welding fumes and water

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Some of you professional welders are going to love this question.First I am not even close to ever being called a welder.  A long time ago someone gave me a Lincoln 225 stick welder.   I rarely if ever use however there are times I do maybe once every few months do a tack or two.I'm in a industrial building 20 foot high ceilings, 1600 square foot, an industrial garage door and no windowsI know I know if I'm going to tack I should open garage door or wear a mask or something to get those fumes out but then again I only do a tack or two and then I leave for day.I was thinking to buy a 6-Inch 240 CFM Air Duct Inline Hydroponic Booster Fan or like, attach a duct tube if I could find a flexible version or use temporarily 3 inch diameter hose coming out of my shop vac to suck end of fan and mount end like real close to my welding spot with a clampNow exhaust end of fan another duct and face it straight down into a 5 gallon plastic paint pail about half full or less or whatever it takes so exhaust will blow through water fumes and whatever from my welding, and again I usually only do a tack or two at most.Assuming fan sucks up smoke fumes and whatever and blows it into water I could first try it with no fumes just air to see if I need to add more or less water or perhaps secure pail's lid and just an opening for duct tube going into pail.Anyone have suggestion of what might happen or that I use Hi octane gasoline instead of water, beach sand, gravel or what I might face in trying this?  Just kidding about gasoline.My lease does not allow welding so opening garage door might not be an option unless its late at night or perhaps Sundays.Thanks.welding fumes and water.
Reply:I thought of this since posting above.  Change 5 gallon paint pail to 40 or 50 gallon garbage pail, use 5 or 10 gallons of water, a piece of composition board or ply wood resting on top of pail having two holes.  One smaller hole for duct tube duct taped to board and larger opening really big for a carbon filter facing correct way to water in pail and also duct taped to board.This sounds better than 5 gallon pail.  But what about fumes and whatever.  I'm using 6061 or 6013 rod.
Reply:Originally Posted by weldingfumesMy lease does not allow welding
Reply:Kinda crazy but why don't you just open the door a wee tad, maybe knee high or something like that. Maybe put a fan on the floor blowing out. Why do you have to open it all the way? If you are doing a series of work.Then just position yourself so nobody can see. Figure out a way to hide and have the door open whatever it takes and even a fan.Think you are way over worrying, especially if you ain't really welding. I might just do the tack and forget it. Open the door after if you want. That water is going to be all over the place.
Reply:Do it outside."The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first, the love of soft living and the get rich quick theory of life." -Theodore Roosevelt
Reply:Well I rethought this one. You probably can do a water trap method.I have that in a system where I can sand drywall with pretty close to zero dust.That involves putting together a rig that has a water trap bucket. Bucket has a lid with two hoses sticking down. Air goes in the longest one, bubbles thru the water and exits out the hose in the air bubble portion of the bucket. That scrubs the dust. The sander is one you can buy for the purpose with a vacuum pickup. Comes with a 1 gallon bucket pre-engineered.The motive power for the whole affair is a wet / dry vac that sucks on the water trap bucket. In my scheme, I take the filter out of an old carpet cleaning vac and throw its discharge hose out the window. There is a small amount of water carryover but I'm looking for max air flow.Might make one in a five gallon bucket, scale up the hose sizes. Pretty straight forward scheme that could work to clean air. You got a lot less junk to filter out.But then again I might just tack and forget it. Who is going to know? Or just go outside, naw they might not like that either. Nothing like having your own system that works. Why is that boy cleaning all the time???
