General advice on S/booth size and placement.

TSK,

I'm in the same situation as you.  I model on the kitchen table and have a spray booth in the basement for painting.

You should avoid connecting your spray booth exhaust to your home ventilation system.  You'll be asking for problems and it can possibly be dangerous.  You should run you exhaust to your window.  I've used exhaust hoses up to 20 feet long with no perceived drop in airflow. 

I don't think the size of your room as anything to do with performance.  The spray booth moves the air around the spray booth only.  I use Paasche's HSSB spray booth and the only time I can smell fumes away from the spray booth is if I'm using lacquers.  I usually let the spray booth run about 15 minutes after I'm done spraying to get any excess fumes outside.

If you don't know how to rig your window to accept the exhaust hose from your spray booth, let me know.  I'll show you a picture of my setup.

Jesse

usmc1371,

Thanks for the reply.I think i will be ok using the airvent in the room wall.I am in the UK and the air vents here go straight through the wall and not linked to anything else.I also think they are the width of the brickwork so span any cavity space.I think there is a fine mesh inside to stop insects.

But saying that i think i will check the details of the airvent will.if i can not find out that it is the width of the wall and sealed from cavity i will have to use window which would be a pain in the winter and wet weather and in the UK that is 11 months of the year!

I guess there is something lost in the translation regarding the "air vent". Is this air vent part of your forced air heating system?

Under no circumstances do you want to tie in any paint booth exhaust system into any part of your dwellings heating/airconditioning systems. The consequences can be lethal!

 

TSK wrote:

i will check the details of the airvent will.if i can not find out that it is the width of the wall and sealed from cavity i will have to use window which would be a pain in the winter and wet weather and in the UK that is 11 months of the year!

I understand about the weather being a concern.  I use a board that fits in the window for my exhaust.  The board has a foam seal around it to keep out the weather.  When I'm not actually airbrushing, I remove the board and close the window.  I know a lot of modelers use this setup.

Jesse

HawkeyeHobbies wrote:

I guess there is something lost in the translation regarding the "air vent". Is this air vent part of your forced air heating system? Under no circumstances do you want to tie in any paint booth exhaust system into any part of your dwellings heating/airconditioning systems. The consequences can be lethal!

Good advice Gerald! If the 'vent' is a supply vent into the room....not too much to worry about (but at least open a window), but if it's a return grille.....it will take fumes and recirculate them. Yes, it would take a marathon AB paint session to make a difference, but rattle cans and other noxious fumes from stuff we use could be a different story!

TSK.....you might review the thread about 'Here's my workspace, show us yours'. I can look it up if you can't find it. Many ideas there.

HTH 

In the UK most houses have a airvent in the wall in each room.This is normally made from plaster/cement.It has slats for air flow.These vents go straight out to the fresh air with a similar plate on the outer wall.I am not sure what forced air system is but not mant homes here have aircon or heating by ducts/vents.we normally have  radiators.

Hi, TSK.

1.  The size of your booth is predicated on the size of the work you are planning to do, not the size of the room you are in.  Generally speaking, your booth should be selected on the largest kit you plan on painting, then add a couple inches on both sides.  The extra inches of clearance help reduce turbulence in the air stream, thereby keeping airflow more laminar.

2.  Exhaust ducting should be run from the booth directly outside.  Rigging your ducting so you exhaust out the window would be your best bet.  Running exhaust ducting into what sounds like the return vent for your HVAC system is a definite no-no.  You would just be recirculating vapors back into your entire house.  I'm not sure there would be enough vapor concentration to worry about over-exposures to all occupants, since the incoming air would be pretty diluted, but I would imagine the odor would be annoying to all concerned.

3.  If you get the proper size fan for the booth you are going to construct, and get the booth set-up correctly, you should be able to spray rattle cans of lacquer without any odors--even in a household environment.  Fans are rated according to the amount of air they move in cubic feet per minute (cfm).  The amount of cfm you'll need is in direct proportion to the size of the booth you plan on building.

I would recommend you do a search on this forum.  Fans and booths have been discussed almost ad nauseum.  Do a little research, then come back with your questions.  We can help you pick the right fans, help with filter set-ups and exhaust duct runs, and help you build a booth that will fit your space, and keep you and yours safe at the same time.

Waiting to hear from you.

Gip