Fume Extractor for Under $20

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Hi all,a few people in the "welding in the garage" thread seemed interested in my home made fume extractor.  I made a short video about it.  As you can see, it is very simple, and took me about a half an hour to build and install.  Final cost was $19.46+tax.  It works well.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=bGKdRIQ5IjECheck out my channel

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkz...bZg8AYNXGqBjZQ"Both oligarch and tyrant mistrust the people, and therefore deprive them of arms." - Aristotle
Reply:IronHide--Do you have any estimate on how many cfm your homemade unit can clear?www.triarc.us
Reply:I kinda find it hard to believe its of much benefit at all.
Reply:No need to knock the guy. I think its very neat.
Reply:I lucked out and got a discarded furnace fan unit when my furnace was upgraded.  Furnace repair guys often have them around, 1/3 hp. centrifugal.  I set it on the floor blowing fresh air into garage and the smoke is diluted and pushed out.
Reply:Nice.It is small enough, he could put in on a telescoping arm and bring it closer to the work.
Reply:good idea , & you sure can't beat the price. it's not made like a commercial weld fume extractor but then this is for your home garage not your business welding shop. nice video.
Reply:I dont think I'm knocking the guy. I thought i was just pointing out that it has to be virtually ineffective like every kitchen and bathroom fan I have ever seen. They simply are not made to do the type of work that is needed in this situation much like a 4 point harness made from rubber bands.If $20 is all anyone cares to spend on a problem like this why not get a respirator? For how much i see people waste buying items that are nothing more than decorations you would think when a person actually needs an item to function they wouldn't mind spending a little here too.
Reply:

Originally Posted by Montana Jack

IronHide--Do you have any estimate on how many cfm your homemade unit can clear?
Reply:

Originally Posted by mikecwik

I kinda find it hard to believe its of much benefit at all.
Reply:Not a bad idea.  I'd go with flexible wire embedded duct (thats available at box stores too) and position the fan/extractor closer to the point of fume generation..  The closer the better, especiall with only 50 CFM od suck power.....
Reply:I thought about using a fart fan as an xtractor. I do have a couple different ideas for it.First, I would hard mount the fan in the ceiling and just move the hose around while the fan stays stationary. It would look better in my opinion.Second, I would run a switch to it or tap into it thru your garage door opener light. That way you could hit the light button on the door opener and the fan would come on. My garage has a flat roof/deck above so I would mount the fart fan in the wall. Mounting in the wall would probly burn out the bearings as apposed to mounting in ceiling but for $20 its better than getting sick again.
Reply:For something to compare to, Lincoln offers a small vacuum unit rated at 55-115 cfm, but a much higher pressure and it utilizes a hose that is kept close to the workpiece.  Their unit sized for coverage of a worktable is pulling 735 cfm.http://www.lincolnelectric.com/asset...52-1/e1317.pdfhttp://www.lincolnelectric.com/asset...53-2/e1312.pdf
Reply:

Originally Posted by Insaneride

I thought about using a fart fan as an xtractor. I do have a couple different ideas for it.First, I would hard mount the fan in the ceiling and just move the hose around while the fan stays stationary. It would look better in my opinion.Second, I would run a switch to it or tap into it thru your garage door opener light. That way you could hit the light button on the door opener and the fan would come on. My garage has a flat roof/deck above so I would mount the fart fan in the wall. Mounting in the wall would probly burn out the bearings as apposed to mounting in ceiling but for $20 its better than getting sick again.
Reply:I gotta say I like it. Even if 50 cfm is on the low side, that 50 cf per minute of exhaust that is better outside than inside.That being said, +1 on the old squirrel cage blowers. I use one and it is the bomb-digity. It'll suck your toenails off if you aren't wearing steel toes.
Reply:I like it but this won't work for me; have a 1 car garage and no windows.

