Shop Furnace Filter Clogging Super Fast

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Small shop, about 1,800 square feet. Wide open space except for the bathroom. The furnace is located on top of the bathroom. I keep the heat set at 64 while we're in there, 55 while we're gone. It only takes about an hour of the furnace being on to turn the white filter, into a black filter. I used to have some issues with airflow restrictions if I let the filter go a couple weeks without changing it. Once it sucked the filter into the furnace! I put a small metal backing behind the filter now. But still, it can't be good for the furnace to work harder to suck in the air. I don't want to be changing the filter every week. Any of you other guys have this issue, or anyone know of a solution? We do LOTS of grinding here. At least 50% of the welds we do get ground down.John 3:16(2) Miller Pheonix 456(2) Millermertic 252Dynasty 210DXHobart 210MVPDoringer D350 SA Cold SawScotchman 350LT Cold SawWebb 10x50 MillWebb 15x40 LatheGeka Bendicrop Ironworker
Reply:washable filter
Reply:Or use a filter that captures less junk. We were running the ultra filtration, hypoallergenic jobs, and they would clog up every couple of weeks, my furnace guy suggested I go with something more generic.Miller Multimatic 255
Reply:Anyway to suck air from outside?We have equipment at work that use filters like that. In 2_3 days there already getting black.
Reply:Originally Posted by dieselssAnyway to suck air from outside?
Reply:try going with a duel filter.first one washable to collect the bigger stuff then a changeable smaller micron one.
Reply:Sounds like you need local exhaust in your grinding area. If your filter is turning black in a few days you aren't doing your lungs any favors either. Bringing in make-up air from outside may suck in the Chicago winter  but so does breathing all that dust or having to wear a respirator all day long.JohnA few weldersA lot of hammersA whole lot of C-clamps
Reply:I had kind off the same situation you have, couple things I did was put in a bigger exhaust fan in the middle of the wall. I moved my return air duct up high, away from exhaust fan on the opposite end, also added one of the attic vent screens just a few feet away from the return air duct and a few feet lower about the same height as the exhaust fan. I went with a larger return air box to accommodate a 20x30 filter and started using the 3m 300 dust filters. My air scrubber works well also to cut down dust if it does go up, it runs 3 of the 3m 300's in a 20x30 size filter, its in the middle near ceiling. The only time I have an issue now is if I am cutting a lot with the plasma. Now I know this is not efficient but it works, the exhaust fan pulls in fresh air through the small attic vent screen and creates air movement across not letting dust go up, while the return air filter is getting fresh air from up high. The furnace does run more but the trade off is cleaner filters and cleaner shop with better air quality.ESAB Rebels 215 and 235, ESAB HELIARC 281i, ESAB ET 301i, Hypertherm 85 and 45XP, Thermal Arc 185, TD 60i, HTP PRO PULSE 300
Reply:How about some big bag filters?Dave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Reply:Originally Posted by JawslandsharkI had kind off the same situation you have, couple things I did was put in a bigger exhaust fan in the middle of the wall. I moved my return air duct up high, away from exhaust fan on the opposite end, also added one of the attic vent screens just a few feet away from the return air duct and a few feet lower about the same height as the exhaust fan. I went with a larger return air box to accommodate a 20x30 filter and started using the 3m 300 dust filters. My air scrubber works well also to cut down dust if it does go up, it runs 3 of the 3m 300's in a 20x30 size filter, its in the middle near ceiling. The only time I have an issue now is if I am cutting a lot with the plasma. Now I know this is not efficient but it works, the exhaust fan pulls in fresh air through the small attic vent screen and creates air movement across not letting dust go up, while the return air filter is getting fresh air from up high. The furnace does run more but the trade off is cleaner filters and cleaner shop with better air quality.
Reply:Woodworking shops have vacuum systems to collect sawdust surely there is an equivalent for metal.  Maybe as simple as a shopvac hose hung close to the workstation or a nightly/weekly cleaning of the building. Brian
Reply:Maybe experiment with something like this.....http://www.busybeetools.com/products...de-in-usa.html
Reply:Originally Posted by EcondronThough as some of you have mentioned, instead of focusing on how to get longer filter life, maybe I should be focusing on how to control the grinding dust. I'd like to keep everyone healthy here. I could probably set up an area with those welding curtains to contain the dust, but I feel like that wouldn't keep the fine particles from mixing in with the air. Hm... I'll have to take a look into it. Any of you guys have a good dust control system? Metalworking dust collection systems wouldn't be applicable here since everything is using angle grinders. Unless there was something like a fume extractor but for dust?
Reply:What about a small downdraft table for some things?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:That works for sanding dust but RA grinders throw sparks/metal dust everywhere when you're moving around a piece trying to get a good angle on it. I think the force would be too much to overcome unless the down draft was huge.Someone I know works at a foundry and they have a big sandblaster which of course is self contained. Shove your arms in the front gloves, etc. But what they finally decided to do was to build a separate room for the blaster which vents outside.  That's probably your best solution. Heat it with a salamander and have a draw fan venting outside. Maybe it could have a heat vent from the furnace IDK, I know nothing about HVAC. And of course everyone wears very good respirators??I just swept up a pile of metal dust from my garage shop a few minutes ago and thought how nasty it would be if that stuff got past my respirator into the lungs.Last edited by JD1; 01-12-2016 at 01:54 PM.