After the HVAC was completed, I turned my attention to the next two things on the list.
Getting the bathroom finished up and building a portable shop air filter.
One of the big issues I keep running across when working with composites is dust control. To this end I could have purchased a commercial air filtration unit, but thought it would be more interesting (and less expensive) to build my own with a blower motor I had from an old HVAC system.
Anyone knows that the secret to clean air is a good set of filters combined with enough surface area to allow for low velocity air movement through the filter itself. Since most home HVAC systems run for years with one filter I did some quick math (very scientific, I assure you) and decided four filters would do the trick. I also wanted the filter box to be mobile so I could position it near the working area. I wanted some outlets installed on it to help reduce some extension cord clutter and lastly, I wanted the ability to attach some sort of ducting to it to allow for positive ventilation inside the hulls when necessary. The blower capacity is calculated to cycle the shop air twice an hour.
I'm still working on it (and yes, I already spent too much time on it), but it was a fun exercise and seems to work well enough. I'll also be installing the same pre-filter material on this box, so that's why you will notice the filters are recessed a bit.
As for the bathroom, I got the urinal installed and pressure-checked. I also got the walls painted and the light installed. I should be able to get the door installed by this next weekend.
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| Urinal mounted to get correct pressure line length measurement |
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| Framing up door way |
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| Light installed with switch on wall |
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| I did not screw down the last piece of plywood yet since I needed to check for leaks first |
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Mostly done here now - I still need to take care of some flooring, but that will come later.
Air Filter Box |
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| Two sheets of plywood for filter box |
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| Base plate for blower motor |
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| The motor is installed on a sled to allow for easy removal and servicing |
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| This is actually a three-speed blower, but I'll just be using one speed (Hi) |
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| Cutting the basic shape and using thin lumber to keep it a bit lighter... |
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| Casters installed |
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| Top plate being built |
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| Top plate in position on the rear wall |
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| Side rails being built for filter support |
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| Some temporary braces installed for supporting the rear wall |
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| Rear wall in place. All pieces glued and screwed |
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| Front face being modified to allow for motor removal |
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| Motor pushed back into "In Use" position |
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| Motor pulled forward for maintenance/removal |
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| Front panel in place |
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| Trial fit of filter (one of four) |
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| Deflector board spacers |
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| Deflector board and filters installed for test run |
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| On/Off switch mounted near top and double outlet installed near bottom. |
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| I was short one outlet - to be installed later |
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| I still have a bit of work to do on this yet - I will cut some louvers into the deflector board at a 45 degree angle. I'll also leave a section of the board intact to allow for a 6" (150mm) flexible ducting installation later on. |
