Shop exhaust fans

[Chuck Gedraitis Knives]

I'm looking to install an exhaust fan in my grinding room to get some air flow, remove smoke and airborne dust. It could be placed to just blow outside.
Anyone think that a portable blower ventilator fan would work?

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Or am I better off with a wall mounted exhaust fan with shutters?

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Thanks in advance,
Chuck

 

[Patrice Lemée]

I'd go with the wall mounted fan if you can do it. Neat and out of the way. I imagine you already have some kind of dust extraction system in place.

 

[ecos]

I don't know about the portable one but I hooked up a shuttered wall mount one about 6months ago towards the peak of the roof to evacuate hot air and cut down on airborne dust and it works well.

 

[timgunn1962]

If all you will ever want to do is send the dusty, smoky air outside, the wall-mounted plate fan will likely give the most air moved for the power consumed.

The portable ducted ones usually give a greater pressure differential, as they need to be able to overcome the ducting losses. They'll generally move air at a higher velocity than a plate fan, but the fan area is generally smaller, so the volume flow is less. If you are going to be using ducting, hoods, etc to localize the extraction to, say, your grinder and sander, the ducted fan is the better choice.

If you might want to add a filter box at some point and recirculate the cleaned air within the shop, the portable is probably better for you. If you need to heat or cool your shop, this will save you energy by not sending the warmed or cooled air straight out through the wall.

At the end of the day, both will work, but which will work best for you will depend more on things like your shop layout, how you work and your climate, than simply on the fan specs. The climate is significant

 

[12345678910]

The wall shutter fan will move air, but it's pretty noisy compared to furnace fan type cage fans.

 

[Bill DeShivs]

I installed a cheap wall-mount unit from Tractor Supply. While it works, I wish I had gotten a better industrial unit. The louvers don't seal tightly. I also had to install a screen outside-lots of bugs in the South. I have a friend who installed 2 industrial units in his shop. If the widows are closed and the door is opened while the fans are running, it would take a big man to push the door closed!