How to deal with or eliminate shop dust

bellinoracing · Dec 10, 2016

We have been a a drought for several months and have lots of dry powder dirt outside. My shop is spray foam insulated so it is pretty air tight and the doors are kept closed as much as possible but dust in the shop is still becoming a problem. Has one else ever had this problem? Is there any way to fix or help it? The shop is fairly new and the vegetation around the shop has not completely came back yet so that don't help. I have some weed and grass seed I am going to throw outside if and when we get moisture so I think that will help. I was also thinking about maybe a couple cheap househole air purifiers. Or maybe there is a bigger better more industrial solution.

Larry Dickman · Dec 10, 2016

bellinoracing said:
I have some weed and grass

So don't worry about it. :smoking:

Comatose · Dec 10, 2016

I bought my building from a bricklayers union who has used it for the past decade as a winter training hall. So there was masonry dust in every nook, cranny and crevice.

M-3 - Iowa Distributing Co., Inc.

These guys really do the business. We installed a number of them (it is a pretty big building), then before the move spent a couple days with backpack leaf blowers and masks kicking up all the dust from the ceiling and walls and fixtures and outlets. Really helped. We still have them going, and they also do a nice job of reducing typical dust, smoke and mists.

Household filters are fine for a room. For an industrial shop you want an industrial solutions.

Steven-Canada · Dec 10, 2016

What kind of filtration do you have on incoming AC air ?

You can install filtered air intake with fan pushing air

Created Positive pressurized airflow with clean air pushing inside out.
Less dust ingress

Sea Farmer · Dec 10, 2016

The people who live around the wildfires in the Smoky Mountains have been using air conditioners to try to reduce the smoke particles inside their buidings. A friend there told me he just took some old ones and set them up freestanding on tables, running them on the air-only settings to force air through the filters without chilling the rooms too much.

He has a recording studio with lots of electronics and was trying to reduce airborne soot particles. The equipment has survived but he's not sure if the air conditioners really made the difference. But it's a thought.

Spyderedge · Dec 10, 2016

Dust is one of my biggest concerns in the shop. I have no problems with cuts and general shop grime, but clogged lungs and silicosis isn't appealing to me.

Look into woodworking air cleaners, they work very well especially in the woodshop where dust particles have a low density and get sucked up easily. Put it next to any surface or TC grinders you may have.

Hanging Air Filter, 3-Speed | Grizzly Industrial

CalG · Dec 10, 2016

Pressure! via filtered out door air.

Then add an electrostatic air cleaner. They are a pain to clean, but do the job.

Plantings around the building will not do much when the winds blow. And I would bet that is when the most dust enters your building.

Chip Chester · Dec 10, 2016

The air handlers noted above look like the right thing. I've used the poor-man's version around various construction projects: either standard wood shop dust collectors, or a cheapie 20" box fan with a 20x20 furnace filter taped to it on the intake side. Place several around the shop, and kick up the dust with blowers and leave them run all weekend.

Once you get it clean, maybe look at slight pressurization by filtered air so dust becomes outbound instead of inbound.

Chip

Bill D · Dec 10, 2016

Claim is most of the gray dust found inside a home is actually dead skin cells sloughed of by the human inhabitants. That is why it is the same color all over the world regardless of the color of the dirt outside. Of course any outside dirt added to the inside skin dust will shift the dust color from gray to more of the dirt color.
This is why much office furniture is painted that light dust grey, saves cleaning.
Bill D.

pmack · Dec 10, 2016

I have a Powermatic PM1200 air filtration system in my shop. It does a good job of pulling mist and dust from the shop air. I need to get another as one is marginal for 3,000 square feet.

PeteM · Dec 10, 2016

Not sure the size of your shop, but a cheap option for me (the wood shop part) was to buy old Honeywell HEPA filters (low cylinder looking things) and mount two of them to the ceiling. These filter finer particles than most semi-industrial units and cost very little used. The outer foam filter catches most of the larger junk floating in the air, the inner pleated filter catches the fine dust. These are quiet and might work for you in an office or QC room.

