twandawg85 Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 So I've set up my forge (coal) in my dad's old stripping/refinishing shop. (the chemicals are all gone). It has a built in forced air ventilation system, originally used while mixing chemicals or spraying finish. I have had the forge going in there with no problem, it moves plenty of air doesn't get smoky, so I'm not worried about co build up or anything like that. I've never heard of anyone using this type of setup though. I don't know if there are other issues I'm not thinking of. I don't have a problem with air quality, and I don't think I have any fire hazard issues. I'm using it this way fine, and plan on continuing until I get a chimney and side draft setup. But I don't know if there is any reason to hurry on the chimney since what I've got seems work. Anybody have any input? Thoughts? Approvals? Condemnations? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smoggy Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 Where are the exhaust gasses from your forge going...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 How much smoke are you producing and how large is the shop area? Is the inlet for the extraction at or near the forge? Does the smoke collect in the room at all? Only way to not worry about CO build up is to test for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 Are you annoying the neighbors? They can possibly get you shut down. Are you freezing yourself due to having *more* ventilation than you would need with a dedicated chimney and a side draft system? Are you having to pay to heat all the fresh air to avoid freezing? No? and it's working for you, I don't see a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twandawg85 Posted January 26, 2017 Author Share Posted January 26, 2017 No heating issues. The forge is the only heat in the room. The old heating system has been removed. Neighbors don't care, they are old farmers. One even brought me a bunch of leaf springs to play with. I can feel the air moving. And watch the smoke go straight out the vent. I definitely have enough airflow. My biggest problem with the cold is I keep freezing quench buckets. So far I've only broken one. Sadly it was the nice rolling one, the rest are just 5 gal buckets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 Do you really need a quench bucket? I normalize pretty much everything these days due to the prevalence of A36. For fire prevention I use a fire extinguisher. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twandawg85 Posted January 26, 2017 Author Share Posted January 26, 2017 I don't know, I'm making this up as I go along. I just got into this in June or July of last year. Most of what I know comes from YouTube, and one guy 45 minutes away from me. I'm picking it up quickly, but I really don't know what I'm doing yet. I use the quench bucket to cool part of a piece(usually a small scroll) so I can tap on the cold part without moving it much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smoggy Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 You say the air is exiting via a vent, so at room level yes? What level is the intake air taken from? Part of the job of a stack is release the gasses far enough away that it gets thoroughly diluted with fresh air, just be sure your system isn't sucking it back in, it may not be today, but if the breeze changes will it be tomorrow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twandawg85 Posted January 27, 2017 Author Share Posted January 27, 2017 Intake is whatever door I have open. When the forge is going is a huge garage door. Exit is the opposite side of the building. I can adjust where the draw is. Have it set up now so it draws mostly from head hight right next to the forge. I have no safety concerns about gases building up while this system is running. (I am thinking about safety, this system just moves plenty of air.) What I don't know is if this is even legal. My goal is to put something in similar the ones in this post. Can't go straight up, I have to go through the wall. Anyway this im kinda starting into a different topic. I should probably start a different thread if I wanna discuss my chimney build. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Evans Posted January 27, 2017 Share Posted January 27, 2017 When you say forced air ventilation system, are you referring to a positive pressure system, or a fan assisted extraction system? I use a positive pressure system in conjunction with a hood and chimney for the hearth and it also works effectively with open doors or roof light for welding and a smokey diesel forklift. Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twandawg85 Posted January 27, 2017 Author Share Posted January 27, 2017 It's a fan extraction. It won't work in combination with the side draft, the side draft will replace it. If I tried to use both, my chimney would go backwards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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