Managing dust in the layout room

[barrowsr]

Has any one any experience with using an air filter sometimes called a dust collector similar to what woodworking shops use on their ceilings?  These machines, usually hung on the ceiling, are simply boxes that draw air threw a furnace type filter with a fan.  They are designed to mitigate dust left in the air after a woodworking session.  I'm just finishing a part of my basement with a concrete ceiling and need to add some additional supports if I am to hang one of these filters from the ceiling. 

I may be solving a problem I don't have but thought I'd see if anyone has had success doing this.

Regards,

Robin

[jbrock27]

Concrete ceiling?

Interesting.  Outside of using them in office buildings, did not know concrete ceilings were employed in residential use.

[Trainman203]

A guy in Baton Rouge has an "HEP" AC system, whatever that is, for his layout building, to,keep,the dust down.   He has all over 1000 cars on the layout and probably a couple hundred engines, so fudging isn't something he wants to spend his life doing.

I remember an article in MR in the early 60s by a guy in Lubbock or Amarillo or somewhere like that in West Texas, in the heart of the dust bowl.  He basically said that no matter what he did to the house, he couldn't keep dust in unmanageable quantity off the layout.  He finally rigged up a raise-able frame over the layout covered in visqueen like plastic which protected the layout, but every few days he had to take the plastic outside to shake it out.

[barrowsr]

Part of my train room(s) are under the garage which is sometimes called a suspended ceiling.  Apart from dealing with water and dampness it is the cheapest square footage available for trackage rights. I'm using tap con fasteners to attach 2x2s to the ceiling.  The 2x2s carry romex for lighting and foam insulation fills the gaps between 2x2s.  Another layer of foam insulation goes over the 2x2s and finally drywall is attached with long screws.  The point in all this is to say that all the concrete surfaces will be covered or sealed in the case of the floor.  Never-the-less dust just happens and I don't wish to try and enclose the entire layout in Plexiglas.  I have a couple of these air cleaners hung in my workshop, also under a concrete ceiling but their weight requires much more serious concrete expanding anchors.  The main house basement doesn't pose a problems because I can just attach the air cleaners to the overhead floor joists.  there will be some additional wiring but that is easy to do before the drywall goes up.  I suppose the worst thing that could happen is they won't make a difference and I can sell them on Craig's List.

[NarrowMinded]

Clean rooms in aerospace make sure they maintain positive pressure in the room at all times you can do this with your ac an  hepa filters, or by rigging hepa filters on a sealed window fan.

Nm-Jeff

hahah I cant believe I wrote arrow space... DOH! the older I get the worst I speel

[CNE Runner]

I use a Sharper Image Ionic Pro unit in my train room with great results. This unit, coupled with our HVAC's static percipitator keeps the room dust-free at all times. Approximately once a year the room requires some light dusting. Unfortunately even rebuilt Image Pro units are expensive (~$200+)...but are well worth the expense.

If you are anticipating working with plaster, or drywall compound, do not sand. Use a wet sponge instead for dust-free leveling. [Incidentally most household dust is a mixture - the majority of which is human skin cells.]

Regards,
Ray

[ChrisS]

i have a whole house floor mounted hepa filter for my train room. on low speed(very little noise) it keeps the entire room dust free... my room is also in my finished basement and the room itself is completely finished so that helps.

[Maletrain]

Have you thought about putting the unit on the floor and running ducts to the ceiling?  Seems like that would be a lot easier and safer for the layout when it is time to service the filter, as well as easier to install. 

Also, the idea of making the layout space have a slight possitive pressure compared to the outside seems like a good idea.  People do not realize how much an enclosed space "breaths" as outside air pressure changes due to barametric changes and wind on one side of the building.  That creates in-leakage that brings dust with it, as well as  out leakage that does not seem to take as much dust back out, because it settles in the quiet air inside.

A SMALL fan drawing air from another part of the house or even the outside and passing it through a GOOD furnace filter before it enters the layout room seems easy enough to rig.  Just don't go with too much fan, or you may have trouble opening doors that open to the inside of the layout room.

[barrowsr]

Thanks to all who have made suggestions.  I believe I will proceed with a woodworking style air cleaner/dust collector in each train room.  They function best when ceiling mounted and I can place them over isle ways since my layout plan is complete (wish my rooms were).  They are fairly quiet - most come with remote controls and are usually set to run for several hours after one leaves the room.

Much obliged for the suggestions,

Robin