Mold & Sawdust respirator question

[Tom Sweeney]

Cross posted to the Pond.
Hi All, I've done a little research on respirators & my head is swimming with OSHA this NIOSH that & N95 the other thing.
:confused:

Can someone make this easy for me? I own a small bungalow that has been empty for a few years & the drywall is covered with mold. I need to rip all this out & clean it up. :(

I want to get a half face respirator that would be safe for this use but that I could then use in the wood shop. I assume that there are models that you can use different canisters for different uses. I saw the 3M Half Facepiece Respirator 7000 Series on a web site & it looked good for mold but I don't know if it is also good for sawdust.

Anybody have any ideas on this? It also needs to be comfortable & light or I won't wear it while WW'ing. Also what type of stores can I buy this at - I know the Borg carries some respirators, is there anywhere else?

[Mike Brewster]

Tom,

At work,I get mine from Lab Safety and Grainger. My guys use both the MSA Comfo Clasic and the 3M 7000 series. Which one depends on which fits the best. I'm not sure what filter to specify for dust, but Grainger has lots of info in thier catalogue. I bet thier web site does to. Also you could check the MSA and 3M sites.

Many Ponders have recommended the MSA Dust Foe that is available from several woodworking suppliers.

Mike

[Ray Thompson]

Go over to homesteadfinishing.com and ask Jeff Jewitt about his. It is a reasonably priced one with several canisters available. Ray

[Ted Shrader]

Tom -

Most all of the ½ face respirators have replaceble filters. You can pick up the correct filter for the environment you are in at the time. Just pick up the correct ones when you get your mask. I recommend choosing the mask as the main criteria.

I have an Aearo (AOSafety) R5700. Very pleased with it. It is comfortable, easy to adjust, and doesn't leak out the top and fog my glasses.

One suggestion no matter the brand. When not in use keep the mask and filters in a large zip-lock bag so the charcoal in the filters will not become saturated from fumes in the air.

Ted

[Tom Sweeney]

I'll check out the sources you gave me
:)

[Chris Knight]

Tom,
Make sure you get a comfortable one. I have at least five different makes I have tried over the last couple of years and most of them become very uncomfortable after a while - pressing on the bridge of my nose because I do the straps up tightly to ensure a fit.

FWIW the 3M style suits me best.


Chris

[Ruby in NC]

Tom, I have a 3M with replaceable cartridges. Good advice above on making sure it fits. I had to buy 2 before I found the right one for me. LOML now has the other one.

A tip: Get a gallon (or larger) garden sprayer and fill it with a Clorox and water solution. Make it a strong mix so you have a heavy chlorine smell in the solution. Spray the mold and let it dry. That'll help kill the mildew. When you get to the demolition, spray it again, either with another Clorox solution or just plain water to help keep the dust and spores down.

Just be careful to keep the chlorine solution off of any surfaces that you don't want bleached. And, use your filter to keep from breathing the fumes.

Hope this helps and good luck with your project.

Regards,
Ruby

[Ron Jones near Indy]

which one you picked and how you like it. Many of us would be interested.

[John Tarro]

When you are choosing a respirator, it must match the contaminant you are trying to protect from. Molds will be handled by a respirator with a HEPA filter. Do not use any other type of filter. Check with the 3M tech support line at 1-800-243-4630 to get the best answer. If they ask for a callback number, they will call you back quickly. DON'T use the wrong cartridge. . it may be worse than none at all.

"Store the respirator in a sealed container . . very important, especially for those used for filtering chemicals. i.e. carbon active filters."

[John Tarro]

Here goes again:


Be sure you put a pre-filter before the HEPA to keep the larger garbage off the more expensive HEPA unit. The prefilters are cheap to replace compared to replacing HEPAs all the time.

[Ken Garlock]

related items. Give them a look at:

http://www.gemplers.com/

Look under "Safety."