9Electric Tools
Ventilation
Welding
fumes can be toxic. I built a ventilation system to help suck the fumes out of
my garage. I chose to use a HEPA filter from a thrift store. I figured it would
be cheap, quiet, and powerful. Squirrel cage fans are supposed to develop
better pressure, and be better for long tubes. Regular window fans move the air
fast, but the air is stopped easily. My HEPA filter has a squirrel cage fan.
Working
left to right, the silver hose is a higher temperature hose – I was afraid
plastic dryer hose might melt at the end near the welding. The white plastic
part is from the HEPA filter. The metal cone is just a thin piece of sheet
steel, rolled into a cone, to hook up to a hose. It is slipped over an all
metal dryer vent that goes to the outside world.
This
just shows the hose going from the HEPA filter part down to the welding table.
I put the dryer vent as high as I could, so the hot fumes could go up. I still
need to make something that will hold the end of the tube above the table. At
the upper left you can see the 9Electric rear sway bar being stored – it was in
the way of engine removal.
These
pictures show how the inside of the hose started blackening after just a few
uses. I’m glad that black is not inside my lungs!