Diesel Exhaust in your Garage/shop: How do you deal with it?

FatTire · Oct 21, 2015

In the winter we often keep our Kubota in the garage, which is unheated but has some passive solar gain, so it may be cold but not brutally cold. I run some pool hose from the exhaust pipe along the floor and out under the door before cranking. As soon as the engine smooths out nicely I pull the hose and open the door. By this point the exhaust pipe isn't too hot, and doesn't melt the hose/coupling. After only a short warm-up (before operating temp) I gently pull out onto the driveway to finish warming up. That keeps the diesel stink down to tolerable level.

Now with a bigger shop I am not always going to be parked right at a door. I have one piece of equipment with a vertical exhaust stack, I'm trying to think of how to vent that during warm up, maybe out through the top of a side wall. The stack might be 25 feet back from the overhead door. Keeping that machine indoors is going to be great, but not looking forward to stinking up my new shop with diesel fumes.

So what are you guys doing? Do you try to vent to the outside? What do you use as couplers to your pipes/stacks?

FatTire · Oct 21, 2015

Also I should mention, if you have seen a modern, well funded Firehouse, they have some nice commercial systems for routing the exhaust from the trucks, but I think some of those systems cost as much as $4000 to $7000, so that's out of the question.

oldpilgrim · Oct 21, 2015

I open my big door of my 30x40 ft barn, start it, let it warm up for a couple minutes and use it.

If I'm not mistaken, the fumes are heavier than air and it will take a long time to get them high enough to cause any issues in a large building.

Stinking it up with diesel fumes.... Diesel smells like roses to me...the smell of the gods.

I don't think twice about it.

KennyG · Oct 21, 2015

Start it, immediately open the door and let it warm up outside.

FatTire · Oct 21, 2015

Ha ha. I know what you mean, diesel smells like "something is getting done", but working for long periods in it isn't fun and not really that healthy either.

check · Oct 21, 2015

I think I will use a pipe to the exterior, like the auto garages have.

Coyote machine · Oct 21, 2015

Start it, run it outside, leave the doors open long enough for cross flow ventilation to air it out. I park it away from sending exhaust back inside.

You could ask a Volkswagen engineer for some tips on how to hide diesel exhaust!:laughing:

tomd999 · Oct 21, 2015

Hiya,

Get a section of rubber exhaust hose and a garage door flap for it. Stuff it over the pipe, out the flap and start the tractor. The rubber hose is rated for automotive exhaust temps so a tractor warming up will be no issues. (I have run cars on a chassis dyno with the rubber hose with no issues)

If you have 2 tractors running at the same time, they have "Y" connectors to put 2 into one.

http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/att...169928814-garage-exhaust-system-lotus-005.jpg

4570Man · Oct 21, 2015

My shop is heated to 45 degrees. Since my shop is insulated and it doesn't get very cold here this doesn't cost very much. I just start the tractor, and drive it outside.

robstaples · Oct 21, 2015

When I built my shop, I put a 4 inch pvc pipe down near the door , under the floor and up into my "fan" room where I have a 1hp import dust collector fan blowing out the side wall. I collect exhaust gas thru a 4" flex tubing that I slip over the pipe. The velocity is high enough that the are no temp issues. Wireless key bob and switch for control of fan. I use it to exhaust welding fumes as well. This could be temporary hung from ceiling or on floor. Make up air comes in around my roll up door.

Jkott · Oct 22, 2015

I have an uninsulated garage that we heat with a torpedo Kero heater and ceiling propane hog when necessary. But normally I just back the tractor in so the front under hood exhaust is facing out. If the wind is out of the east blowing exhaust back into the garage, I have a gable mount attic fan that I override the thermostat on and force it to run.

If you are messing with passive, flammable hoses, why not just start it and pull it 15 feet forward out of the garage. You aren't going to kill it moving it 15' cold.

Wagtail · Oct 22, 2015

oldpilgrim said:
Stinking it up with diesel fumes.... Diesel smells like roses to me...the smell of the gods.

I don't think twice about it.

<snert> That reminds me of my submarine days (diesel/electric)... we lived with the fumes, surfaced or 'snorting' via the snorkle, to the point where you simply didn't notice them any more.

The exhaust, whilst surfaced & I was up on the fin, always made me crave a BBQ'd steak! :drool:

RobS · Oct 22, 2015

Open doors etc. but I also switched the smoke detector to a heat detector. Saves a lot of false alarms! Same in my basement work shop.

FatTire · Oct 22, 2015

Jkott said:
I have an uninsulated garage that we heat with a torpedo Kero heater and ceiling propane hog when necessary. But normally I just back the tractor in so the front under hood exhaust is facing out. If the wind is out of the east blowing exhaust back into the garage, I have a gable mount attic fan that I override the thermostat on and force it to run.

If you are messing with passive, flammable hoses, why not just start it and pull it 15 feet forward out of the garage. You aren't going to kill it moving it 15' cold.

You're right, it is possible to move the Kubota cold. But we will be running a snowcat (trail groomer) this winter and I've been cautioned not to run it (fully hydrostatic,) until temp gauge moves. That's about 5 to 10 minutes depending on ambient temp. OP manual also says not to run until 50C, which is almost the same point where gauge first registers.

countrybumpkin · Oct 23, 2015

You could build similar system as the high dollar commercial units, you can buy a duct fan for as little or as much as you want to spend. Then get some metal vent pipe for the biggest part of the run, then find some flexible duct to reach the exhaust stack.

FatTire · Oct 23, 2015

countrybumpkin said:
You could build similar system as the high dollar commercial units, you can buy a duct fan for as little or as much as you want to spend. Then get some metal vent pipe for the biggest part of the run, then find some flexible duct to reach the exhaust stack.

This the direction I'm thinking about. Thought maybe someone on here has already done something similar.

jlgurr · Oct 23, 2015

I simply look toward the day I have enclosed storage and actually need to vent the exhaust. Heck, I'd settle with a car port to replace the tarp storage. It is funny though when someone asks if the wind was strong last night. I can say, "Yea, sho was. Blew the barn (tarp) clean off my tractor."

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MF283 · Oct 24, 2015

Open both doors, start it, run a couple minutes then pull it outside, walk back in 10 minutes later & can't smell a thing, cheap to.
Now gas is a different story.

Ronnie