Tell me how to use this

La Guera · #1 2007-11-30, 10:21am

A new hospital was built here and I was gifted this ventilation system. Please tell me how I can use it for lampworking. I plugged it in and it runs very quietly and the light is really bright. It's REALLY heavy. I was thinking of having a table built out of pipe (for legs) and angle iron, plywood covered with stainless steel for table top, with a cut out in the middle to put the system in, kinda like a sewing machine table. What do you think? It is 57 inches high, 48 inches wide and 27 inches wide. Please give me your ideas.

Thanks,

Jeanette

Dale M. · #2 2007-11-30, 8:38pm

First question if a "filtered" system that returns air to room or does it have a duct connection so you can pipe exhaust outside?

Any nomenclature tags stating how much air flow (cfm) unit provides...

Dale

Kym · #3 2007-12-01, 12:30am

Hi,
There are a few different types of these units and the air flow is different in each sortso I don't know how useful this will be or how you will use it until you can check some options out.
I think (not sure) but this looks like a unit that you would do sterile work in. (a) If that is so, then the air is drawn in at the top of the unit, and is pulled through a Hepa filter and then down over the work surface and out. The point would be to positively pressure inside the work area so that the sterile air forms a barrier above surface. If this is so, then you would have to do some thinking and adapting before the unit is of any use to you.
(b) The other option is that it is negatively pressured inside drawing the air from inside the unit, up though a filter and out. This would be if the unit is used for toxic chemicals etc so the the fumes/bacteria/viruses are not blown back to the user. Generally these sort are made to be ducted outside but are not always.
Put a piece of tissue paper in the unit and see if it is (a) blown away from air grates or (b) sucked towards any air grates.
Sometimes there is a false floor and air grates for intake are found there and ducting is in the sides. You might need to check there but this doesn't look like it has this.

Please check that the sterilising UV lights are disconnected before working on this. That would be very bad for your eyes. Many of these laminar flow units have UV lights as well as standard lighting. There are or should be switching for the air system,standardlights and uv lights.

Cheers
Kym

La Guera · #4 2007-12-01, 8:21am

Thanks for your replies. I can't get to the unit until Monday, so I will plug it in and test air flow and get info on cfms and then come back with more questions.

Jeanette

Kym · #5 2007-12-02, 12:39am

Even if the system won't run the way that is useful to you, the bottom piece, stripped out, would be a really good thing to set your torch in. Any flying pieces of hot glass would stay in the stainless steel cabinet. I will have to keep my eyes open for one for myself. I never thought of them as a work station before for lampworking. And you are so right, they are extraordinarily heavy.
Kym