Still searching for an idea.Torchmate 2x2 CNC with Flashcut CNC controlsHypertherm Powermax45 Esab ET220i Razorweld 195 MigRazorweld 200ac/dc TigTormach 770, Tormach xstechRazorweld, Vipercut/Vipermig, SSC Foot Pedal Dealer
Reply:

Originally Posted by mstyer

For something to compare to, Lincoln offers a small vacuum unit rated at 55-115 cfm, but a much higher pressure and it utilizes a hose that is kept close to the workpiece.  Their unit sized for coverage of a worktable is pulling 735 cfm.http://www.lincolnelectric.com/asset...52-1/e1317.pdfhttp://www.lincolnelectric.com/asset...53-2/e1312.pdf
Reply:IronHide, in no way was I dissing your fume xtractor ifn it sounded that way. I think you have an xcellant SAFETY/health idea for those of us on a shoestring budget. I was suggesting my embellishments to your idea if it was to be permanent. If it wasnt clear about the garage door light socket; 120v AC outlets that adapt to a light socket can be found at hardware stores. Then take one of those cheap xtension cords and connect to the fart fan and plug into the adapter and now your fan is switched. On the down side, whenever you open the door, the fan turns on with a timer and you will only have one light instead of the two most garage door openers have.Hope that makes sense.
Reply:

Originally Posted by Gamble

I like it but this won't work for me; have a 1 car garage and no windows.

Still searching for an idea.
Reply:

Originally Posted by AluminumWelder

make a hole in your ceiling and route the tube up into the attic and out the sofit vent.
Reply:If you want your exhaust to catch more fumes. Add a funnel or hood around it.This way the rising smoke is caught in a box and sent out side from there.The Lincoln units filter the air and return it to the room. No air is sent out side.They also have some sort sensor that turns on the unit when you start welding  and then turns it back off a few minutes after welding has stopped.The M200 works using arc flash light sensor.The small shop vac type use a magnetic sensor that the work lead is placed next to.You also can get a smoke eater miggun. It has suction nozzle just behind the weld nozzle.you can plug the shop vac type into the other end. For large shops, there are units that can be plumbed all over the shop and operate many of the smoke eater guns all at the same time. Look up extractor 8
Reply:All good ideas, here's mine; ok it's just over twice the price posted for this thread, but not unreasonable. Many moons ago I was a renovation contractor and at the end of the job a painter left behind his exhaust fan behind. When I told him about it he told me to keep it, the motor was dead. I got the motor rebuilt and sat it on my shelf until last year when I decided that I'd had enough of the smoke in the garage and I wanted to weld in the house over the cold winter as well. I decided that it was time to put this fan to good use, so that I could move it around as necessary and use it indoors as well. One day on CL, buddy was selling articulating arms for $65, he told me that he had renovated a research facility and he pulled 7 of these out of the bin. When I handed him the cash, he insisted that he would only take $45...I'm still smiling. So here's the result, the way the unit is set up is that it is used as a through unit, meaning that it'll take the smoke from here and move it there. I also picked up a room Hepa dust filter unit at a garage sale for $20 that I'm making a hood for the unit to pass all that crap through, hopefully it'll work so that I can keep from blowing the smoke (and heat) outside in the winter. Here's a photo of the unit that I made, thank you bed frame and scrap. Last thing left to do is put a wood or steel top so that I can clutter it up. Love all the ideas and discussion here about these things, glad to see that people realize the importance of  life-long health... Cheers!!   



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Last edited by bearston; 03-28-2013 at 12:26 PM.

