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I have a 50'x50' shop with three  overhead 12' wide by 14' tall doors on one side. When I am welding inside the shop I tend to get a lot of smoke buildup even with the doors open.  This is likely because all my doors are on one side and I get no air flow. My shop is pretty full of junk and thus placing fans on the floor would probably not do much due to obstructions.I was thinking of maybe mounting some fans on the back wall opposite the three overhead doors. I was thinking three large fans mounted up high. Anyone done something like this? I would like to get the smoke out and help my lungs and some airflow in the heat of the summer wouldn't be bad either. I just don't want to go too overboard and get so much airflow that it interferes with my MIG welding.
Reply:Are you talking about exhaust fans to pull air through the workspace and blow it out the back wall, or fans to blow air across the workspace towards the open doors?  I would think one good-sized exhaust fan mounted up high to pull fresh air in the doors, across the workspace and out the back would be the most efficient.GraysOrnamentalIron.com
Reply::Exhaust fans all the way..to pull out the smoke.....just a note on the side..your profile name is killing me...lol.. take the r out and im rolling....absolutely no offense intended...Of all the things I lost I miss my mind the most...I know just enough about everything to be dangerous......You cant cure stupid..only kill it...
Reply:Originally Posted by Alabass . . . I would think one good-sized exhaust fan mounted up high to pull fresh air in the doors, across the workspace and out the back would be the most efficient.
Reply:Originally Posted by roadkillbobb:Exhaust fans all the way..to pull out the smoke.....just a note on the side..your profile name is killing me...lol.. take the r out and im rolling....absolutely no offense intended...
Reply:I'd make sure the fans go with, rather than against, the prevailing winds in your area or a lot of the time you'll be pi$$ing in the wind...
Reply:Originally Posted by DrilldoI have a 50'x50' shop with three  overhead 12' wide by 14' tall doors on one side. When I am welding inside the shop I tend to get a lot of smoke buildup even with the doors open.  This is likely because all my doors are on one side and I get no air flow. My shop is pretty full of junk and thus placing fans on the floor would probably not do much due to obstructions.I was thinking of maybe mounting some fans on the back wall opposite the three overhead doors. I was thinking three large fans mounted up high. Anyone done something like this? I would like to get the smoke out and help my lungs and some airflow in the heat of the summer wouldn't be bad either. I just don't want to go too overboard and get so much airflow that it interferes with my MIG welding.
Reply:Thanks for the replies. My doors all face east because our wind is almost always out of the west. My welding station is right up front by the door. My shop is a metal building with spray foam so it is sealed up air tight. I never thought about an exhaust fan I was thinking more of one to blow since my welding is by the doors. I was thinking it may be easier to blow it out rather than suck it back in to the very back of the shop but I may be wrong. If I go with an exhaust fan how big of a one am I going to need in order to be effective in a 50x50 shop with 14' side walls ?
Reply:No offense taken on the name. I bet it makes a lot of people do a double take. I do dynamite drilling and that is what we call ourselves sometimes.
Reply:cool..got any extra sticks to give away?..lolOf all the things I lost I miss my mind the most...I know just enough about everything to be dangerous......You cant cure stupid..only kill it...
Reply:Originally Posted by roadkillbobbcool..got any extra sticks to give away?..lol
Reply:My shop is a metal building with spray foam so it is sealed up air tight.
Reply:Originally Posted by DrilldoNo offense taken on the name. I bet it makes a lot of people do a double take. I do dynamite drilling and that is what we call ourselves sometimes.
Reply:Just wondering, how high is your ceiling? I have a shop that size or even a little smaller, and there is never a lot of smoke build up. It also only has a garage door. It does have a back I open occasionally but that doesn't create that much draft.Millermatic 200Miller Spectrum 2050
Reply:Maybe to start with, add three or four(or more) roof turbine ventilators near the peak of the roof. Since smoke tends to rise it would be moving towards them anyway. Any wind direction will spin them and help draw out the smoke and fumes.
Reply:Originally Posted by DrilldoI have a 50'x50' shop with three  overhead 12' wide by 14' tall doors on one side. When I am welding inside the shop I tend to get a lot of smoke buildup even with the doors open.  This is likely because all my doors are on one side and I get no air flow. My shop is pretty full of junk and thus placing fans on the floor would probably not do much due to obstructions.I was thinking of maybe mounting some fans on the back wall opposite the three overhead doors. I was thinking three large fans mounted up high. Anyone done something like this? I would like to get the smoke out and help my lungs and some airflow in the heat of the summer wouldn't be bad either. I just don't want to go too overboard and get so much airflow that it interferes with my MIG welding.
Reply:Originally Posted by TypeJust wondering, how high is your ceiling? I have a shop that size or even a little smaller, and there is never a lot of smoke build up. It also only has a garage door. It does have a back I open occasionally but that doesn't create that much draft.
Reply:Pfffffttttttttt.......[QUOTE=bead-boy;5624211]You get to help blow sh!t up for a living ???   Goldammit I gotta get out of my desk job and do something interesting.  Just can't cut my pay in half to do it.Lincoln PowerMig 200AHP 200x 3rd Gen.Miller 211 AASMiller Digital Elite "POWMIA"Victor Oxy SetLotos ltp5000d
Reply:Just a little more info here. Your large doors located opposite of your prevailing winds will create a natural vacuum within your shop. As stated above you will need to provide apertures on the opposite wall to allow air to draft naturally. You may find that operable windows to be sufficient.A relatively cheap source of used large exhaust fans is on craigslist from horse barns and riding arenas. Louvered exhaust fans are often sold off by greenhouses and brooder operations. These could be reverse engineered to make up air instead of exhausting it and work with your wind direction. I would always look for a belt drive fan since pulley diameter changes would let you dial in your air volume. If you have 3 phase power then variable speed drives for the fans are an option. I picked up a 60" belt drive fan for $180 no louvers off craigslist and new Hitachi drives for around $ 125 off ebay  Hope this is useful.