# Air Filtration Devices



## PaulDoug (Sep 26, 2013)

I have a shop in my basement, about the size of a one car garage. I have pretty good dust collection, not sophisticated as some,,, I drag a hose around from the dust collector to the bigger machines and have a Fein dust extractor plumbed into my scroll saws. I do a lot of scrolling and still get a fine dust in the shop.

I have been thinking of getting one of the air filter that hang from the ceiling. I wonder if they really do a good job. I have read mixed reviews. Are they any better than a box fan with a filter on it?

I might add, I am a poor old man, so I cannot afford a real elaborate one. I'm looking for like a Wen 3410 which says it would be right for my size shop. Don't want to waste money, buy would like to improve things in my shop.

Are they forth bothering with…?


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## kelvancra (May 4, 2010)

I think the answer, as to whether or not they are worth the bother, can be reached by considering your common HVAC systems. Many, like ours, use the five inch filters and catch a lot of dust. We can run up to a MERV 8 filter on ours.

I am planning on building my own filter, which will use two five inch filters, for increased air flow and so I can run even finer filters (e.g., MERV 13).

The simple project will take advantage of the three speeds common to such types of fans.

The system will take advantage of cheaper filters (e.g., the 1" glass and foam) in front of the better ones to reduce their load.

Ill install a simple manometer to allow me to track when the filters are loading.

If your not familiar with such things, these are simple projects. The most complicated is, buying the four tiered wafer switch, installing jumpers to each level to feed hot for the low, medium and high speeds. The manometer is just a plastic hose in a U and with an IV dial control to control draw on the liquid.

The whole beast shouldn't take more than about a 2'x2' square area and, with wheels, can be moved from room to room.

The switch may be as much as $20.00 and a sheet of plywood about $30.00. The fan should be free, if you grovel to a few HVAC repair shops.


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## Redoak49 (Dec 15, 2012)

I have the Jet Air Filter and it makes a big difference in my shop. Even with a very good dust collector there is some dust in the air and the air filter does a great job cleaning it up.


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## GR8HUNTER (Jun 13, 2016)

i do think you would be very happy with this purchase Paul :<))


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## MikeWix (Mar 23, 2009)

Paul I've been using one of the Shop Vac air cleaners and it seems to do the job. I have it set up on a tool table near my saw, and am able to move it around the shop when needed. It catches dust down to 5 microns. Also reasonably priced. Thinking of building a movable rolling stand of some sort. hope this helps.Shop Vac Air Cleaner 1030000


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## Tillir (Feb 18, 2018)

I purchased the Wen a couple of months ago. I have a two car garage for a shop. The Wen is suspended from the ceiling. The remote works and the system moves a lot of air. I'm satisfied with my purchase, but dust still settles . I use a dust devil and have accepted dust as part of making sawdust.


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## kelvancra (May 4, 2010)

I should add the side note that, dust collectors aside, and which it needs to function, one of the biggest boost I gave dust collection in my shop was, adding a sanding table.

Mine runs off one of the dust collectors, is about 24" by 30", has adjustable sides, back and a top, to focus all the air pull from where you are. Adding sides, back and top improved the efficiency about 500% or more.

My only regret is, I didn't make it bigger. Even now, I do a bit of routering in it for things my table can't handle and it makes a huge difference there too.


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## JackDuren (Oct 10, 2015)

> I have a shop in my basement, about the size of a one car garage. I have pretty good dust collection, not sophisticated as some,,, I drag a hose around from the dust collector to the bigger machines and have a Fein dust extractor plumbed into my scroll saws. I do a lot of scrolling and still get a fine dust in the shop.
> 
> I have been thinking of getting one of the air filter that hang from the ceiling. I wonder if they really do a good job. I have read mixed reviews. Are they any better than a box fan with a filter on it?
> 
> ...


They do a very good job. The problem and I'm guilty on as many at times for not keeping the main outside filter clean. It's like a vacumn cleaner, you have to keep it cleaned as the dust collection unit..

My suggestion is to go to home Depot,etc and pick up spare filters even if you have cut them down and use the hot glue gun to reconstruct a $5 filter as I do….

Some cut the hard frame off aND Meryl put a big rubber band around the outside like a glove…


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## WoodenDreams (Aug 23, 2018)

I have the WEN 3410 in my shop which is about 14×14. This does a very good job for me. When sanding aromatic cedar you can see how much wading dust it collects. New Wen filters are about $18 for a pair. The filters can be vacuumed or air blown outdoors, to get more use before needing a new filter. In the last 3 yrs, I have not had to replace the inner 1 micron filter yet, The 5 micron I've replaced a couple times a yr.


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## LesB (Dec 21, 2008)

Many of us have built our own air filter systems either using a box fan or "better" a recycled squirrel cage blower from an old home heating/air conditioning system. Check with local heating and cooling businesses for used blowers. Mine is in the base of a rolling cabinet the top of which I use as a sharpening station. I can roll it to where I need it but you could also built it as a ceiling mounted unit. I use a double 1" X 25"X25 furnace filter; the outer one is a coarse filter and the inner one is a fine filter. The filters are blown clean as needed and reused several times before replacement. Mine also serves to circulate the heat from a wood burning stove.


