Paint Booth MaintenanceIt is common knowledge that the key to producing a high-quality paint job in your spray booth is to keep it clean. Paint booth maintenance will not only result in better finish jobs, but will drastically reduce the amount of time spent buffing out imperfections in finishes. In addition to quality, a well maintained paint booth is safer for employees and the environment.It is critical that the area surrounding your paint booth is as clean as possible. Anytime a product or personnel door is opened, any surrounding dust particles will enter the booth, no matter how careful you are. Designate an area around the paint booth, for instance six feet, as a 'clean zone.' No sanding or cutting should take place in this area. This area should also be free of any trash receptacles, or anything else that might collect dust and dirt. Be sure that this area is always kept swept and clean. Grease or other petroleum products should be kept out of this 'clean zone' as well, and as every painter knows, never use these products in your booth or you'll be buffing out 'fish eyes' for months! As part of regular paint booth maintenance, the seals around the doors, lights and especially the floor around the perimeter of the booth should be checked. A paint booth that operates at negative pressure (such as a conventional, non-heated crossflow booth) will always try to suck in dust and dirt from wherever it can. If there are gaps in the sealant along the floor, or door or window seals are worn or missing, dust and dirt will enter the booth. If all these areas are sealed, then only filtered air will be drawn in, and you'll have a cleaner environment. Lastly, be sure that the doors of your booth are always closed, and only open them when entering or exiting the booth. Packed or clogged paint booth filters can ruin a paint job. If you visit our filter order page, you'll see that a complete set of intake and exhaust filters costs less that $150. Compare this to a botched paint job and the choice is clear. A high quality intake filter should not only clean the air coming into the booth, but also have a scrim layer that prevents parts of the filter from entering the airstream as the filter deteriorates. The AFR-1 Intake Panel is a great example, and you can order them right here! On the other end of the booth, the condition of the paint arrestor pads is just as important. When these filters become packed, less air will be exhausted from the booth. Slow or restricted airflow can have a negative impact on the quality of your paint job. All A-Frame paint booths include a Manometer, or Draft Gauge which will indicate the static pressure in the booth. Use this as a guide for filter changes, and remember to re-set the gauge when new filters are installed. For additional information, please visit our filtration page. Inspect the belt or belts on your fan motor regularly. Much like automotive belts, they can harden or glaze, and begin to slip, reducing your airflow. After shutting off power to the booth, be sure the belts are properly tensioned, and replace them only with the correct size. Code requires that exhaust duct stacks include one section of duct with a 'clean-out' door, which is generally positioned on top of the fan. Use this door to visually inspect the condition of the fan blades, and remove residue or overspray build-up regularly. Some motors and fan assemblies have grease fittings, and some are sealed (not greasable.) If you see grease fittings on your fan or motor, be sure to add lubricant as part of your paint booth maintenance schedule. The cubic feet per minute of air exhausted by a paint booth is nowhere close the the amount of air expelled by a paint gun. This means that any particulates on the walls or floor of your paint booth will be 'kicked up' and 'blown around' by your paint gun, winding up in your finish. It is for this reason that paint booth maintenance must include keeping the walls, floor and light fixture glass free of dust and dirt. You can use a razor blade to keep the light fixture glass clean. A-Frame offers several types booth coating products for walls and floor. Return from Paint Booth Maintenance to Home |
