[doughpat]

I'm building a new garage now, and thinking about ways to improve air quality in the garage. I spend a lot of time in there. My "chemicals shelf" is an embarrassment to my former chemistry-teacher self.....all kinds of stuff just sitting there. Pesticides, solvents, adhesives, paints, etc. Its nothing out of the ordinary -- I'm sure the average handy-person has a similar shelf! But its the kind of thing that would never be allowed in a commercial/educational setting.

Once a jug or something gets opened, a residue inevitably remains on the container. Seals aren't perfect, spills, etc.

I'm thinking about retrofitting a "normal" cabinet to be "roughly" airtight, (just some foam/rubber gaskets on the doors, maybe with a latch that allows the doors to compress the seals when closed. Then I'll take some kind of pump/blower/fan and rig it up so that it continuously sucks air through it and exhausts it through the exterior wall behind it, direct to outside.

This would need to be a very small amount of air, otherwise I'll be bringing a lot of cold air into the garage (though I suppose I could do a "direct vent" style setup where I actually supply exterior air to the cabinet as well -- but thats starting to defeat my "KISS" principals).

I almost wonder if a relatively large diaphragm air pump (aquarium air pump style) would do the job. If the cabinet were pretty well sealed, I bet it would (though hard to measure/assess). This would be relatively loud (they buzz) and very low CFM.

Other options would be:

-a very small squirrel-cage type blower. Moderate CFM, moderate performance under restricted air flow.
-a "muffin" style (i.e. computer) fan. High CFM but poor performance under restricted airflow

I suppose it would make sense to figure out the fan/blower first, then just match the ducting/tubing according to that.

Any thoughts? Anyone done something like this?

I realize this wouldn't even remotely pass any kind of certification or professional standards, but I sure do like the idea of my 'nasties cabinet' being kept under a little bit of constant low-pressure. Its gotta be a lot better than nothing!

FWIW I've looked into flammables cabinets and they are very expensive on a "per cubic foot of storage" basis. Also, I'm not actually storing anything out of the ordinary to warrant such an expense. Finally, most flammables cabinets are actually intentionally not vented, so basically the chemicals I'm worried about just build up inside until you open the door, at which time they dump into the room. Not helpful (in fact, probably harmful as the vapors build up and mix together...)

 

[Nealtw]

Hang your cupboard on an outside wall and put a vent into it from outside.

 

[Old Thomas]

I would want to have an explosion proof exhaust fan. It might be better to have a high vent and a low vent without a fan.

 

[lenaitch]

Our daughter has a government-approved (she works for the government) HAZmat cabinet. It is of heavy duty construction and may well be gasket sealed but it is not vented. Even if it were, it would be pointless as it is in an interior room. Other than some residual odours, and barring one residue reacting with another, I'm wondering if venting is really necessary.

 

[Bondo]

Our daughter has a government-approved (she works for the government) HAZmat cabinet. It is of heavy duty construction and may well be gasket sealed but it is not vented. Even if it were, it would be pointless as it is in an interior room. Other than some residual odours, and barring one residue reacting with another, I'm wondering if venting is really necessary.

Ayuh,..... Probably like These,.....

 

[doughpat]

I would want to have an explosion proof exhaust fan. It might be better to have a high vent and a low vent without a fan.

I think that might be a good solution IF the cabinet were very well sealed. Passive ventilation driven by convection would probably do the job, especially during very warm and very cool months when the temp differential between inside and outside is large.

The problem with this approach is that if there is any kind of air leak, the outside air could easily allow for cabinet air to drain into the garage.

Still, better than nothing!

 

[doughpat]

Our daughter has a government-approved (she works for the government) HAZmat cabinet. It is of heavy duty construction and may well be gasket sealed but it is not vented. Even if it were, it would be pointless as it is in an interior room. Other than some residual odours, and barring one residue reacting with another, I'm wondering if venting is really necessary.

Well, "necessary" is a high bar. It definitely isn't necessary, as evidenced by the lack of commercially available consumer grade vented cabinets....

I think the real reason these things aren't commonly vented is because people don't want to punch a hole through their wall. I'm not concerned about that part. Just need to make sure of the location, but that part is sorted.

 

[RustNeverSleeps]

I might consider nearly the opposite approach. Keeping all the chemical stuff in a mostly airtight cabinet, maybe something like one of those plastic or metal cabinets that would not be 100% airtight but close enough so that little air would be getting exchanged. Then make sure the garage itself had enough ventilation. So that when you were working on something inside your garage such as a small engine repair, painting/refinishing some wood project, etc. you would have healthy air to breath.