Squirrell cage fan for Paint-booth ventillation ??

I'm preparing to put a paint booth in the shed and have some squirrell cage fans. They move a lot of air, and would be really nice to exhaust the booth while painting. I'm a little concerned with paint/air mixture passing over the motor (sparking away) inside the fan. I don't have enough money for a shielded type of exhaust system.

I know I could use it as a forced induction (going in), but the other way would be soo much easier.

Have you guys had any experience with the squirrell cages sucking out the bad air / explosions / etc?

Thanks,
49 T&C

 

A friends of mine uses an old furnace fan, squirrel cage with belt drive. I am sure he did not do anything special and his booth has not blown up yet. He does filter the air but that is mostly to keep the paint from coating the fan and stuff. If you don't want to try and see if things go bang, check out the surplus stores for an enclosed motor to put on an old furnace fan. Neal

 

If you use a belt drive fan and enclose the motor it should be fine.
If you use an internal motor squirrel cage,you could have a problem....Once

 

We used a squirrell cage fan for years in the shop I worked at, nothing real fancy. Three roll down and up clear plastic curtains, ends held closed with spring clamps and the fan that exausted out one removable panel in the overhead door. We did make a wood frame around the motor and used oil furnace filters on the sides and top to trap the paint overspray and keep the yard clean. If you have neighbors close by this is a must.

 

I used an old furnace blower for years to vent paint fumes out of my garage. Never had a problem with the motor causing an explosion...if the motor on the compressor and the cigarette didn't light anything off then the small motor on the fan wasn't going to hurt. I used a furnace filter to keep the chunks off the neighbor's property but wasn't sharp enough to filter the air going IN to the blower. About once every dozen paint jobs I'd have to scrape the buildup off the curved fan blades. In some shops I've seen they use a portable blower and a length of flex tube, this keeps the blower out of the way of the painting...

 

I know a guy who used to paint in the winter in the garage with his rocket heater going. If it was really fumie, you would get a flame extending out the end of the heater, but that's about it. apperently, it takes alot of paint fumes to cause an explosion.

 

My homemade booth is just like 37Kid's...works just fine!

 

Contact Fab32.
He has a filtering system using a squirrel cage.

 

Thanks for the quick replies. I'll try to get ahold of FAB32. I was going to filter the air coming in, but it would be just as easy to filter the air going into the fan as well.

Thanks,
49 T&C

 

A filter between the booth and fan is a really cheap way to save yourself a lot of work down the road, chipping paint off the blades and fan frame. I use a huge-ass squirrel cage with an enclosed motor, all stainless steel. Was made to go on top of a restaurant, found it in a farm sale.