Reply:Cosmic rambler - Glad you kind of think watering down fumes might work, thing is I need a more definitive answer whether water will trap particles and fumes and then how dangerous will air blown out become.   As for water, well I'm not about to brush me teeth or gargle with it.I thought of this today.  I fill same 40 gallon garbage pail with 15 gallons of water, same plywood top having two openings, one for duct tube going to some depth in water and other opening a bit larger matching with a carbon filter duct taped to plywood.   NowI take another piece of plywood same size as first, using 2x2's wood posts making it about 12 to 16 inches above first piece resting on pail.  this second or working top piece has one opening aligning to Booster fan.   Sort of like an Oreo cookie.   Booster fan goes between working top piece and board resting on pail.   A divider separates booster fan area from carbon filter side. Whole thing, both top and bottom boards are surrounded with sheet metal and there is but one opening is to carbon filter side where there is a duct tube sticking out side ways from sheet metal.Top board working surface has an opening above booster fan suction side and this opening say 12" x 12" is covered with a steel barbeque grilled fastened down.I turn welder on, then booster fan creating a down draft from grill on work surface supporting my vise or part and fumes should go into duct tube into water and then bubble up from water into carbon filter blown away opposite to where I am standing.  Weight of water in pail should keep board boards relatively stable.Question remains what affect will fumes and particles forced through water have on air coming out of pail going through carbon filter and into space I occupy. I don't see a great expense in all this.  I have a garbage pail, will need some composition board, exhaust fan, a 3 foot duct tube, a grill, some sheet metal and about 4 hours maybe 3.
Reply:You might be making it all too hard / complex.I might try a method of collecting the fumes and running it thru a garbage can of water, just make sure the hose / duct points down and results in good contact over some time period with the water.Experiment and check the results. Water cleaning methods are used in all sorts of industrial processes for contaminated air. You should not be generating that much.Usually I try to weld outside and avoid the issue. Doesn't always happen, sometimes you can't avoid getting into tight spaces. Whatever, as a general principles don't do anything to cause winds or higher velocity air flows directly in the arc immediate area.
Reply:You have the craziest industrial building I have ever heard of. What is it zoned for warehouse or what? Do you at least have an air conditioner or swamp cooler for hot days.Weld like a "WELDOR", not a wel-"DERR" MillerDynasty700DX,Dynasty350DX4ea,Dynasty200DX,Li  ncolnSW200-2ea.,MillerMatic350P,MillerMatic200w/spoolgun,MKCobraMig260,Lincoln SP-170T,PlasmaCam/Hypertherm1250,HFProTig2ea,MigMax1ea.
Reply:I have run plasma smoke thru a swamp cooler and it worked pretty good. I needed to change the water every 5 hours of cutting approx. I don't plasma cut so much anymore so I do it with a respirator only now.Took the swamp cooler home.Weld like a "WELDOR", not a wel-"DERR" MillerDynasty700DX,Dynasty350DX4ea,Dynasty200DX,Li  ncolnSW200-2ea.,MillerMatic350P,MillerMatic200w/spoolgun,MKCobraMig260,Lincoln SP-170T,PlasmaCam/Hypertherm1250,HFProTig2ea,MigMax1ea.
Reply:Sure sounds like a lot to go thru just to get rid of welding fumes from a couple of tack welds every few months. Just use a box fan blowing out the window or door and weld right behind the fan.
Reply:Originally Posted by BistineauSure sounds like a lot to go thru just to get rid of welding fumes from a couple of tack welds every few months. Just use a box fan blowing out the window or door and weld right behind the fan.
Reply:He might be doing a bit more than tacking
Reply:ok i will add 2 cents------ water may help with any heavy metals and suchbut won't remove  smoke  i would still worry about the landlord if you ARE NOT allowed to weld in said buildingif you get caught can you afford to move?? and/or will you sued ?Last edited by prop-doctor; 10-03-2011 at 01:26 PM.idealarc 250/250 ac-dc tigidealarc 250/250 ac-dc tig #2 used for sticklincoln sp100hh125dual arbor grinder polisher30 yrs of hand tools52 pitch blocks 6p-26prake gauge -pitch gaugeG&D prop repair 918-207-6938Hulbert,okla 74441
Reply:Originally Posted by weldingfumes I rarely if ever use however there are times I do maybe once every few months do a tack or two. then again I only do a tack or two and then I leave for day. and again I usually only do a tack or two at most.My lease does not allow welding so opening garage door might not be an option unless its late at night or perhaps Sundays.Thanks.welding fumes and water.