Where to position an air cleaner?

[Stanley Powers]

Nice Porsche Derek. What model?

[Alan Lightstone]

Plus, won't a HEPA filter clog very quickly?

I have had one, and now two air cleaners in my shop for 10 years. I monitor their performance with a Dylos particle meter and only take off my respirator when the particle count reduces to baseline. The two now are in pretty good position to promote circular air flow, but even in my last shop (a two-car garage) with the air cleaner mounted pretty centrally in the room, it was very effective, even on the low setting.

So, Derek, I wouldn't worry too much about the placement. It will work well for you. And I totally agree with Jim Becker's approach.

And I agree that the noise from them is pretty annoying. And wearing earphones while using hand tools would annoy me too. You can turn if on, wait until the air is clear, then turn it off. But you would need a particle meter to know when the safe time to turn it off is.

[Daniel O'Neill]

On my shop made air cleaner, on outlet end, I use two return air grills, turned on their side to redirect the air.

I did this as well and it works great for circulating the air in a square shop. At our last place I had put the air cleaner near the heater so I was circulating heat & clean air. Derek I would say that if you want to add a higher quality filter what I've been told/read is that it would need to be thicker to keep as much air flow as possible. Seems thought that the comments have shown that maybe you don't need a HEPA. I think if you put a air direction baffle on the clean side of the filter you could greatly increase the circular motion of the airflow in the shop. Just a thought.

[Jack Frederick]

Thank you, Stanley for getting to the heart of the matter Alan with you instrumentation can you tell how long particles stay airborne before settling out. Occupied and not? I know that each shops footprint in this will differ but have you monitored it at all. I, too, am running my JDS filter box on a timer at days end and run it when the machines are in use. I just picked up one of the little Milwaukee M18 leaf blowers recently and prior to leaving take a stroll around the shop to get the debris up into the air. It is a dandy little machine and does a really good job.

[Alan Lightstone]

I can measure it later today when I’m using the wide belt.

It’s minutes, not hours. And my personal shop rule is that I wear my respirator until the shop air gets to ambient levels.

If I run it continuously without making dust, the particle counts get to clean room levels. Pretty amazing, actually.

[Alan Lightstone]

OK, using the wide belt sander for about 10 minutes. And this is with a 5 HP Oneida cyclone, and 6" ducting.

Particle counts reached 3329/1373. (2.5 micron particles / 0.5 micron particles)

Turned on both Jet air cleaners on high, and 7 minutes later the count was down to 337/101, or cleaner than ambient air here (usually about 500 2.5 micron particles). So the time for two air cleaners is less than 7 minutes, probably more like 5 minutes. When I came back to the shop about an hour later, with them both still running on low, the counts were 14/0, which is ridiculously low.

Basically, it's pretty amazing how fast it cleans the air. A single unit would obviously take longer, but minutes longer, not hours.

[Erich Weidner]

OK, using the wide belt sander for about 10 minutes. And this is with a 5 HP Oneida cyclone, and 6" ducting.

Particle counts reached 3329/1373. (2.5 micron particles / 0.5 micron particles)

Turned on both Jet air cleaners on high, and 7 minutes later the count was down to 337/101, or cleaner than ambient air here (usually about 500 2.5 micron particles). So the time for two air cleaners is less than 7 minutes, probably more like 5 minutes. When I came back to the shop about an hour later, with them both still running on low, the counts were 14/0, which is ridiculously low.

Basically, it's pretty amazing how fast it cleans the air. A single unit would obviously take longer, but minutes longer, not hours.

I hadn't turned my Dylos reader on in a while, but this thread prompted me to pay attention to it these past few days in the shop.

Today I did an hour or two of planing and handsawing. 2.5 particle count never went above 500 (Air cleaner was off). I didn't take notes, but it might not even have passed 400.
Used the tracksaw for a bit and things shot up to 2,000. With the air cleaner running on Low ( it is a Delta 3 speed that looks like every other brand I've seen), within 10 minutes things were down to 900 2.5 particle count.
I forgot to look at the time again, but sometime not probably another 15 min and it was down to 2-300 (2.5 micron).

I only run mine when I'm using loud power tools (basically everything but the lathe), otherwise I like music. If I'm using power tools I have earplugs in anyway, so I'll usually let it run for another 10 min after I finish power tooling. I also let it run 30 min after I'm done for the day (hand tools or otherwise). When I turn on the Dylos the next day 2.5 micron count is usually 200-300. (I"ve seen it in the 170 range as well).

One downside of the air cleaner (aside from being stupid loud) is that it seems to sucks in outside air. (Probably good for air quality, but not so good when I'm in a Texas summer and the garage temp keeps going up).
I'm sure this is the air circulation that it doesn't really do great. Probably if I didn't have the double overhead garage doors (you can see a gap of light all around the gaskets), it wouldn't do this.