Venting extracted dust from the workshop

[Silverbirch]

I`m planning on moving my extractor to a small built-on (yet to be built!) outside the workshop, when the better weather comes. (That`s assuming we get some better weather in 2012. It seemed to pass my part of the world by last year :roll: ).
I want to free up a little more space and try to cut down the amount of dust circulating around the workshop.
Being a bit of a softie, my workshop is heated with an oil filled radiator during the colder months, so my question is whether
I`ll lose a lot of heat through warm air being vented outside.
Any comments on how much of a problem this is likely to be and can anything be done to minimise it?

Ian

 

[CHJ]

Can you arrange for the replacement air source and path to be shortest route and avoid it tracking across the bulk of the workshop space.
I'm fortunate in having opening windows all round so that even on the coldest day I can have high airflow rates in and through my lathe extractor and expelair without undue loss of the bulk of the warm air in the shed.

 

[Silverbirch]

Thanks for your reply, Chas. So if I had the extractor hose sited near an open ventilator, it would tend to draw a portion of its air supply from outside and vent it back out again?

Ian

 

[CHJ]

You obviously need any extraction hose input as close to the source of the dust as possible but if you can arrange things so that the replacement air comes in locally and positioned so that the airflow entrains most of the dust produced as it passes through the shortest route without freezing you in the winter then all the better.

Of course there is bound to be some heat loss due to warm air/cold air flow mixing but I manage to get enough flow along the length of my lathe bed without cooling of my hands.

In the summer months I open up windows on the opposite side of the shop so that fresh dust free air is drawn through the whole shop and past me and into the chip extractor and expelair to obtain maximum benefit.

Just make sure your extractor exhaust is not immediately outside your fresh air intake.

 

[Silverbirch]

That makes sense. I should be able to arrange things along the lines you describe without too much difficulty.
Thanks again.

Ian

 

[robo hippy]

Some of the newer cloth and (better yet) pleated paper filters will remove dust down to 1 micron. No need to vent outside of the shop and lose what warm air you have.

robo hippy

 

[Silverbirch]

Hmm, I haven`t explored that option. I`m not sure if my rather basic machine could be upgraded in that way, but it`s certainly worth investigating.

Ian