Fume Extractors... why so much?

[dragoneggs]

Why do fume extractors cost so much? Are there inexpensive DIY solutions that work?

 

[aarolar]

I had an idea to use a squirrel cage fan from an old HVAC unit I had but I haven't gotten around to it yet.

 

[Oldpath05]

I'm going to give this a try on the next available free time that hopefully will show up soon...>>>> Fume Extraction Fan for Under $2 - YouTube

 

[yomax4]

Not only are they expensive but the OEM filters are almost unaffordable. I know someone who did do the squirrel cage idea. He took a cardboard drum and cut a 3" hole in the top to run a vac hose to the bottom and then filled it 1/2 full of packing peanuts and put insulation in the top half. He took batts and split them so they weren't so thick about 1.5" and loosely laid them over the peanuts in I think 2-3 layers. Then he cut another hole on top I think it was 10" and cut up an expensive furnace filter and duct taped it to the hole. Sounds goofy but it is still working today. I don't know how often he changes the stuff out but this inexpensive option gets him through the winter. Summer he just blows the fan outside. I was looking in the drum one day and it was clear that there was a lot of iron powder on the bottom. Seems like the peanuts alone with the furnace filter on top would work. Not sure.

 

[jack707]

I have to do something also 6010 gives off a cloud of smoke!!!

 

[newbury]

Why do fume extractors cost so much? Are there inexpensive DIY solutions that work?

Probably lawyers and OSHA.

The fume extractors I’ve seen online are pretty expensive and their cfm’s are not all that good for the money. I've been checking Craigslist for one for a while with no luck so I decided to build my own fume extractor today.
I used 3 50cfm bathroom fans for a total of 150cfm. I bought the cheapest ones I could find - $13.97 each at Home Depot. I wired them in series and installed an on/off switch. I made a manifold to vent them all together and used a 4" enlarger/reducer for the exhaust (the fans have 3 inch outlets). I made a bracket to attach the unit to my Stronghand Tools Nomad welding table. I made the bracket removable so I could detach it whenever I want to. The whole project cost me $93 + tax. I did some stick and flux-core welding today for about 2 hrs. and it worked great – better than I had hoped. What a pleasure it is to weld without all that smoke!

FROM Homemade Fume Extractor For About $100 - Miller Welding Discussion Forums

 

[dadster4]

For safety reasons the motor is usually required to be explosion-proof- totally enclosed fan cooled (TEFC) which costs more than your average blower motor. The blower wheel and housing are also epoxy coated or made of a non-metallic material. Static electricity can easily be created within the blower housing as well as the exhaust ducting which can cause ignition of any flammable gases, vapors, or dust particles in the airstream.

 

[dragoneggs]

What about rigging up something using these two HF components? Maybe position the ventilator in the window and block around it and then add some type of non flammable filter screen on the free end of the duct and attach to a portable light stand. This will cost about $150. Where am I going wrong?


8" Portable Ventilator

8" Ventilation Duct

Shop Utilitech 2-Light 5-Watt Halogen Stand Work Light at Lowes.com

 

[dragoneggs]

For safety reasons the motor is usually required to be explosion-proof- totally enclosed fan cooled (TEFC) which costs more than your average blower motor. The blower wheel and housing are also epoxy coated or made of a non-metallic material. Static electricity can easily be created within the blower housing as well as the exhaust ducting which can cause ignition of any flammable gases, vapors, or dust particles in the airstream.

I keep reading about this danger but I see so many people rig up fans to ventilate their shop that are cheap and not explosion proof. But I hear you though! Just wondering for light duty DIY shop type of set up, do you need a $2500 or higher fume extractor?

 

[aarolar]

I keep reading about this danger but I see so many people rig up fans to ventilate their shop that are cheap and not explosion proof. But I hear you though! Just wondering for light duty DIY shop type of set up, do you need a $2500 or higher fume extractor?

No that's what he's trying to say is that stuff that is marketed for that use is required to meet a list of requirements of osha for approve it, that list requires it to function in situations that you will never create in your home shop.

 

[Shield Arc]

Just wondering for light duty DIY shop type of set up, do you need a $2500 or higher fume extractor?

You can always weld like we did. When we built the Dillingham city dock in Alaska. 90-MPH winds! See if the smoke hangs around in that kind of wind!

