Ventilation in Basement Windows?

[Peter Atwood]

Alright, I'm spoiled. My current setup has my KMG right smack dab in front of a large window. The box fan in the window does a fantastic job of pulling dust and fumes out of sight and mind. It really clears everything out fast which is really nice when you're grinding stuff like ti, G10 and S30v.

But things are changing. I'm getting a large new basement to move my shop to and everything will be different. My windows are now going to be those little tiny types high up by the sill plates. Does anyone have a source for vents, fans, blowers, etc. that fit that size window and will have some sucking power? I realize I will probably have to do some kind of serious dust collection arrangement as well but metal fumes are really bad for you too. What have you all done?

 

[Mike Hull]

I met a maker in Anaheim Calif., a number of years ago. he had one of those attic vent fans mounted between the joists of his wall, right behind his grinder. I thought it was a good idea, till I looked outside. Nothing would grow in the exhaust area of that fan, not even weeds. The rest of his back yard was full of growth, and greenery.
Made me think.
I think the best thing is something that captures particles, and just vents vapors.

 

[Peter Atwood]

I hear you Mike. I'm thinking I may run PVC pipe around the room and have tees with caps on them at all the machine locations. Then I think I'll make up a flexible hose type of thing that I can bring from machine to machine and just plug it in to pick up the dust. All this would run to a central vac in a soundproofed closet. I'm gonna stick the compressor in there too.

 

[C. Marlowe]

Hi Peter, when I moved to my new house I faced a similar prob. Had the huge benefit of a basment shop, but the prob of venting the bad stuff. What I did was to build a seperate grinding room in the shop ( added a wall to seperate it ). I use a dust collector to catch all the dust and large crap. I use a kitchen range hood, mounted over the grinder and vented outside to exhuast the small airborne stuff and the fumes. Thus far the setup works really well, with both running I can clear the room in about 10 minutes. Good luck -- Charles

 

[Peter Atwood]

Cool Charles! That sounds like a good route to explore. I like the kitchen range hood idea alot, as long as it has a decent fan in it that is. Will look into it.