Odor reduction unit effectiveness

[Nick Black]

Hello everyone,
This is my first post and I’d like to start off by saying thanks for the wealth of information that you all share here. I’m very new to this having just acquired an M-25. Yesterday I cut a rubber stamp for the first time and odor was worse than I had expected. I have the laser set up in a small heated room in the back of the garage. The blower hose passes through the wall into the garage. From there it goes into the blower and vents out the roof. The shop is always under negative pressure so I don’t smell anything until I raise the lid of the laser. However, outside is a different story. I’m located in a residential area and I try to be a good neighbor. No doubt, my neighbors will evict me if it continues. I searched this forum on odor reduction units but haven’t really found any comments on their actual effectiveness. I know this is an old topic but I tried to do my homework. Do they really help or will the neighbors still object? The odor reduction unit for my laser is around $2K, which I will pay as long as it spares the neighborhood from the odors. Thanks in advance for any input.
Nick

[Joe Pelonio]

At all of the laser showrooms I went to before purchasing mine they had one of those air cleaning units and were operating indoors with no outside vent. There was no smell at all. If you have to do rubber stamps it would be a good investment. Before spending the money I'd ask for a local customer where you could go to see the filter in action though.

[Nick Black]

Based on your experience, it sounds like they do a pretty good job. I'll ask the dealer if they have sold any locally. Thanks for the feedback.

[Dave Jones]

They work very well. But be aware that the filters in them vary greatly in cost from one company to another, and you will have to replace those filters on a regular basis. Filters from one brand might be $150, while for another brand might be $500.

Also be aware that most odor reduction units slow the airflow a fair amount, and either come with their own blower or may need a more powerful blower to draw the air through them.

[Nick Black]

Thanks for the foresight Dave. Tonight I cut acrylic for the first time. Yikes! The cost of an odor reduction system seems more justifiable every time I try a new material. On a bright note, my nephew has a heating and air conditioning business and he’s convinced we can resolve this with a modified consumer type unit as opposed to a specialty unit. I’ll share our results with the group if it turns out to be a good solution. Thanks again.