Woodworking facilities need a sophisticated industrial exhaust system and top quality ventilation to keep these buildings safe. There are many hazards associated with wood dust created by woodworking operations, which exhaust and ventilation systems can reduce by removing these harmful contaminants from the air. In this article, we’ll discuss woodworking exhaust systems and some important information you need to know.
If you need exhaust equipment or a ventilation system for your industrial facility, contact our experts now to request a quote.
Why Woodworking Facilities Need Industrial Exhaust Systems
Woodworking is an important industry, providing a wide range of products for a variety of applications. There’s high demand for wood products, making it essential for these facilities to operate efficiently. However, one of the problems with woodworking is that it creates a significant amount of wood dust.
No matter the type of products your facility supplies, it’s likely that you generate a lot of dust, which can be hazardous. Wood dust is hazardous because it can cause serious health issues for workers and may increase the risk for fires. As such, it’s important to have good quality industrial exhaust systems to help remove the dust from the building.
Health Effects of Wood Dust
One of the hazards associated with dust generated by woodworking activities is that it can negatively impact the health of your personnel. Wood dust is quite fine and can get on skin, inside eyes, and even infiltrate the respiratory system. As a result, wood dust can cause health issues like:
- Dermatitis
- Eye irritation
- Allergies
- Asthma
- Respiratory irritation
- Mucous membrane irritation
- Cancer
Since exposure to wood dust can prove incredibly perilous to personnel in your facility, it’s critical to reduce exposure. One way is to use industrial exhaust systems to reduce the amount of dust in your facility so there’s less risk of exposure that may harm worker health in the short term and over time.
Wood Dust is Combustible
Additionally, it’s important to note that wood dust is also combustible, creating another potential hazard for woodworking facilities. Combustible dust is a serious problem, as it can increase the risk for fires and explosions. Exposure to excessive heat or a spark can prove deadly and damaging if you have a significant amount of wood dust in your facility. This is another reason to invest in quality industrial ventilation systems that remove the dust from the building. It can reduce these risks linked to the combustible nature of wood dust from woodworking processes.
Types of Industrial Exhaust Systems & Equipment Needed for Woodworking
When it comes to industrial exhaust systems for woodworking facilities, there are a few different types to consider. Generally, you’ll need several pieces of equipment to adequately address wood dust levels in the facility for health, safety, and comfort. Of course, this is all completely customized to your facility and operations. However, most woodworking facilities use a combination of local industrial exhaust systems equipped with dust collectors, general exhaust systems for the whole building, as well as make up air units to supply fresh air to the building.
Local Industrial Exhaust System
Often, removing excessive wood dust from a facility requires addressing the dust at the source. This means having local industrial exhaust systems as close to dust generating processes and machinery as possible. Local exhaust systems are designed to exhaust contaminated air specifically in a localized area, generally near the source. For instance, you might have local exhaust systems near bandsaws, milling equipment, and finishing stations where personnel turn or sand finished products. These exhaust systems are made up of a variety of industrial fans and ventilation equipment to take contaminated air out of the building. Generally, there is a fan that draws in air streams contaminated with wood dust and other contaminants. The air also usually goes through dust collectors to remove most of the dust before exhausting the air outside, as it’s generally considered unsafe to freely exhaust air with high levels of wood dust.
Dust Collectors
Dust collectors play a really important role in woodworking facilities, as they help trap the dust so it stays out of the air, whether indoors or outdoors. From there, you can remove the dust and dispose of it as needed to prevent hazards in your facility and in the outdoor environment from exhausted air streams. Some facilities use one general dust collection system for the whole building. However, in many cases, it may actually be better to have multiple dust collectors placed near dust creating sources. This way, less dust makes its way into the facility as a whole. It also allows you to service individual dust collectors as needed without shutting down the entire facility.
General Industrial Exhaust System
Additionally, practically every building will also have a general industrial exhaust system. This is an exhaust system that works for larger spaces, rather than for individual contamination sources. Even if you have local exhausts throughout the building, it helps to also have a general exhaust system. These can exhaust contaminants that make it past local systems and dust collectors. Also, they help address air quality and comfort overall, like by removing hot or stale air from the building.
Make Up Air
When talking about industrial exhaust systems, it’s also important to discuss make up air. Exhaust systems can’t work effectively without make up air units. These bring in fresh air from outside to maintain correct pressure inside the building. Otherwise, exhaust systems may struggle to remove contaminated air. Depending on the exact needs of the facility, make up air equipment may filter, heat, or cool outdoor air before bringing it inside the facility to improve comfort and air quality.
Considerations When Designing Woodworking Industrial Exhaust Systems
When designing woodworking ventilation systems, there are several factors to consider to create an ideal system for your needs, including dust volume, dust size, and applicable regulatory requirements.
Volume of Dust
When designing industrial exhaust and ventilation systems, the first thing to consider is the volume of dust the system will need to handle. System design will vary based on this difference. For instance, you likely won’t have multiple local exhausts and dust collectors if your shop only generates a small amount of dust in a specific location.
Size of Wood Dust Particles
It’s also essential to consider the size of the dust particles. Different woodworking activities create different sizes of dust. For instance, cutting wood often creates coarser dusts, while grinding or sanding creates fine particles. The size of the dust will affect things like pick-up velocity for local exhaust systems and filters used in dust collectors and other equipment in exhaust systems.
Regulatory Requirements
In addition, when designing woodworking ventilation and exhaust systems, it’s critical to know and follow regulations. There may be many regulations your facility must comply with. For instance, OSHA has specific requirements for ventilation in woodworking areas and for ventilating explosive dust. This is to provide clean air to protect workers from harm. Our ventilation specialists offer expertise on applicable codes to ensure you remain on the right side of the law.
Solutions for Industrial Ventilation Systems from Eldridge
When you need industrial ventilation systems and equipment, contact our team at Eldridge. We offer innovative solutions for all your ventilation needs, from complete system design to supplying equipment from trusted manufacturers. Our experts can help design systems customized to your exact needs to ensure proper air quality and comfort for workplaces. We ensure systems are cost-effective to install and operate for your building. Contact us now to get a quote for your system needs.