulation.

I have also seen hinged door that are insulated on the box frame that can be swung closed easily.

 

[6768rogues]

I made a hinged door for the inside of mine so I can close it. Sometimes I need it in the winter, so I wanted something that would be easy to open and close.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

You have a thin piece of metal with lots of seams and no weather stripping, it is -20 outside, you are going to loose a ton of heat.

We live on Earth around here. It doesn't get that cold. Seriously, In over 35 years of working in the HVAC industry, I have never seen a single insulated barometric damper.


Tommy

 

[Stuart in MN]

We live on Earth around here. It doesn't get that cold. Seriously, In over 35 years of working in the HVAC industry, I have never seen a single insulated barometric damper.


Tommy

I see them all the time on the construction projects I'm involved with, but then again I'm in Minnesota where it does get that cold.

 

[Buckgnarly]

My solution....

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=393495

 

[rattle_snake]

Blocking the intake vent(s) will limit what goes out the exhaust fan up high. I don't bother to do anything with mine, shutter work well enough.
Heat transfer through large but not so well insulated garage door is more than small exhaust fan, in my situation (hot desert)

 

[Bretny]

Put a big piece of foam on a hinge with a pully to pull/tie it up.
You could even make it fit in the fan housing. Give the fan a quick bump to seat it down.

 

[DynoDave]

As suggested a top hinge with cord and pulleys to open & close. Mine is 36", steel housing covered with 3/4" foam board. Wooden frame door covered with same. One cord to a pulley above, pull open and wrap around a cleat. The other cord to a pulley on the wall under the fan, pull it tight to close. The door has self stick weather stripping to seal.

I planned on a box like this to close off my permanently mounted window air conditioner during the colder months.

 

[jonshonda]

We live on Earth around here. It doesn't get that cold. Seriously, In over 35 years of working in the HVAC industry, I have never seen a single insulated barometric damper.


Tommy

I see them all the time on the construction projects I'm involved with, but then again I'm in Minnesota where it does get that cold.

Interesting what lack of experience in cold climates does to a man. I am sure LS6 Tommy is very good at what he does in his area, but might get a rude awakening when calculating HVAC up nort ehh!

But to his defense, OP has not yet taken the time to grace us with his location, so we are pretty much shooting in the dark.

 

[forAK]

I bought this fan https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000IJV7Y6/?tag=atomicindus08-20 and built a 2x4 frame around it on the inside of the shop. Then I built a drop door 2x4 frame and inset a piece of blue foam and then filled the rest of the cavity with spray foam. The spray sticks the blue foam to the 2x4 frame real well and keeps it tight. The door is affixed to the box with spring loaded hinges so it keeps a tight seal against the box. I also put in a rubber gasket around the lip to help. I just prop it up when I run it and drop it when I don't need it. It'll clear out my 40x40 of smoke in about 10 minutes, or keep it smoke free as I'm working. The top of the box is at 10' off of the ground.