# Shopmade Air Cleaner: Ceiling or Floor?



## FaTToaD (Oct 19, 2009)

I'm going to make myself an air cleaner for the shop soon, but I'm not sure if I want to mount it on the ceiling, or mount it a mobile base. I'm in a standard finished garage, so I'm afraid it may hang down too low if I place it on the ceiling, but I'm not sure how effective it will be on the floor. I can get a mid-size swamp cooler with a squirrel cage and motor from a friend's dad, I'm not sure how big it is, but I'm afraid it may be too big for the ceiling in my shop.

Anyone have any luck with these things NOT mounted on the ceiling? I'm still torn between the two options, but I keep thinking if I leave it on the floor I can use it as a tool stand. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks.

David


----------



## Eric_S (Aug 26, 2009)

I currently am just using a 20" box fan on the floor with some filters on it as my air cleaner which does an ok job but I'd prefer a more powerful CFM. However, I'd think that the best place would be the ceiling. My reason behind this thought is if its on the floor, all the dust floating around will latch onto any surfaces on the way down to the floor, but wont as much going upward towards the ceiling. It makes sense to me at least.


----------



## Bertha (Jan 10, 2011)

I built a box fan rig with two filters & suspended it from the ceiling in my old shop. It did a surprisingly good job but I can't say I ever tried it NOT on the ceiling.


----------



## StumpyNubs (Sep 25, 2010)

There is a reason all of the filters you buy are meant to be cieling mounted. You need to circulate all of the shop's air through it, which means you need uninterrupted flow. If you put it on the floor the airflow around the shop will be ubstructed by benches and machines. At the cieling the air current flows freely. That's why it is also best to put it in near one of the walls rather than in the center of the shop. Air is sucked in the back and blows out the front creating a circular flow all around the shop. Putting it on the floor will filter only the air around it.


----------



## RetiredCoastie (Sep 7, 2009)

Jim has it right, it needs to be ceiling mounted.


----------



## FaTToaD (Oct 19, 2009)

On the ceiling near a wall. Got it. Now I've got a find a place to put it. I've got a good friend that's 6'11" that's in my shop quite a bit and I'd like to keep him from hitting his head on it. Thanks for all the info!


----------



## RetiredCoastie (Sep 7, 2009)

Just hang some red vinyl 1 inch strips from the filter. It will act as a visual Que that there is a head hazard.


----------



## StumpyNubs (Sep 25, 2010)

How high is your shop cieling? If you have a bench or cabinet or something aginst the wall, put it over that, then nobody will walk under it and hit their head.

BTW- if you are making your own, the very FIRST thing you should do is go find the best pirces on air filters. (Both pre filter and fine hepa filters) then design your system to fit those sizes. It stinks to try and find a filter to fit a system you already built.


----------



## FaTToaD (Oct 19, 2009)

Jim, my ceiling is a standar 9 ft, so it should be ok hangind down if it's not more than two feet deep. I think I have a place towards the side of my shop above the washer and dryer that may be perfect. I was thinking it had to be in the center, but if it doesn't then that makes this a lot easier.

I'm definitly going to buy the filters first. Do I buy all the same filters, or different types? Also, do most people put a filter on the out flow from the fan?


----------



## Bertha (Jan 10, 2011)

I did exactly what Jim describes. I first bought a stack of the cheapest higher quality filters I could find, then bought a second stack of size-matched "scrubber" filters for the real coarse stuff. I then bought a box fan that would accommodate the filters. I built a simple wooden frame, attached it to the fan with hinges, and made a clasp with a hinge pin for quick removal. I suspended it from the ceiling on four chains & eyebolts; plugged it in with a lamp socket to 110V adapter.

I've got to say, it seemed to work as well as my current lower-end JET filter.


----------



## dbhost (Jul 20, 2009)

I have the Grizzly G0572 mounted on 2×4s to the ceiling (I put mine at an angle like Grizzly recommended), My overall height to the bottom of the filter is 6' 8", I am 6' even so I have plenty of clearance. I mounted the filter so that no long stock was ever going to get near it. In all honesty, anything longer than 8' gets broken down in the driveway anyway, my shop is too small for it…


----------



## RetiredCoastie (Sep 7, 2009)

On the filter I built http://lumberjocks.com/projects/23971 I used standard air filters on the intake and on the discharge side I put in a hepa filter. By putting the hepa filter on the discharge side it doesn't clog up as fast.


