Do you have an exhaust wall installed in your paint booth? If not, you may want to consider adding one at your earliest convenience. Exhaust walls are an efficient way to clear poisonous fumes and vapors, ensuring that you have a safe workspace.
If you do a lot of high-volume work at your body shop, you should consider having an exhaust wall added to your paint booth. Many people don’t realize that general exhaust ventilation systems can become strained and overloaded, which inhibits their ability to work efficiently. This is precisely why you won’t find industry professionals recommending mixing rooms without special ventilation systems. In fact, adding a fan to an overworked ventilation system doesn’t fix the problem. It just mixes toxic fumes and vapors with clean air, which compromises your health and the health of your coworkers.
Here are some reasons why you need to think about adding an exhaust wall to your paint booth:
1. Exhaust walls are great for keeping the workspace clean
Nobody wants to deal with overspray. It’s messy and can compromise the quality of an otherwise outstanding paint job. If you ask most experts who paint automobiles what they look for in a good paint booth, they’ll probably say a top-of-the-line fan that eliminates overspray.
Did you know that the addition of an exhaust wall can also prevent overspray? As a matter of fact, some are so effective at removing overspray that small-scale painters are able to give quality paint jobs outside of a paint booth. With that said, it is mainly for objects like playground equipment and large signage. While it’s not recommended to paint cars and trucks outside of a paint booth, just understand that adding a spray wall can make your workspace cleaner and create a perfect finished product.
2. Installing an exhaust wall will reduce the chances of contamination
You’ve spent hours prepping, painting, and drying your automobile. The last thing you want to see is a finished product contaminated by dust and debris. The truth of the matter is that contaminating your paint isn’t as rare as you may think. This is why many professionals are switching to downdraft paint booths.
You might be happy to know that an exhaust wall can provide the same protection as downdraft technology. That’s not to say that exhaust walls are a complete replacement for downdraft paint booths, but they do help protect your paint from dirt and debris. Exhaust walls have been used to by carpenters and welders for years to keep workspaces clean, so it’s no surprise that they’re being used in body shops across the country.
3. Exhaust walls are hardy and durable
The purpose of exhaust walls is to suck up all the toxic fumes, vapors, and dirt in a work area, so they’re made to be durable. After all, an exhaust wall that was built with second-rate parts wouldn’t be able to perform its job properly.
Here are some things that you should look for in a good exhaust wall system:
- Durable construction made out of thick still and able to handle daily, heavy duty work.
- The ability to easily integrate with a paint booth.
- Top-notch usability. You want an exhaust wall system that’s easy to install and easier to learn to use.
- A gauging system that allows you to keep track of your air pressure.
4. Exhaust walls create a safer work environment
Most importantly, there’s no denying that exposure to paint is detrimental to one’s health. Spending hours around toxic vapors and fumes can cause serious health problems. While you may not feel the effects immediately, your lungs and nervous system could be at risk. This is the most significant reason to have proper ventilation in your paint booth.
Spending extensive time around paints has been linked to cancer and asthma, among other things. Working in a body shop without proper ventilation doesn’t only go against the EPA’s recommendations, it could also violate state and federal laws.
If you feel dizzy or lightheaded after working around your paint booth, there’s a great possibility that you’re not in a well-ventilated area. Don’t take chances with your health. Look into buying an exhaust wall to increase the efficiency of your ventilation systems.
More on Exhaust Wall Systems
As you can see, installing an exhaust wall can increase overall workplace safety and boost the efficiency of your paint booth. If you’re thinking about adding an exhaust wall to your body shop, have a look at Accudraft’s industrial exhaust wall. It’s a 10’ x 10’ wall that comes with a state-of-the-art air filtration system.
Accudraft built its exhaust wall with durable parts and is strong enough to handle the heaviest of workloads. This exhaust wall is perfect for body shops and collision repair centers. It is specifically engineered to rapidly remove fumes, particles, and paint overspray. This makes it a functional addition to any paint booth, prep area, or workspace that uses welding tools or a blowtorch.
Highlights of Accudraft’s exhaust wall include:
- It comes equipped with tube-axial exhaust fan for maximum efficiency.
- It contains thick 18-gauge steel.
- It has a unique bolt-together design that maximizes the system’s sturdiness.
- Owners have the choice of choosing a galvanized or white paint finish for their exhaust wall.
- Owners can add curtains to the system if needed.
If you’re looking for a reliable system but 10’ x 10’ doesn’t get the job done, don’t worry! You have the option of extending the height and width of this system. That makes the Accudraft exhaust wall a viable choice for all body shop operations, both big and small.
Can I Add an Exhaust Wall to My Booth?
The answer to this question is tricky and depends largely on your type of booth. Virtually any body shop can benefit from installing an exhaust wall. However, that doesn’t mean it’ll be compatible with your current paint booth setup. For this reason, it’s important to do proper research and consult your paint booth’s manufacturers before making any purchasing decisions.
With that said, you might already have a paint booth that makes use of exhaust wall technology! Have a look at the following Accudraft paint booths that come built with exhaust walls inside of them:
- The VentusPRO semi downdraft paint booth
- The VentusPRO side downdraft paint booth
- The VentusPRO crossflow / crossdraft paint booth
- The Titan
- The Italia
- The MX
Each of these paint booths comes with downdraft, semi downdraft, or side downdraft technology. Ultimately, this means that they have an exhaust wall already built into the paint booth that works to clear the workspace of overspray, contaminants, and harmful vapors and fumes.
What if I’m Looking for Something Smaller?
Just because you want a workspace equipped with an exhaust wall system doesn’t mean you have to settle for one of those big-operation paint booths. People looking to utilize extra space will be able to get good use out of Accudraft’s open face spray booth.
While the open face spray booth isn’t suitable for large scale operations, it’s perfect for people who need a place in their workshop for occasional prepping and painting. The booth is a 10’ x 10’ exhaust wall with two side walls and a roof. It’s perfect for sanding, welding, and painting individual parts of an automobile.
Just like Accudraft’s exhaust wall, the open face spray booth is able to extend beyond 10’ x 10’, which means that it can accommodate people who need to make use of extra space. Since it utilizes powerful exhaust wall technology, your work area is guaranteed to be fume-free and protected from dirt and overspray.
Some nice features of the open face spray booth:
- It features durable and thick 18-gauge steel.
- It comes with fluorescent lighting overhead.
- The booth features a heavy-duty bolt-together design that makes it feel sturdy.
- Optional curtains can be added.
The Final Word on Exhaust Walls
No matter the size of your body shop, it’s imperative to keep your work area clean and properly ventilated. Adding an additional exhaust wall to your shop can extract any toxic fumes and vapors, thus promoting better health and safety in the workspace.
Accudraft can help you choose an exhaust wall system or a paint booth with exhaust wall technology that fits your unique needs. You can be confident about buying a booth or exhaust wall that is powerful enough to get the job done. Most of Accudraft’s products are customizable to fit your shop’s unique needs, so integrating a new system into your workshop shouldn’t be a problem.
Finally, if you would like to learn how you keep your painting area clean, safe, and free of toxic fumes, contact Accudraft today. One of their friendly representatives will get in touch with you and discuss how you can optimize your work area and boost productivity.