HEPA Air Filtration for shop

[Tim Boettcher]

I'm am looking for a true HEPA (sub 1 micron) Air filtration system which would support a 40 x 40 shop @ 6x/hr?
I see lots of options which get the right CFM, but not many with the filtration I'm looking to obtain.

Any suggestions?

Tim

[George Makra]

Tim I used to build and maintain clean rooms.
Your request will never happen in the real world for a wood shop.
Thats like saying you want to be dropped out of a helicopter over a lake and not getting wet at all.
And to put things in perspective pharmaceutical clean rooms target at 5 microns which is very hard to achieve with all the gear and dress.

But if you want to look for yourself look at Flanders they sell UPA and SUPA filters.
https://www.aafintl.com/en/commercial
Be prepared to spend really big money.

[David Buchhauser]

Maybe a high quality air filtration mask will work as well and much cheaper.

[Randy Heinemann]

While HEPA dust collectors, vacs, and cyclones, for collecting at the tool source, are plentiful, I don't believe that any HEPA air cleaners (like those that are generally hung from the ceiling), are readily available. They come standard with 5 micron filters which I believe do filter smaller particles once their filters begin to load with the larger particles. You can buy HEPA filters for them, but they claim to be single use and are over $200.

Powermatic has come out with a cleaner that is HEPA, but I don't believe it would handle 40' X 40' shop. I haven't seen any tests of its effectiveness.

My solution has always been a combination of methods, including a HEPA cyclone for my larger machines, a HEPA vac for smaller power tools like routers, a powered mask (not HEPA) for use most of the time with any tool, and a ceiling hung air cleaner.

I have not tested the air to determine whether there is still dust that gets through and how much, but not that much settles on flat surfaces.

I recently read about a portable air quality monitor for in the $200 - $300 range which may or may not be useful for determining if your dust collection methods are effective. I believe it was in one of the threads here on SMC.

[Dick Strauss]

The Jet AFS-1000B (1044 cfm) models have 5 and 1 micron filters. By the time the 1 micron gets loaded up a bit, you have the ability to trap particles in the 0.5-0.75 micron range or possibly smaller.

[David Kumm]

Non Hepa filters will clean the air to better than what is inside your house. CFM and placement is more important. It is the air that doesn't get to your filters that hurts you. Dave

[Erik Loza]

Not to shill for my own company but if someone REALLY wants clean air, the RL-series duct collectors comply with this super-stringent European "H" rating, which I believe is for highly dangerous airborne particles such as asbestos and that sort of thing. They don't use "HEPA" as a certification in Europe but I'm sure the RL's exceed it. We run several in the Dallas showroom for the various stand-alone machines and you could eat off the floor in there. No dust anywhere. RL's are neither cheap nor small but are quiet and as they say, what's your health worth?

Erik