Can someone recommend inwall fan for sucking dust out of garage

[Craig D Peltier]

Im looking to buy a cheap in wall fan to suck dust out of garage with a damper on it that closes when its off. I plan on cutting a hole in the wall of garage and installing one.
I have the jet air filtration in there but I need more than that. Plus my furnance is in garage and it sees alot of dust which means my house does too.

Can someone send me a link or name and where to find one?

THANKS

[Ray Newman]

My answer is another question: is moving saw/sanding dust and possible fumes through a “cheap” fan motor a satisfactory solution to your situation? That is, will it prematurely shorten the motors life or cause a fire?

I have seen exhaust fans with louvers/dampener that automatically open when turn on, but I would expect that such things are pricey.

How 'bout kitchen/bathroom/attic exhaust fan? Then again, are they are designed to move dust? You might need to figure out how big the garage is and how many cubic feet per minute the fan will move. Might even need to put in two? Or, a large box fan? I once had a box fan with a furnace air filter fixed to the intake side to catch sanding dust. Worked after a fashion.

Maybe call the local HVAC installers to for some ideas.

Might be best-better to consider some type of dust collection system to remove the dust at it source, esp. since your furnace is also in the garage/shop.

If I recall correctly, Woodsmith (or ShopNotes??) once ran an article on making a shop air filtration unit -- like your JET -- using a series of furnace air filters and a HVAC squirrel cage blower in a plywood box hung from the shop ceiling. The article claimed that 2 such units work much better than one and it is advisable to install a timer to re-circulate and clean the air after you close up shop done the day.

[Jim Beachler]

I think that having a fan in the wall would not get the dust from the actual source. I would suggest getting a dust collector, remove the bags and pipe it straight outside. Same concept but gets the dust before it gets in the air & your lungs.

[Randy Moore]

IF you put a fan in the garage/shop you will mess up the operation of the furnace/Air conditioning in their seasons. You will SUCK carbon monoxide in to the shop and warm air out of the house in the winter. In the summer you will pull the cool air out of the house. This all goes thru the duct work of the home. Also if you have a gas water heater you will get the carbon monoxide from it too.

[Craig D Peltier]

I think that having a fan in the wall would not get the dust from the actual source. I would suggest getting a dust collector, remove the bags and pipe it straight outside. Same concept but gets the dust before it gets in the air & your lungs. This is for orbital sanding dust , belt sanding , general sanding. Everything else is hooked up to a 3hp DC. In my place I cant just shoot dust outside but maybe build a hut for machine and bags but thats just too much.


IF you put a fan in the garage/shop you will mess up the operation of the furnace/Air conditioning in their seasons. You will SUCK carbon monoxide in to the shop and warm air out of the house in the winter. In the summer you will pull the cool air out of the house. This all goes thru the duct work of the home. Also if you have a gas water heater you will get the carbon monoxide from it too.

My garage isnt cooled or heated by the furnace.Nor do we have air conditioning up here.The fan I want to install would be 100% opposite wall and side of the furnace in a 3 car garage.Im not sure how carbon monoxide would be brought in.Im just trying to ciruclate dust out instead of it just settling when its bad in there. Couple times a week if that.I wear a mask but if face frames on cabinets are being sanded its alot.

[Craig D Peltier]

My answer is another question: is moving saw/sanding dust and possible fumes through a “cheap” fan motor a satisfactory solution to your situation? That is, will it prematurely shorten the motors life or cause a fire?

I have seen exhaust fans with louvers/dampener that automatically open when turn on, but I would expect that such things are pricey.

How 'bout kitchen/bathroom/attic exhaust fan? Then again, are they are designed to move dust? You might need to figure out how big the garage is and how many cubic feet per minute the fan will move. Might even need to put in two? Or, a large box fan? I once had a box fan with a furnace air filter fixed to the intake side to catch sanding dust. Worked after a fashion.

Maybe call the local HVAC installers to for some ideas.

Might be best-better to consider some type of dust collection system to remove the dust at it source, esp. since your furnace is also in the garage/shop.

If I recall correctly, Woodsmith (or ShopNotes??) once ran an article on making a shop air filtration unit -- like your JET -- using a series of furnace air filters and a HVAC squirrel cage blower in a plywood box hung from the shop ceiling. The article claimed that 2 such units work much better than one and it is advisable to install a timer to re-circulate and clean the air after you close up shop done the day.

My cheap $3 filters can get clogged with dust in 2 hours or less when dusty in there. I dont think two would help the clogging issue.
One thing I could make was a pretty big downdraft table but that may not work either due to heights of cabs off of table when sanding.

[Joe Watson]

This is for orbital sanding dust , belt sanding , general sanding. Everything else is hooked up to a 3hp DC. In my place I cant just shoot dust outside but maybe build a hut for machine and bags but thats just too much.Would hooking your sanders up to the DC help ?
I have a G1030Z2 DC with (temporary) 4" PVC piping to a 2" shopvac flex hose rigged to an adapter(s) for my 5" random orbital and 4" belt-sander; sanded pine and some ply-wood for 2-3 hours a few weeks ago with very-very little dust.
Have the 2" flex hanging from the ceiling (rigged to a couple springs) along with a clip and zip-tie to get the sanders power cords out of the way.

