Further Exhausting Questions

[Barb Macdonald]

never seems to end with me, does it? We are moving our shop, and at the new place, I'd like to try something else. The set-up I have now is totally deafening. That's not the problem, though.

The problem has always been losing suction as the 6" exhaust pipe run from the engraver has been up and out the roof, about 18'. I'd like to try this, if you guys think it might be feasible. Why can't I have two exhausts from the two ports, that then will "empty" into a "container"? Kinda like what wood workers do?

I have an epilog legend EXT, 24"x 36" bed, and it's been a challenge to have enough power to exhaust. Since we added a blower right behind the machine, that then connects to the pipe for the roof-top exhaust, things have been better. But the noise is bad, and at the new shop, I'd like to avoid holes in the roof, and holes in the wall. Is this even possible? Could the two blowers suck into the container, which I could then clean out periodically/regularly? I do lamicoids, acrylics and some wood.

Thanks in advance for any brighter ideas.

[Dan Hintz]

I don't see a problem with using a container directly behind your machine, in and of itself, though I'm not sure what problem it would solve for you. Where I do see potential problems is using two blowers on the same container... you won't get double the suction. The container itself won't help suction (it'll likely hurt a small amount) just because it's an open area directly behind the laser... you still need suction from the collectors. It won't help with noise, obviously.

Your biggest penalty to strong extraction is the long run. Other than that, I'm a bit unclear as to what problem you're trying to solve...

[Joe De Medeiros]

Unless you plan on putting a filter layer of activated charcoal in the container it will smell in the shop from the lamicoids, acrylics and wood.

[Joe Pelonio]

That container needs an elaborate filtration system to eliminate the nasty fumes and it can't just end there, the container has to be open into the room or exhausted out or you won't get good flow through the machine.


I had a run 25' with mine and never had a problem, with a really good $400 fan from Grainger.

Mine exhaust was 4" but the fan was 8" with reducers, and I made the run as straight as possible.

[Dan Hintz]

See my thread on a sub-$200 air filtration system for how to take care of the nasty stuff and vent back into the room.

[Richard Rumancik]

Barb, I really don't see much option to exhausting outside. I know you had a lot of problems with getting adequate exhaust with this machine, but a manufactured filtration system would be very expensive as your system requires much more air than most. You can run the two exhausts into a plenum (which is a fancy name for a big box or tank) but you then need to connect the plenum to the exhaust blower and then to the outside. For the most part woodworkers are worried about particles, not so much gases, so the dust collection bags can exhaust back into the room. Laser users are not so much concerned with particles as with gases and smoke. If you try to do your own filtration system, don't forget to budget for the canary.