When a welder tells you to "stick it", what do they really mean?"In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act." - George Orwell
Reply:That is a nice looking outfit. I have a similar blower and was thinking of building something similar.A few things to keep in mind for those wanting to build extractors:It is easier to push air than pull air. The extraction hose should be as short as possible.Extraction arms can be built from PVC pipe and fittings.Filters will remove particulates but not gasses; better to vent to the outside.
Reply:How do you determine the balance between fume extraction power and loss of shielding gas?It would seem that a suction/blowing nozzle with too high of CFM, or too close of proximity to the weld, would suck or blow away the shielding gas right along with the fumes.How do you guys with home built fume extractors determine the balance between these two factors?Respectfully,Charles Brown
Reply:Anyone else got any new takes on this idea?American Welding Society - Certified Welding InspectorShort Explanation:I do this kind of thing for a living.  And yes, it can be a bit pricey for the home hobbyist.  If I was to DIY, I would pay attention to the following.Generally you want to shoot for volume of air.  I recommend 1,200 CFM, but many people go with 800 CFM.There are a few things you need to consider for this system.  I am going to assume this is to exhaust, and not filter the fumes.Fume Arm (or snorkel, or whatever you want to call it).Recommend some kind of rigid setup so it stays in position and does not flop around.  If impractical, flex hose will do, but make sure you have a way to keep it in position so it is effective.Go with 6" or 8" diameter.With the right fan, arm diameter will do the following:6" = 800 CFM8" = 1,200 CFMI'll get into this a little bit further when I talk about fans, but basically you have a limit of how much volume of air you can pull through a certain sized arm.  Pull air through a regular straw, and then try to pull the same volume of air through a coffee straw.  It is not possible, the coffee straw would collapse before it was possible.  Like I said, we are just talking high level concept here, and the numbers above aren't exact, but we aren't trying to write a paper here, just get a DIY fume extractor.Anyways... the Fan:You need to pay attention to two things when selecting a fan.Volume, i.e. CFMInches of water column (in.w.g) often referred to as static pressure.The higher velocity the air travels through a tight space, the higher the pressure.For the sake of DIY, I'd recommend you ask for a fan that does the following.6" Arm: Ask for a 800 CFM fan that can handle 3"-4" of static pressure.8" Arm: Ask for a 1,200 CFM fan that can handle 3.5"-4.5" of static pressure.A 1.5 HP 120v single phase fan should be able to do the job for either.That should be able to handle both the arm, and the exhaust if you have anything snakey or goofy going on with an exhaust flex hose as well.  Bends in duct or hose = pressure.One little note on shielding gases... I hear this all the time.  It's not an issue if you follow the advice above.  It becomes a problem when you volume is so low that you need to be right on top of the weld but your velocity is high enough to capture the gases.  Sticking between 800-1,200 CFM makes it a non-issue.  However, people don't believe me half the time so I designed my fume arms to have an internal damper so I don't have to spend time convincing people it is not a problem.  If you are concerned about it, add a damper to you setup.Hope that helps a little.  Good luck.  Nothing too complex for a mechanically inclined person to figure out.-RichardLast edited by richardddt; 01-31-2019 at 11:06 AM.
Reply:

Originally Posted by IronHide

Hi all,a few people in the "welding in the garage" thread seemed interested in my home made fume extractor.  I made a short video about it.  As you can see, it is very simple, and took me about a half an hour to build and install.  Final cost was $19.46+tax.  It works well.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=bGKdRIQ5IjE
Reply:I'll offer a few tips that might help stir you in the right direction for gathering material to build on a shoestring budget.  Make friends with someone in the hvac trade to pick up used fans as well as some other handy parts that are normally thrown away.  Squirrel cage(radial) fans push & pull through ducts much better than propeller(axial) style. For the cfm range that has been talked about here,radial fans from better quality range hoods and bath vents are near perfect size/cfm. Induced draft fans from gas furnaces are also in this class. For whole building capability,120 volt blowers from gas furnaces range from aprox 100 cfm per 10kbtu on non-induced draft up to 130 cfm per 10k btu on induced draft models. Air handlers (usually 240 volt) for heat pumps require aprox 400 cfm per ton. To derate cfm,tack metal flashing inside wheel to partly cover fins rather than dampering (choking off) flow in the ducts. The latter increases's load on motor amd overheating. Your hvac source can also furnish flex duct minus insulation,dstrubition duct takeoffs for connecting duct to blower and exhust point. If you need to have fan modulate for on off cycles of welder,ask the hvac homie to wire up time delay relay,contactor and transformer from a discarded air handler. *****Warning*****   If you have propane,natural gas or fossil fuel anywhere in the building,get help from someone who understand's "backdrafting" before using a store bought or home brew extractor.Last edited by Jax; 03-03-2019 at 12:40 AM.