----------



## FaTToaD (Oct 19, 2009)

dbhost, you mounted yours at angle? I'd be interesting in seeing what kind of angle. Got a link?


----------



## hairy (Sep 23, 2008)

Down in my basement I have a PM 1200 ceiling mounted, and a homemade unit on the floor. They both catch a lot. I don't have any scientific data to back it up, but dirty filters tells me it's working.


----------



## NBeener (Sep 16, 2009)

My furnace has a filter before the intake.

It uses this kind of filter:










When I pull the filter out to replace it, the old one goes onto my 20" box fan.

That sits on my sanding table.

I also got a great deal on a used JDS 10-16 air filtration unit. That hangs from my 9' joists, on a short length of chain.

I'm picking up a used "explosion-proof" fan, this afternoon. It's specs are:

"1/4 hp ~4.2 amps, 1725 rpm 
16" square housing, 12" cast aluminum blade 
~1200 cfm 
Exhaust Fan, Hazardous Location, Propeller Dia 12 In, CFM

```
0.000-In SP 1263,
```
 0.125-In SP 1125,

```
0.250-In SP 980, 14.1 Sones
```
 0.000-In SP @ 5 Ft, 115/230 Volts, 60 Hz, 1 Phase, Full Load Amps 3.9/2.0, Motor HP 1/4, Bearing Type Ball, Motor RPM 1725, Motor Type Capacitor Start, Motor Insulation Class B, Height 16 In, Width 16 In, Max Depth 14 13/16 In, Mounting Position Vertical, Number of Blades 6, Frame Material Steel, Propeller Material Fabricated Aluminum"

For the near future, I'll shove it in my window, to help exhaust fumes and dust.

Middle term, I'll build a plywood box for it, and stick it on rollers. It will suck through the media filter, above, AND a 3M Filtrete furnace filter.

Long term, I'll build out a finishing room, off my shop, in the basement. I'll duct the fan to the outside, AND … use the filters above, plus the 3M Filtrete, to filter the incoming air.

Eventually ;-)


----------



## Kentuk55 (Sep 21, 2010)

I'm like Eric, but I mounted a 20" box fan from the ceiling (i've got a 9.5ft ceiling), w/ furnace filters on both sides. I'll take out the filters when I see them getting "filled-up". It works pretty good for less than 20 bux.


----------



## tomclark (Feb 16, 2010)

Hate to disagree with everyone, but mine has been on the floor right next to my workbench for 20 years, and it does a heck of a good job! That is the place where there was always a cloud of dust when routing and sanding projects in my shop.

My shop is air-conditioned with the duct hanging on the ceiling, and I wanted to catch the dust at the source, instead of letting it travel all over the shop before finding the filter

Of course I built it long before everyone even made the ones for hanging on the ceiling, but I have never seen a reason to move it. When hard at work you can see the cloud of dust being sucked right into the filter, and the shop air stays quite clean of visible dust. I must say that the back of it is not blocked by a wall, so the 1500 cfm airflow is not blocked in any way.


----------



## FaTToaD (Oct 19, 2009)

Tom, great looking router table and air cleaner! I don't think mine's going to look that nice. I'm glad to hear it works good on the ground, depending on how big the fan is that I'm getting, I may need to leave it on the ground. If I do, I'll probably throw a couple box fans with filters on the ceiling in other parts of the shop. Thanks for the info.


----------



## Robw (Jan 12, 2011)

David, interesting subject. Nice to see all the solutions to home made air cleaners. About 15+ years ago when I rewired and drywalled my small shop I built in an air filter between the rafters (24" centers) and above the sealing (only about 7.5' high). The air enters just in from the wall on one side thru 2 furnace filters thru a fairly powerfull fan and back in on the other side of the shop (the shop is 10' across). I have it wired to a timer switch and it works quite well. One of these days I will get some pictures of my shop posted, I think that I use my 10X20 shop about as efficiently as possable (always looking for space saving ideas). Good luck with this.

Rob


----------

