after i moved into my new house i came about a problem,my windows are the type that crank out sideways and it would be hard to make something to vent outside yet leave the window secure and dry,so after some thought and a trip to Lowe’s,here’s what i came up with
i took a 4" elbow and mounted it into the center of a 5 gallon bucket lid,cut 1 1/4 holes (4) around the edges take four respirator cartriges and mount one in each hole(must be airtight)…i put about 2" of kitty litter in the 5 gallon bucket,used some panty hose ,cut off one leg and tie a knot in it,cut off the other and secure it to the bottom of the 4"elbow(so that the air enters the bucket un restricted),stretch the waist part over the bucket top and then snap on the lid…the air will enter the elbow into the bucket,the kitty litter helps trap paint matter(overspray) as well as any “damp” air,the air then is force through the panty hose covered holes which act as a pre filter for the respirator cartridge,then through the cartridge and back into the room as cleaned air,after all we use a respirator to keep the organic compounds (vapors) out of our lungs,so in conclusion,i just ran it backwards and filtered the air BEFORE it gets released back into the room,i sprayed with enamels and laquers all afternoon and noticed NO smell,but i still wouldn’t smoke or have an open flame around the bucket,even though it’s sealed and the air has been filtered to the outside of the bucket,it may contain some residual elements…what’s everyone think? am i onto something here?
The questions that immediately come to mind are: How long do the respirator cartridges last? How do you know when to change them? Is the 5 gallon bucket a gas bomb?
Kitty litter will absorb liquid, but it may not hold it that well, and slow evaporation could both use up the respriator cartridges and pose a respiratory/fire/explosion hazard. It might be better to use something like “oil-dry” (the stuff auto shops use to absorb spilled oil) and charcoal (which will absorb and hold most organics).
Also bear in mind that if there ever is a fire, the plastic bucket will burn rather nastily.
All that being said, it might work, and may be better than nothing.
For the type of windows you have, you could also cut a piece of plywood or similar material to fit where the screen would normally go, and build your vent into that. When you want to paint, pull the screen, insert your vent panel, and turn on the blower. When done, remove the vent panel and replace the screen.
i thought about the explosion hazzard part of it and it seems that with positive airflow there really isn’t much vapor left (leave it on a few minutes after your done) as far as how long the cartriges last…they seemed to last for a long time when i used a face mask type when painting 1:1 cars,you should be able to tell though when they aren’t exhausting air like they should,on the kitty litter front,i just want it to catch and hold particulate matter,not so much the vapor,as the charcoal would,i’m trying to get rid of them ,not store them inside the bucket as i think the charcoal might have a tendency to do,then become more combustible…i’ll keep the testbed going for a while,i’m just curious if it can work for all those who have no way to vent to the outside…i’m by no means an engineer,so if there’s any one of the big brains in here,help me out
i know about the cartridge part,it’s just a much smaller amount than the 2" in the bottom of the bucket…man, i feel so close to something good for us here,but i’m stuck on the science and enginnering part…it’s gotta be possible,practical and affordable
I’m not an expert, but I used the actvated carbon a bunch when I kept fish as a filter medium. In that capacity, the question came up on afew forums about recycling the carbon and it was said that once chemical ar absorbed intot he carbon, you have to heat it to some ridiculously high temperature (at least for non-industrial equipment) before they will be released. From that, I would surmise that once it’sstuck in to the carbon, you should b ok under most circumstances.
since i live in a apartment i want to make a paint booth that dumps the overspray and all the fumes into a tank that when full i can take outside and release the fumes through a filter that way they stay out of my apartment my only problem is how to get the fumes into a tank and if it would work any comments on the idea would be appreciated thank you
that’s the reason for the inverted filter cartriges,there are no fumes,it’s the same as breathing through a respirator only backwards,the cleaned air re enters the room…mine’s working well so far with no noticable fume odor
i’ll bring my digi cam home tomorrow and snap a few,if i knew how to draw on the PC i could easily make a diagram,if your able to do that,follow the directions above as to how i made the vent sys,(obviously i’ll never get a patent,i can’t even draw what it looks like)
Big increase in pressure from your setup is going to require a bigger fan to push the air through your system. Not sure that the kitty litter is really going to help, except provide weight to keep the bucket from tipping over
Respirator cartridges will expire prematurely. If you’re living in South Carolina, humidity in the air will cause your cartridges to fail pretty quickly–especially if the spray booth is running steadily at several hundred cfm. Respirator cartridges are also designed to catch vapors and adsorb them onto the activated charcoal at a fairly fixed flow rate constistent with human inhalation. Your setup, running at considerably more than the rate humans breathe, should be blowing vapors through the cartridges unless you have some way of damping the airflow–which is going to require a bigger fan, etc.
Cost for replacement cartridges is going to become a problem fairly quickly, unless you have a cheap supplier–or you’re independently wealthy!
Pigment filtration always occurs on the suction side of the fan. The idea is to prevent pigment build-up and eventual balance problems with the fan blades…or create a fire hazard in your ducting.
Depending on the size of the bucket and airflow through it, vapor concentrations over time may become a potential hazard…
Sorry this post is late. I haven’t been on this forum in about a month…
OK, I don’t always see the big picture but why not have some flexable dryer hose and just run it out of your window while painting? When done pull it in and close the window? I try to practice the kiss principle. Greg.
i have a vented spray booth that i use all the time,i was trying to see if there was anything that can be done for those who don’t have a window (basement,apartment,closet,etc…),some just have the tiniest spot and not the right layout,so i was trying to see if there was indeed a ventless solution
