Pro tip: I just learned how much a paint booth filter really catches

I was cleaning out the filters on our shop's big downdraft booth this morning, the one we got from Global Finishing Solutions about two years ago. I always knew they got dirty, but I decided to actually weigh the old ones before I tossed them. The main intake filter for a standard sedan job, just one car, had picked up almost two full pounds of dust and overspray. Two pounds! That's from the air in my own shop, stuff I'm breathing before it gets filtered. It really hit me how much junk is floating around even when you think you're keeping things clean. I found this out because our safety guy made us start tracking it for a new air quality thing. Makes you think about all the times you might skip a filter change because it 'looks okay'. How often do you guys actually change your booth filters, and do you have a set schedule or just go by eye?

2 comments

2 Comments

hannaht293d ago

Wow, that's a crazy amount of weight to actually see measured out... I read an article a while back about how those fine particles are the real health problem, way worse than just seeing dust in the air. It's the stuff you can't see that gets deep in your lungs. Your safety guy is onto something with tracking it. Going by eye seems like a bad plan after hearing your numbers. Makes me wonder what's piling up in home garage setups with no real filtration at all.

knight.diana3d ago

Exactly, and it's the same with so many things we just accept as normal now. We see a dusty shelf and wipe it, but never think about the air itself being full of that same stuff. It's like we've all decided if we can't see a problem clearly, it must not be that bad. But the facts are right there in the weight of what gets caught in a good filter. Makes you question every hazy room or dusty workspace you've ever been in, because that fine powder is definitely going somewhere, and it's usually into people.