Fume extractor

[Glenn Freer]

In approximately 6 weeks we are moving our business from our home where it has been based for the past four years to a retail location. We are negotiating with the landlord and it may end up being closer to October by the time we are moved in. I am having my Speedy 100 delivered in a couple of weeks and will be operating it out of our home until we move to the store. I am concerned about the fumes that will be produced and if the fume extractor we are getting will take care of any nasty fumes that are produced.
The extractor is:
Quatro SPH-426 Fume Extractor 282 CFM

We will be lasering mostly matt board and granite but may be doing other items as well. Should I be worried about doing this in the house?

[walter hofmann]

Hi there
just use this one ebay item3378a8e6a8
they work perfect and with the carbonfilter what last about 1 year is perfect I use them since 2 years
greetings
walt

[Glenn Freer]

Seriously? this is good enough? The unit that Trotec wants to sell me is 2600!!

[Michael Fuller]

What about this one? http://www.amazon.com/Hydropronic-Inline-Carbon-Filter-Control/dp/B002ZJNW3Q/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top Has anyone tried one of these?

[Jiten Patel]

I'm thinking of trying this - ebay item19d16935a2#ht_1338wt_1110

Any ideas if this would do the job? Really want a system to pump inside due to nose and neighbours!

[jordan djeu]

what's the differences between a exhaust blower and fume extractor?

[walter hofmann]

hi there
sure it works and is good enough the most importend data is the airflow and everythings above 500CF is good enough.
ha ha what do you think how trotec makes his money they put a fancy housing on it add some temperatur switch to it
and thats it but sure it costs the extra's this is like with custom orders.
have a nice weekend
walt

[walter hofmann]

hi jit
the filter on this one does not look impressiv and a radial fan is more noicy
greetings
walt

[walter hofmann]

a exaust blower has no filter and a fume extyractor has.
greetings
walt

[Craig Matheny]

Do a search Dan has made a post for one I do not remember how he titled it but the cost is about 200.00 complete

[Rich Wagner]

Hi Walter,

How do you hook up this EBay unit?

My machine has a 6" exhaust flange, do you set up the blower to suck from the machine and blow into the filter, which would be in the opposite direction of how it should be used? (I think the flow of air should be through the outer pre-filter then the inner charcoal).

Thanks.

[Kay Bengtson]

I just made a fume extractor with
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003UL8JMM/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i01
and this
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002JQ14F8/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00

I put the filter inside a plastic full size trash can standing upright and cut a hole in the lid for the flange. I cut another hole in the side of the can for the hose. I had a plastic flange on my original aluminum hose so I used aluminum tape to attach it to the hole and to seal the lid to the filter. I used 1/4" diameter neoprene foam cording to make a seal on the top of the can under the lid. The blower intake sits down inside the filter flange that just sticks out of the can. I tried it yesterday cutting 1/8" lite plywood ( poplar) and birch plywood and balsa. No smoke came out and just barely a hint of an odor with the poplar. Air flow was better than I had before using Harbor Freight ventilator blower venting outdoors so I am pleased. The new setup will allow me to operate in a large industrial shop where I now share space. It is called Shop People in Portland OR. Check out their web site for details. I skipped the HEPA filter as the shop has welding and metal working and wood working equipment belching out stuff all the time. A little bit of particulates from my unit is a drop in the bucket to that.

[Kay Bengtson]

One thing, there was some carbon dust that came out when I first turned it on. It was in the plastic bag too that I removed before installing. Nothing horrible just a bit of an annoyance. If I was to do it over again, I'd turn the blower on outside first to get rid of that initial mess.

Kay

[Bruce Dorworth]

Where is a picture of the finished product? Any idea how long the filter will last?

Bruce

[Kay Bengtson]

Where is a picture of the finished product? Any idea how long the filter will last?

Bruce
Will get a photo as soon as possible. Based on the amount of carbon in the filter and the amount in Dan's DIY version, I expect it to last 6 months to a year. Possibly more for me as I don't cut every day.

Kay

[Kay Bengtson]

Here are a couple of photos of the unit. I am going to Alu. tape the top 2" of the filter casing as I believe some of the carbon has settled.

Kay240080240081

[Mike Null]

Just a word of caution--I am concerned that there is confusion in this thread between blowers to exhaust air and particulates and fume extractors. They are not one and the same and fume extractors, if they are any good, are considerably more complex and expensive devices than blowers.

[Kay Bengtson]

It must be working well because after running it for three hours yesterday, we left the shop and one of the other people there didn't even know we were there. I'm a bit of a perfectionist so my comment about adding tape to the top of the filter is purely from an obsessive mentality. The facts are that compared to the unfiltered system that I had used for two years, this one allows me to do what I need to do inside. Now, in a bedroom, that might not be wise as I am sure some particulates do pass through. Then again adding a hepa Filter to the exhaust wouldn't be that hard. You could attach it to the blower.

Kay

[Kay Bengtson]

Just a word of caution--I am concerned that there is confusion in this thread between blowers to exhaust air and particulates and fume extractors. They are not one and the same and fume extractors, if they are any good, are considerably more complex and expensive devices than blowers.

I assume then that your comments also pertain to Dan Hintz's design of a DIY fume extractor as well?

Kay

[Kasey Maxwell]

would the 6-Inch Hydroponic Carbon Air Filter 470 CFM you got from amazon replace the activated charcoal the Dan used in his trash can filter ?

Thanks

[Kay Bengtson]

would the 6-Inch Hydroponic Carbon Air Filter 470 CFM you got from amazon replace the activated charcoal the Dan used in his trash can filter ?

Thanks

Essentially, that is exactly what I emulated with the filter.

[Kasey Maxwell]

nice, looks cleaner and liter than the activated charcoal :)

[Kay Bengtson]

The filter is just a metal cage with finely ground activated charcoal inside. The fumes enter from the outside and are pulled up through the center and out the blower. It's not perfect as some odor does escape through the ULS laser door or perhaps the charcoal misses some but 90 percent is absorbed. I can cut lite plywood indoors with only a hint of odor and just a bit of something like smoke but more likely it is particulates because it doesn't hang around. It could be water vapor. Nobody in the shop has mentioned anything about it even when they come over for a demo.


Kay

[Kasey Maxwell]

I'm considering buying a 2HP fan and get a trash can like yours and get your type of carbon filter but also add a hepa filter to reduce the fumes, I wonder If I could use both the carbon filter and activated charcoal for double protection :)

[walter hofmann]

Hi Kasey
if you go with a high power fan / blower then you have eventually a problem with thin material that this is sucked away too.
thats happen to me and the reason why I chenged to the 6 inch hydrophonic
greetings
walt

[Jiten Patel]

Does anyone know if these hydroponic fans can deal with particles going through them? We cut lots of fine detail into card-stock, so loads of little bits get sucked through our extractor. Can these fans cope with this?

[Kay Bengtson]

I think adding more activated charcoal around the outside of the hydroponic filter would work to reduce any breakthrough. The charcoal itself does produce some dust so a hepa filter on the exhaust would eliminate that. As for the hydroponic blower, it uses a simple plastic fan and standard 110V motor. I don't think that it would be affected much by particles. The blades may get coated with them after a while but they are easily accessed through the exit hole.

One of the issues that I think may be at work on these filters is that the charcoal packing could be uneven and there might be a gap at the top allowing some breakthrough. Also, I put a bit of plastic sheeting to block the fumes from directly entering the filter at the hose. I wanted the fumes to be forced to circulate around the filter and use more of the charcoal.

Kay