Eva Gallagher on sat 27 sep 08
Thanks for all the info James and Wayne - lots to think about. I like the
idea of better filters - will have to see what is available here in Canada
for commercial uses. I really envy your easy access to huge suppliers -
amazing the stuff they carry. I know most ship to Canada but we get hit with
duty and custom broker fees.
I think Laguna now makes a much smaller booth as well that goes right
through a regular door.
Looking at pics of spray booths all seem to have a large wall-to-wall filter
angled to the back wall so that any spray will hit the filter and eventually
block it. Is there any reason why the filter cannot be in the ceiling just
under the fan? This way the overspray would hit the back wall first. The
filter could then be just a 12" x 12" filter which could slide into a slot
in the booth ceiling opening. I find that with the large furnace filters,
any bending of it after removal and it disturbs lots of glaze - sort of
defeats the purpose of the filter.
For ease of cleaning of a booth I liked the idea in one of the recent
pottery magazines where someone had glued magnets to a wooden bar and used
them to hold up newspapers on the walls. After spraying you just crumpled up
the newspapers.
Eva Gallagher
Deep River, Ontario
http://stephenhilljourneyworkshopjuly2008.blogspot.com/
----- Original Message -----
From: "James F"
To:
Sent: Saturday, September 27, 2008 8:39 AM
Subject: Re: spray booth - now Laguna spray booth
Eva...
I bought the large Laguna spray booth, the Pro-V, with the standard
styrofoam filters. I don't wash them every day. I tend to work in batches,
so I typically wash the filters and the shelf after glazing a batch or three
of work (which is strange for me, as I tend to keep the rest of my studio
relatively spotless. Hmmmmm). The filters are held in place by a simple
press fit so pull out easily, and are made of two layers that separate for
cleaning. Typically, with the exhaust fan running, I brush them down in
place with a moderately stiff paintbrush to get most of the glaze off, then
remove them and wash them under running water with a soft sponge.
If I had it to do over I would opt for the metal filters, as I am always
afraid that I will break the styrofoam filters. In a community studio I
would certainly opt for the metal filters, as the foam versions are not up
to any abuse.
I did not purchase the scrubber. It is my understanding that it is for
non-vented applications. I do notice a faint iron oxide coloration on the
louvered exhaust vent on the back of my studio, indicating that at least a
bit of glaze material is making it past the filters, but I have never
noticed anything appreciable exiting the vent, and there is no deposit on
any neighboring trees. In your case, if it were me, I would install the
booth without the scrubber, but design the ductwork such that a scrubber
could be added if it proves necessary. I used rigid spiral duct to get up
through my studio ceiling and into the attic, then used 12" diameter rubber
flex duct to get outside. If you go this route it would be a relatively
simple task to cut the flex duct and retrofit a scrubber. If you use all
rigid duct, you can include a removable section. I could not find an HVAC
guy willing to install my vent system so had to figure everything out
myself, so your HVAC guy might have better ideas. BTW, I was able to
purchase all of my vent supplies through McMaster-Carr (www.mcmaster.com).
The local HVAC supplier did not carry anything that big. Grainger also did
not carry much of what I needed. I'm not sure if McMaster has operations in
Canada, but their website should tell you.
A couple of tips should you opt for the Laguna booth: First, the thing is
HUGE! You absolutely do need a WIDE doorway or it will not fit into your
studio. I believe Laguna specifies a minimum 48" doorway, and they aren't
kidding. When I built my studio, I installed a set of 6' french doors just
to accommodate the planned spray booth. Second, there is no power switch on
the unit. When I installed the circuit for the fan, I included a 20 amp
switch wired into the outlet, and mounted it in a wall box right next to the
unit. Third, the unit created incredible suction. If your studio is leaky
you should be fine, but mine is very tight, so I have to open a window a
crack for make-up air while the unit is running, which lets in a bit of a
draft in the winter. Lastly, the metal shrouding on the pulley mechanism of
the Dayton tubeaxial fans rattle horribly and create a din while the machine
is in use. This seems to be common to the Dayton fans, as the Paasche spray
booth at the local college suffers from the same malady. I rectified it by
disassembling the metal shrouding, sticking self-adhesive weather stripping
foam tape (the thinnest I could find) along all of the contact surfaces,
then reassembling the shroud. This took a bit of finagling because of the
extra thickness of foam, but it completely solved the noise problem.
One further thing: The Paasche booth at the college uses the furnace-type
filters. I never washed them out, but rather just banged them against the
inside of a garbage can (outside, with a mask if possible) to knock the bulk
of the material loose. Seemed to work fine. We had to order the Paasche
rather than the laguna for this studio as the building did not have wide
enough doorways. The Paasche is assembled from flat metal panels, so could
be built in place. The Laguna is, except for the legs, in one giant piece.
If I can answer any further questions, I would be happy to do so. Having
experience now with three different commercial units, I would not hesitate
to select the Laguna booth again for many reasons. No regrets at all.
All the best.
...James
> Date: Fri, 26 Sep 2008 22:23:09 -0400
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James F on mon 29 sep 08
Eva...
You are venturing a bit beyond my limited knowledge=2C but I can think of t=
wo reasons why you would not want the filters overhead. First=2C you WANT =
the overspray to go toward the filter so it gets sucked out rather than bou=
ncing around or settling on you=2C your work=2C and your equipment=2C or l=
eaving a big mess to clean off of the booth. The filter is SUPPOSED to get=
filled with overspray. If glaze isn't getting to your filter=2C then what=
is the point? Second=2C with an overhead filter=2C vibration from the boo=
th would constantly knock chunks of dry glaze out of the filter and onto yo=
u and your work.
When I remove the filters from a booth=2C I do so with the exhaust fan runn=
ing. Any chunks that fall out are=2C by definition not airborn=2C so will =
not hurt you=2C and anything fine enough to become airborn is sucked out by=
the fan.
If you want to cut down on filter cleaning=2C then the idea posted earlier=
=2C I believe by Wayne=2C of installing window screen prefilters ahead of y=
our ordinary filters=2C sounds like a winner. The screen would catch a bun=
ch of glaze before it ever makes it to the furnace filter.
Though I have no training in HVAC=2C I also believe you will run into air v=
elocity issues if you cut your vent opening down drastically as you suggest=
=2C so might have to slow your exhaust fan to compensate=2C which seems lik=
e it would again reduce the efficiency of your booth.
Just my thoughts for whatever they are worth. YMMV.
All the best.
...James
> Date: Sat=2C 27 Sep 2008 20:12:13 -0400
> From: galla@MAGMA.CA
> Subject: Re: spray booth - now Laguna spray booth and filters
> To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
> Looking at pics of spray booths all seem to have a large wall-to-wall fil=
ter
> angled to the back wall so that any spray will hit the filter and eventua=
lly
> block it. Is there any reason why the filter cannot be in the ceiling jus=
t
> under the fan? This way the overspray would hit the back wall first. The
> filter could then be just a 12" x 12" filter which could slide into a sl=
ot
> in the booth ceiling opening. I find that with the large furnace filters=
=2C
> any bending of it after removal and it disturbs lots of glaze - sort of
> defeats the purpose of the filter.
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