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## Rick13403 (Oct 21, 2008)

I have the Shop Fox version and it does a good job of keeping sawdust under control. I love the delayed off, when I'm leaving the shop for the night I put it on 1 hour delay. I also am a scroller so I also have the Shop Vac unit on the side of the saw with a fan on the other side so that the sawdust is pushed into the unit. I only use that one when I am actually scrolling. Between the two units I have eliminated a good portion of saw dust from the air and shop. I also take apart both units to do a deep cleaning of the filters.
Rick


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

I agree with Les and others who suggest building your own AIR "Filtration" System. Notice, I did NOT say "dust collector"

I have built two of these with old squirrel cage furnace blower motors when I replaced old failing units in my house. I used a stack of various filters FPR 2, 5, 7, 10 in order to catch everything:
https://www.lumberjocks.com/topics/241361


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## sepeck (Jul 15, 2012)

I have that WEN unit. Pretty happy with it. I like the timer so I let it run for a while after I leave the shop. I do not have a dust meter or whatever but it seems to be working nicely.

I have seen the built it stuff, but frankly I like the new stuff like the timer, that it's quiet and that power draw is probably more efficient then a converted blower. I have found that i really don't like building things like that which is a personal quirk,


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## therealSteveN (Oct 29, 2016)

Totally around the bend, and down another complete lane. Crank up an ozonator, and the stuff falls out of the air. Biggest problem is in large amounts it can foul the plates they heat up to make the ozone. If you could keep the ozone blowing out, and stop the particles from coming through the fan, we would all be using one. A 24×48 shop would be dust free, at least anything floating in about a half hour. Keep it running, and you may never see a dust mote again.










I have a few of these from way back. Gonna do some research.


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## AlanWS (Aug 28, 2008)

Whether an air filter of this sort is effective depends on what you expect it to do. If you expect it to diminish the amount of fine dust as you produce it, and subsequently lower the level to a very protective point, it will be very effective.

While a box fan can more around a lot of air without a filter, as you restrict its flow by adding filters it gets much less effective. There is a reason that fans to filter air have a different design from fans to simply blow it around.

My experience with this came when we had a significant flood that put several feet of water into my basement shop. After the water receded, I needed to tear out the flooring, which grew mold underneath it. Using 3 box fans with filters and two dehumidifiers got it fairly dry, but I developed an allergy to the mold. I bought a Jet air filter (similar to many other brands, but having an appropriate fan and good filter) and this removed the allergens from the air quickly, and has kept it out for years. The box fans were not in the same league, even with filters appropriate for allergens (pretty small particles.)

Particle counters tell the same story: while you put dust in the air, you will see particle counts go up. Wear a mask while doing so to have the lowest exposure. But an air cleaner will take the particles out at a reasonable rate. Leave it running for a couple of hours after you leave the shop, and it will have cleaner air than the rest of your house.

In allergy season my wife asks me to open the doors to the rest of the house, turn on the air cleaner and a fan, and circulate house air to remove pollen. It works.

One other thing: in a basement shop, the ceilings may not be high enough to put the air cleaner overhead-mine aren't. I put mine under the right wing of my tablesaw, making sure there is a clear path for air circulation. The clean air outlet points at my hand tool bench.


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## fivecodys (Dec 2, 2013)

I put one in as part of my dust collection install.
I was surprised by the results.

https://www.lumberjocks.com/reviews/11952


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## tvrgeek (Nov 19, 2013)

I too built my own using an old furnace blower and 4 inch 20×20 MERV 13 filters. Not too expensive mail order. 
The difference is very noticeable. It moves a LOT more air than any of the pre-built jobs. You might be able to get a blower from your local HVAC shops as they pull out all the time. I have not put a timer on it yet as the only ones I found are not for induction motors. I may need to use it to control a relay.


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## kelvancra (May 4, 2010)

Ozenators have their place, but I don't think they are a good fit for this.

Ozone is an oxidant and beats up plastic, lungs…..

The Navy uses what is called a transcripitor, which is an air scrubber, which operates by giving things drawn through it a high voltage, positive charge, after which it is drawn through a metal pipe with a negative charge. The debris sticks to the metal pipe, which is vertical. When the nasty high voltage is off, the debris falls down into a tray, which is emptied for the next round.

After the grid that gives the particles their positive charge gets dirty, you start getting arcing and ozone.



> Totally around the bend, and down another complete lane. Crank up an ozonator, and the stuff falls out of the air. Biggest problem is in large amounts it can foul the plates they heat up to make the ozone. If you could keep the ozone blowing out, and stop the particles from coming through the fan, we would all be using one. A 24×48 shop would be dust free, at least anything floating in about a half hour. Keep it running, and you may never see a dust mote again.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## PaulDoug (Sep 26, 2013)

I have looked an several home built plans and such, but the Wen is pretty reasonable and I do not have the cage fan, the other electrical stuff… being 76 years old, my time is valuable to me,,,, I think I will buy. Well with the stock market where it is,,,, maybe I can't. I will have to wait a little and see… Thanks for the input from all. Now I know that no matter the direction I take, it is a worthy investment.


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## JackDuren (Oct 10, 2015)

> I have looked an several home built plans and such, but the Wen is pretty reasonable and I do not have the cage fan, the other electrical stuff… being 76 years old, my time is valuable to me,,,, I think I will buy. Well with the stock market where it is,,,, maybe I can t. I will have to wait a little and see… Thanks for the input from all. Now I know that no matter the direction I take, it is a worthy investment.
> 
> - PaulDoug


Keep an eye on your local Craigslist, etc. I have on occasion seen them come up, not often but from time to time…


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