I read an article that suggested I should be careful about sparks coming from my lamp and/or fan motor.
I bought a cheap range hood. It was made to vent out the front, but I covered that and cut a hole in the top to vent the fumes outside with dryer tubing.
Should I be worried about the lighting unit and fan giving off sparks???
I had never thought of this and will be starting to use it soon.
Thanks for any advice you can give....

I am by no means an expert but I do have a couple of points:
1. I don't think you have to worry too much about sparks from the light itself.
2. The eletric motor for the fan could be a problem, esp. if you are shooting laquer based paints. I don't know how great a chance there is for a serious explosion but I do know that the part of the motor where the brushes contact the rotor produces sparks.

Maybe someone else can weigh in on both points.

Shaun

PS, Welcome aboard, Wardster!!

If it's a cooking hood, I think others have said that they are pretty good since they are meant to be in contact with grease and other flammables. As a safety precaution, I have just put a fire extinguisher near mine in case something happens.

Hi Wardster,
Like Shaun, I'm no expert either. But it never stopped me from giving an opinion
My wife bought me a spray booth from MicroMark quite a few years ago and it follows what I've heard and read about them. It has a "squirrel cage" fan. The motor is located outside of the fan housing and this completely isolates it from the fumes. I don't know if a range hood is set up like this or not. If it isn't, I'd be wary of using it. Maybe you could build a chamber around the fan that would keep the fumes away from the motor. Just an idea.

I use a range hood also, however, I only use it for acrlycs. for more potent paints, I still use the great outdoors.
capnjock

If your Rangehood is fitted with an induction motor it should be safe. An induction motor is one that does not have any brushes, which is where the sparks are generated.

From my experience in Godzone all appliances of the range hood type are brushless. However there are different rules and regulations in different countries so dont take this as gospel.

If the motor is visible it will be easy to see if it is an induction motor as it will have an armature that has no commutator, and the electric connection will only go to the field windings;- the static part of the motor.

Regards Dave

The biggest potential for trouble in any spray booth set up would be the presences of potentially explosive gases followed by an arcing source, i.e. electrical switch closures and motors starting. The best practice would be to always start the fan and/or light before creating any fumes or gases. If practical vent your work space before and after spraying by non-electrical means such as an open door or window to prevent any gas build up.

I'm not an expert either, but just make sure it is a well ventilated area and try to keep a good distace so sparks will not really be a factor.