Leveling Up the Shop: Air Quality

Written By Reece Althoff

With the shop being under the garage, it’s essentially in a bunker with 10 inches of concrete in every direction with no airflow. Unlike being in the old garage, I can’t just open the garage doors for some fresh air. It’s really nice that the main shop area is over 800 square feet, but that is more than double what my original system is spec’d for.

To help with the air quality, I have installed my old smaller Wen Air filtration system and recently added the larger “heavy duty” model as well. I have them placed at opposite ends of the shop with the heavy duty one on the side with all of the heavier machinery that makes the most dust.

Specs

WEN 3410 3-Speed Remote-Controlled Air Filtration System
(the smaller one)

  • 3 Speeds — 300, 350, or 400 cubic feet per minute (CFM)

  • Circulates the air in a 400 square foot room 7.5 times per hour

  • 1-micron filter and a 5-micron pre-filter, both of which can be easily replaced

  • Auto-shutoff timers - 1, 2, or 4 hours

  • Rated at 50-60 dB for noise

  • Cost (at time of writing) about $135

WEN 3416T 4.2-Amp 3-Speed Remote-Controlled Industrial-Strength Air Filtration System
(the bigger one)

  • Circulate the air in a 1000 square foot room up to 9.5 times per hour

  • 3 Speeds — 750, 950, or 1270 CFM

  • 1-micron filter and a 5-micron pre-filter, both of which can be easily replaced

  • Auto-shutoff timers - 1, 2, or 4 hours

  • Rated at 63-68 dB for noise — I can confirm, it is definitely louder

  • Cost (at time of writing) about $345

A Year Later (March 2023)…

I still love these things, they still do great at keeping my shop air clean and I find the timer & remotes are extremely useful.

Reece Althoff
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Leveling Up the Shop: Dust Collection
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