We’ve been getting some questions lately about the Pure Breeze FX HEPA Fume Extractor — specifically about spray paint.
Can this unit be used to capture the spray paint cloud while working?
We actually didn’t know. We hadn’t tested for that application because that was not its original intent.
So we tested it. The short answer: yes, you can use it for that.
The important things to remember:
- It won’t capture all the spray paint cloud, but it will reduce it.
- You’ll want to place a rectangle of pre-filter material above the charcoal filter inside the unit. This will protect the other filters from the paint dust.
Also please note:
The Pure Breeze FX is NOT a replacement for ventilation and a respirator — think of it more as a supplement to those safety measures. As always, please exercise caution when working with aerosolized paints.
About the test:
We wanted to see if spray paint would reach all the way down to the base of the hose and into the unit itself. We got a rectangle of pre-filter material and laid it on top of the charcoal filter inside the unit. Then we wrapped a plastic bag with a hole in the bottom around the capture mouth and attached it with a rubber band. We put it through a hole in a cardboard box to make sure we didn’t turn our nice white studio all kinds of colors.
We let our part time tumbler maker spray paint some cups with the Pure Breeze FX running. We noticed there was still the cloud of paint while she worked – however, she did note that the cloud was noticeably reduced from what she normally experiences.
As you can see in the video, the paint did reach all the way down the hose to the filters. This tells us that the paint dries fast enough to become dust and get sucked with the air down into the unit. It also tells us that while pre-filter material won’t impede airflow, it absolutely will stop the paint.
Our pre-filter material didn’t 100% cover the charcoal filter – some of the green paint dust got onto the edge of it.
Our HEPA filter below was totally clean. No paint reached it.
Inside the hose and at the base of the port, some paint dust did accumulate. This shouldn’t affect the unit as long as your filters are in place – so if you’re going to capture spray paint with this unit, we do recommend a slip of pre-filter material to cover the charcoal filter.
If you have any questions at all about the Pure Breeze FX HEPA Fume Extractor, please contact Vaniman! We are happy to provide answers.