[Matt Meiser]

You'll definitely need to provide makeup air for it to be effective. I have a 20" fan in my shop and if I don't open a door or window it struggles to move much air. If the door isn't completely closed it will pull it right open.

I got mine on Ebay for a really good price from a company that was selling a bunch of Grainger fans that had been used for airflow testing. Its about a $350 fan otherwise. I also see used ones on Craigslist from time to time. Grainger has the louvers. The louvers really don't seal that great and the wind can catch them just right and let air in. I have a box built over the fan from 2" of foam insulation and a removable panel that seals it up when not in use.

[Craig D Peltier]

Would hooking your sanders up to the DC help ?
I have a G1030Z2 DC with (temporary) 4" PVC piping to a 2" shopvac flex hose rigged to an adapter(s) for my 5" random orbital and 4" belt-sander; sanded pine and some ply-wood for 2-3 hours a few weeks ago with very-very little dust.
Have the 2" flex hanging from the ceiling (rigged to a couple springs) along with a clip and zip-tie to get the sanders power cords out of the way.

Thanks Joe, maybe go something like that or just get festool sander and vac.

[Thomas Bank]

My garage isnt cooled or heated by the furnace.Nor do we have air conditioning up here.The fan I want to install would be 100% opposite wall and side of the furnace in a 3 car garage.Im not sure how carbon monoxide would be brought in.

Without sufficient makeup air to the fan, the fan will pull air from wherever it can. If the furnace or water heater are in the same space, it will pull air down the chimney and through the furnace/water heater and back into the space. Unless you have a high-efficiency furnace/water heater, the combustion is not sealed and draws its makeup air from the surrounding space. This means that negative pressure will backdraft the exhaust from these items.

Any suitably strong exhaust fan is going to need a suitable supply of air. Basically, you'll have to open a window or door to allow the fan to exhaust enough air to make it worthwhile.

[Randy Moore]

Well, I was an idiot for not explaining my response to you question. However Thomas Bank answered it for me.

[David Prince]

Just get one of these to clean the air you have. Run it when you are sanding.

http://www.amazon.com/708620B-AFS-1000B-Filtration-Electrostatic-Pre-Filter/dp/B00004R9LO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1296446181&sr=1-1

[Thomas Bank]

Well, I was an idiot for not explaining my response to you question.

Not an idiot. I just tend to be verbose with my answers... :)

[Joe Jensen]

An alternative to a fan in the wall sucking dust out would be a fan in the wall pushing air into the shop, and another opening to exhaust. Having said this, start with dust collection at the source, it's much more efficient to catch it there. I've been at this hobby for 30 years. For way too long I used hand held sanders with no dust collection. Basic shop vacs work pretty well with sanders designed for dust collection. I'd start there.

[mreza Salav]

Without sufficient makeup air to the fan, the fan will pull air from wherever it can. If the furnace or water heater are in the same space, it will pull air down the chimney and through the furnace/water heater and back into the space. Unless you have a high-efficiency furnace/water heater, the combustion is not sealed and draws its makeup air from the surrounding space. This means that negative pressure will backdraft the exhaust from these items.

Any suitably strong exhaust fan is going to need a suitable supply of air. Basically, you'll have to open a window or door to allow the fan to exhaust enough air to make it worthwhile.


Yes, what he said. It can be dangerous as it can bring carbon monoxide into the garage and subsequently into the house.
I remember once I was going to change the range hood in our house (electric stove BTW) and had to be careful with the CFM rating of the hood.
Couldn't put a powerful unit because of the same problem (that's against safety code).

For handheld sanders I use my shopvac. For larger machines a good dust collector is needed.

[Brian Frances]

My friend had the same problem as you do and just needed a little negative pressure to pull the fine sawdust out of his basement. He made a frame and installed an attic fan in the a basement window which helped greatly. I am not sure your limitation on the size of the hole you are willing to cut into the side of your wall but I just thought I would share this.

[Matt Meiser]

I looked at attic fans before I found mine. At least one I looked at specifically said it was designed to be operated horizontally. You might check with the manufacturer if you decide to go that route.

[Ed Hazel]

I believe a better solution would be to either make or purchase a downdraft sanding table if you make one you could hook it directly to your dust collector which is what I did, it may not be the best in terms of efficiency energy wise but my home made one really does a great job of not only eliminating sanding dust but as long as it's running it's cleaning the air. I also have a hose hooked to my orbital sander and that is hooked into the dust collector also. After I made the sanding table I have no need for a typical ceiling mount air cleaner.

[Craig D Peltier]

Well after hearing all the sides here. I figured by the time I got a fan, cut a hole, framed it, got help wiring and running wire etc. I would be in it for quite a bit. I solved my problem by ordering a festool dc and sander today. Should cut down the dust a heck of a lot. Im wondering if my Jet Air Filter System would do better with a washable jet filter than just keep buying cheapies. Might need two so one can dry.

Thanks again for the help.

[Larry Frank]

I have a dust collector and air cleaner. However, there are times that I want to pull the air out of the shop especially when finishing. I installed a Broan Through-the-Wall Utility Ventilator, 180 CFM in a basement window.

[Josiah Bartlett]

Grainger has quite a few shutter mount fans that would work great as long as you provide some intake make up air:
http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/DAYTON-Exhaust-Fan-1HLA3?Pid=search