In your case, might want to add some sort of vestibule outside the door -- even just plastic -- to reduce pulling in so much dust each time you open the door. Imagine you're heading into a clean room.

As Steven and others suggest, slight positive air pressure in your relatively tight building is another aid. If you have any filtration system that dumps to outside air (e.g. some dust and mist collection systems), you're pulling in that dusty outside air each time your open a door or window -- or even through a small opening anywhere in the building skin.

Edster · Dec 10, 2016

I've got a couple of these.

M-25 - Iowa Distributing Co., Inc.

They work good, are simple, and relativly cheap.

tdmidget · Dec 10, 2016

"We have been a a drought for several months "

I thought you had been in Arizona for a while. In any case I've been there 21 years and been in a drought the whole time

. Throwing grass seed out there may make you feel better but it will only do anything when the occasional rain comes. Be careful of invasive species, That's about all that survives. Alas, dust and desert seem to be partners.

CalG · Dec 10, 2016

Bill D said:
Claim is most of the gray dust found inside a home is actually dead skin cells sloughed of by the human inhabitants. That is why it is the same color all over the world regardless of the color of the dirt outside. Of course any outside dirt added to the inside skin dust will shift the dust color from gray to more of the dirt color.
This is why much office furniture is painted that light dust grey, saves cleaning.
Bill D.

Bill
You have not yet experienced Arizona wind born dust. The OP is not concerned about epidermal slough.

Shaybuilder · Dec 10, 2016

I seem to machine a lot of cast iron and I have a Grizzly 3 speed ceiling mounted air cleaner over the lathes and it does a good job. I was surprised how dirty the filters get in a short period of time. I know Grizzly is an unmentionable brand but it was inexpensive and does a good job.

Larry Dickman · Dec 11, 2016

In all seriousness, I live where there is nothing but dirt and wind. My neighbor surrounded his place with gravel and says it worked wonders for keeping the dust down. IT's cheap and maintenance free.

jCandlish · Dec 11, 2016

I'll venture in with my opinion.

1st: Spray the lot down with your waste oil. There are lots of invisible ways to do this. Running a steam cleaner outside comes to mind. Give the outside dust something to stick to.

2nd: Dust is easier to ex-filtrate if it is stuck onto something. Like water vapour. Yeah that sucks if you are near the dew point and there is risk of condensation on bear metal, but dust and water vapour have an ionic attraction that builds up bigger and easier to filter particles. Higher humidity == less dust. Ultrasonic foggers are ideal for this application.

3rd: Electrostatic filter.

Bill D · Dec 11, 2016

He said it had not rained in a few months and he was calling that a drought. He also said he had thrown out some grass seed. I did not realize he lived in the Sonora desert. In central California, where I live, it rains from maybe November to march. No rain the rest of the year. So going six months or so without rain is not considered a drought here. This climate is not desert either just Mediterranean type with wet and dry seasons.
Bil lD.
Modesto, CA

akoncurtains · Apr 2, 2019

You might consider using a dusting enclosure which is basically a curtain system for containing the dust in a specific area. You can combine this with a dust the filtration system so that the dust has not become overbearing. We have used this on our systems for our CNC machines and the dust control curtains have helped the situation greatly. If you leave yourself about 8 feet on each side and then enclose the equipment using the plastic dust curtains that will leave you enough room to walk around comfortably. One thing to note here.. You're going to want to run these all the way to the ceiling or you're going to want to get the dusting enclosure with a clear ceiling which is basically just clear plastic that lays over the top. If that's not possible at least in closing the machine partially will be a great help.. There's a few companies that supply these.. We got ours from AKON Curtains The Best Dust Control Methods For Warehouses - Akon – Curtain and Dividers..

Larry Dickman · Apr 2, 2019

You got yours from Akon Curtains? But, you ARE Akon Curtains. Not even a remotely clever attempt at spam.

How to deal with or eliminate shop dust

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