Air Cleaner

[bjbear76]

Does anyone have any experience with these types of air cleaners.
Buy WoodRiver 3 Speed Air Cleaner at Woodcraft.com
My shop adjoins the kitchen and in the spring time, we like to leave the door open to let fresh air in. Does it do a decent job of filtering the shop air?
Are there other brands that are a better investment?
Thanks,
Bill

 

[ElMostro]

Let me start by saying I HATE DUST!
All of these air cleaners work pretty much the same, they have a squirrel cage fan that pull air through one end through 2 or 3 filters and blows the "clean air" out the other end. They work BUT unless you are collecting/controlling the dust at the source you will still have a dust problem in the shop. I have one that runs all day and for about 2 hours after I close the shop for the day and a smaller one that I run behind my pen lathe when I am sanding in addition to two dust collectors with aftermarket 1 micron woven filters hooked up to the table saw, band saws and jointer and drum sander and a vacuum with a HEPA filter for my smaller sanders and tools when I am doing flat work but there is still plenty of fine dust around the shop.

For example if you are sanding and do not have a dust collection attachment on your sander the dust produced settles around your immediate work area, eventually some of the settled dust will be disturbed and displaced; some will become airborne and hopefully make it to the air cleaner intake side but most is just going to move and relocate around the work area. As you walk around and if you have a fan going and with the turbulence created by the air cleaner itself the dust that was not collected at the source will move around the shop and resettle so eventually you will have the dreaded layer of fine dust everywhere.

Don't get me wrong the air cleaners do collect some of the fine dust and makes the air a bit cleaner than if you didn't have one but on its own it will not give you a dust-free shop. So, if you want a cleaner shop the key is to collect the dust as close to the source as possible, clean up the area you are working at before you move on to the next one and let the air cleaner take care of the airborne dust you cannot see but is floating around.

 

[Rodnall]

FYI. Those filters, I'm told, are best used when your done working and are out of the shop because they will be blowing the dust around until it gets filtered. You don't want to use it while your in the shop, as it stirs the dust up and you will be breathing it until it get filtered.

 

[Swagopenturner]

I operate a small cabinet shop that funds my addiction for pen turning! I have a dust collector that gets hooked to whatever tool I am using at the time and it does a very good job of sucking up most of the chips and dust. I also use a homemade air cleaner all day. It noticeably cleans up the very microscopic dust that usually hangs in the air or gets blown around. I couldn't see spending $300 on one when I could easily build one. PM me if you want the plans.

 

[kovalcik]

I have the Jet version. It seems to do a good job. Since the exhaust is pointing to the "clean" side of the shop, it does not disturb much dust while running and if how often I need to clean the filter is any indication it does a great job collecting what dust is in the air. And that is with a separate dust collector running to collect dust at the machines.

 

[Indiana_Parrothead]

They work okay but as others have said if you don't have a good dust collector are the point of origin get one before you invest in an air cleaner. And by good dust collector I mean a high CFM dust collector not a shop vac. The dust collectors move high volumes of air which is need to really get dust. Shop vacs are good for chips but not great at dust. As someone else mentioned a 1 micron filter also helps.

Mike

 

[Jim Burr]

I have a Jet 1000 air scrubber. Consult the acknowledged expert before purchasing anything!

 

[bjbear76]

Thanks for all the input and advice. I have a small dust collector that I rarely use just because it is more of a chip collector rather than dust collector. I guess $$ would best be spent toward a decent dust collection system.

 

[Edgar]

Here's my air cleaner - about $75 including the filters.
Replacement filters run about $20

 

[avbill]

Edgar can you explain what you did it looks like a big 24 " fan with with filters

 

[raar25]

I also two 20X20 box fans on at each end of the shop. Just tape the best 4" filter with carbon pre-filter and it also helps reduce some odors. The Mirv 20+ filters are availalbe on amazon for about $27. But I will echo what others have said, you need the best duct collection possible right at the point of generation as well.

 

[JohnGreco]

I bought a Penn State AC1000 a year ago but apparently they are no longer making them....?

Similar to the one you linked. I have a Delta dust collector with ports at each machine, the bag is rated to collect down to 1 micron but I still had dust EVERYWHERE. I got the air filter, hung it from the ceiling and turned it on. WOW! Dust literally was being sucked into the air from the surfaces. I left and let it run for an hour then gave everything a good vacuuming. Now I don't do anything in the shop until I turn on the air filter. It "feels" like it is blowing dust around, but it is easier for it to get dust in the air before it falls to a surface. I always have a respirator so not worried about anything it is sucking into the air while I'm in there. Especially now that I am mostly working with stone, air quality is even more important. I could never imagine being in the shop working without it running now. I still get -some- light dust, but nothing like it used to be.

 

[plano_harry]

Bill, at 1 micron it will get the stuff you can see, but probably pass the stuff that will kill you in the recirculated air -- but your shop will look better

I collect at the point of use, separate the visible stuff and blow the invisible stuff outside -- that would work most of the year in Ohio, although with enough money, you could run it through a 0.3 micron filter instead of exhausting it.

 

[Edgar]

Edgar can you explain what you did it looks like a big 24 " fan with with filters

That's basically it - but it's a 20" fan with a 20" filter grill duct taped to the back to make filter changeout easy. There's room to put two filters in the grill housing so I use a cheapo filter to catch the big stuff and a better filter to catch small stuff.

I use the best filter I can buy at Home Depot - it's got a 1 micron rating.
Honeywell 20 in. x 20 in. x 1 in. Ultimate Allergen Pleated Air Filter-91001.012020 at The Home Depot

Edgar