 

[dragoneggs]

Or maybe run the ducting vertical through the ceiling and then out the side of my attic using a fan like this? I bought one of these for my greenhouse and it works great. Cost is about $150.


http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/product/shutter-fan/exhaust-fans

The equivalent explosion proof fans start at about $700

https://www.industrialfansdirect.com/collections/shutter-wall-exhaust/products/ax12-4

 

[Big Barn]

I have Miller's smallest portable fume extractor. It works fine IF the intake can be positioned close to the work.

I bought it "new not in box" for approximately half the regular price, but STILL overpriced in my opinion.

A local welding shop had a job welding some panels at a shopping mall and rented my extractor as part of the requirement of their contract. They said it really wasn't a large enough unit to be efficient but fit well in their work "footprint" and kept the mall management happy.

I was happy as the rental income paid for the machine.

If you're not using a shielding gas, I'd go with Shield Arc's 90MPH winds.

Here's a pic of the Miller mounted on my modded out tool cart.




Terry

 

[Jeepnford]

I was fortunate enough to pick one up from one of those internet auction sites for government agencies for $175.00 a couple of weeks ago. It's not the recirculating type but blows it outside. I still feel pretty lucky.. It's a Nederman brand and looks like it retails new for a couple of grand.

 

[dragoneggs]

I was fortunate enough to pick one up from one of those internet auction sites for government agencies for $175.00 a couple of weeks ago. It's not the recirculating type but blows it outside. I still feel pretty lucky.. It's a Nederman brand and looks like it retails new for a couple of grand.

Nice! Do you mind posting the auction site(s) you frequent for stuff like that?

 

[dadster4]

I keep reading about this danger but I see so many people rig up fans to ventilate their shop that are cheap and not explosion proof. But I hear you though! Just wondering for light duty DIY shop type of set up, do you need a $2500 or higher fume extractor?

My first post was based on professional opinion after 30 years of HVAC and sheet metal experience even though the welding I did on mostly 12 ga. black iron was on a wood floor in a 100 year old former theater building and our ventilation system consisted of opening the overhead door
For the average Joe, or Dragoneggs, a cross breeze strong enough to keep the fumes out of your face without disturbing the weld and a sidewall exhaust fan to keep the shop clear and bring in fresh air should be sufficient and safe for most projects. A fan with multiple speeds would be nice to regulate how much air is exhausted for different conditions and to keep your shop warm in the winter. I did a job years ago on a large printing press to exhaust corn starch powder they sprayed between freshly printed sheets. They went cheap and installed a standard blower themselves to our hood and duct- it blew up after three days and shut down the press for a week until we rebuilt the whole system again and installed the proper blower...lesson learned!

 

[Jeepnford]

Nice! Do you mind posting the auction site(s) you frequent for stuff like that?

Government Surplus Auctions - GovDeals.com

 

[DarrellSimpson]

Thank you Jeepnford .

 

[DaveK OR]

The biggest reason things like that are so expensive is product liability insurance. I once chatted up a guy who made a nifty little log-tong system that attached to the 3-point hitch, and asked why it was so bloody expensive for such a small amount of steel. He said that well over half the cost was for the liability insurance he had to buy in order to market the things. Too many people do really, really stupid things, then sue when things go badly. Even with the high price, the guy was barely doing better than break-even on his sales.

 

[PILOON]

Yep, insurance!
Our association once considered in going our own private member insurance route so the board of directors had a specialist address us on the procedures.
It involved so much re-insurance and legalities that we opted out, however we did learn a lot.

Way back when a large dept store chain were sued for millions, and lost, because a person decided to use his rotary lawn mower to trim his hedge.
Naturally he lost 8 fingers when he picked up his mower to trim his hedge.
Courts ruled negligence because they neglected to place 'do not put fingers here'.

Today you will notice all sorts of gadgets on a lawnmower and walk behind blowers all designed to make them safer (and more expensive).
Also more maintenance prone.

Our industry was aviation and we could have ended up with liabilities for just about anything anybody had performed on any aircraft before we even touched it ourselves based on negligence on not observing other faults or omissions.
Liability was so bad that major aircraft manufacturers were spending more on liability insurance on some models were actually selling for.
As a result many product lines were dropped up until the gov't enacted some sort of limitations under Clinton regime.

Think about it a bit.
Welding shop and all the fumes, gasses, cutting grinding (silicosis) all of which are generally considered carcinogenic agents with long term disabilities costing fortunes---lawyer's windfall and insurers nightmare.