Building a Spray Booth

**dvelleux** · 12-23-2010, 01:50 PM

Folks,

I am planning to build a spray booth shortly. The booth will be 8' wide by 12' long by 9' tall. Since that is roughly 1000CF, I plan to use four (4) of the following blowers:

http://www.drillspot.com/products/43...DR4_PSC_Blower

Each draws .43 amps at 230V, which I have along one wall where I want the booth. I need to go horizontally with my exhausts, rather than vertically. I will use 2" x 6" to form the booth roof, then sheath it will drywall and mount filters in front of the blowers' intakes. I ONLY use HVLP/LVLP guns and, of course, I will use protective gear...

The one end is a "Freedom door" to the outside world. I plan on making triple sliding doors for the other end, with replaceable filters for air intake...

Does this sound workable? Thanks in advance...

**cabinetman** · 12-24-2010, 04:48 AM

You might want to check out any used booths for sale. Some of the production booths are designed for maximum efficiency. I've made makeshift booths, and they still don't compare to a dedicated setup. A "legal" booth will have options for safe and effective lighting, and if you are in a very strict area may have to comply with local codes. This could mean a fire system.

**FrankC** · 12-28-2010, 09:26 PM

It does not look like the those exhaust fans have explosion proof motors could be a bit risky, might want to investigate a little more.

**Tony B** · 01-01-2011, 11:37 AM

If this is a commercial shop, you will be subject to inspection by fire marshalls on a somewhat regular basis. Depending on how knowledgeable they are, will determine how well and to what the specs will be.
If on the other hand, it is an unlicensed hobby shop, you will not be bothered by these people. So..........just use common sense and you will be just fine.
First off, lets consider that these are definitely NOT explosion proof motors. They can still be operated safely though if you follow this precaution.....Always turn on the fans for at least 1 minute before spraying and leave them on for approx. 5 minutes after you are finished spraying. This will keep the vapor concentration in the air well below the LEL (Lower Explosive Limit). This is a procedure used with gasoline inboard motors on boats.
Also, comon sense will tell you if the room is starting to fog up with either vapor fumes or dust. Dust can be flamable and explosive. Stop spraying immediately. If for some reason, you did not turn on your fans first, DO NOT do it now. A spark from your fan motor definitely the dust/fumes. Get your ass out of the both and open doors for ventillation.
Blowers...not sure how well they will work as compared to fans. The intake on blowers is more concentrated air than a general scope of air intake from a normal fan. This may or may not affect air flow in your booth.
Normally the air should be exchanged in your booth about 2 to 5 minutes. If your booth is 1000CFM your 4 fans may be a bit too much and create a wind. Because they are blowers and not exhaust fans, you will have to experiment.
Good luck. I know you will enjoy spraying.

**dvelleux** · 02-12-2011, 09:29 PM

Folks,

I did further investigation on a spray booth. A booth CAN be built EASILY. The biggest requirement is one needs to take the square footage of the booth, then multiply by 100 to get the CFM wanted by NFPA & OSHA. Since my desired booth footprint is 80SF, the fan must be a minimum of 8000 CFM at 1/4" Static Pressure. A 24" fan will give that CFM easily. I found a company in Michigan that has American-made 24" fan units available with 115/230VAC single phase motors for under $825.00, three phase for slightly less...

I still plan on making triple sliding doors for the other end, with replaceable filters for air intake. The tube axial fan will use dual filters on the intake...