Garage extraction vent installer recommendations?

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AlDrag

247 posts

Master Geek

#319446 26-Apr-2025 00:20

My new house has a tiny garage, 5.4m by 2.9m. It has now window and thus no ventilation. I want to start doing small model airbrushing and maybe some light wood working and bringing in wet bikes etc.

An extraction fan would be great for this little garage! But I'd like to find someone that'd do a good job. I'm not sure if it would be possible to actually feed it to the attic. That would be ideal, but it's a 2-storey house with the garage on the bottom...Feeding it to the wall of the garage door could work, but due to the tiny width of 2.9m, I might be able to only fit a 150mm vent.

Any recommendations in Auckland I should contact? Should I just find a general hvac guy perhaps?

Edit: I should have stated that I'd like a flex duct style vent that I can move around and attach to something like a small airbrush booth. I know it's a thing in wood working shops. Just not sure what you'd call it.

Goosey

2829 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

#3367600 26-Apr-2025 08:40

How many external facing walls? (Just the front)?

Is there no other door apart from the internal access and obvious garage door?

edit, just seen your other thread about the lossnay system you had installed. I see you mentioned this wasn’t going to be a forever home so perhaps not try to go for a moveable extraction. If you can go for a basic thru wall extractor fan, that may slightly help..

obviously when spraying paint you would probally want to open the garage door a tad…

AlDrag

247 posts

Master Geek

#3367601 26-Apr-2025 08:47

Goosey:

How many external facing walls? (Just the front)?

Is there no other door apart from the internal access and obvious garage door?

Correct. Just the front and the only external access.

There is a section in the back corner that I think all the plumbing and stuff runs through? So maybe that allows access up into the attic, but I'd need to figure out where that lines up with up stairs. Maybe one of the walk in wardrobe walls. Hmmmm.

Goosey

2829 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

#3367604 26-Apr-2025 08:52

See my “edit” above.

what about ventilation for the sectional garage door?

I see you can get a “louver” type garage door, or mesh panels etc etc…

not sure how that all works, but it provides ventilation…

AlDrag

247 posts

Master Geek

#3367605 26-Apr-2025 09:33

Goosey:

See my “edit” above.

what about ventilation for the sectional garage door?

I see you can get a “louver” type garage door, or mesh panels etc etc…

not sure how that all works, but it provides ventilation…

Haha good observation. I do plan on being here for maybe 6-8 years though.

Since it's a small house, and the garage is connected to our living area, I'd like to maintain sound/temperature sealing as much as possible.

Flex duct is cheap as, so I assume I just need a wall extractor fan installed. But you're right on the fact that maybe I don't need a moveable one. I should probably just connect the duct directly to my airbrush booth.

tweake

2391 posts

Uber Geek

#3367627 26-Apr-2025 11:27

you don't need a big duct. a 100mm bath fan would work fine tho possibly noisy. fit one so it blows outside and duct it to your spray booth.

the other way is to raise the garage door a tad and use a floor fan to blow outside.

AlDrag

247 posts

Master Geek

#3367628 26-Apr-2025 11:42

tweake:

you don't need a big duct. a 100mm bath fan would work fine tho possibly noisy. fit one so it blows outside and duct it to your spray booth.

the other way is to raise the garage door a tad and use a floor fan to blow outside.

Hmmmm true I could get one of those flat exhaust attachments to fit under the door.

Going to the ceiling would be perfect, as then it avoids any possibility of VOCs going right into my neighbours face, but I can take a compromise.

tweake

2391 posts

Uber Geek

#3367634 26-Apr-2025 12:06

you don't ever want to push dirty air up into the ceiling as it will end up all around the house.

another way to do it is use what we use for welding, a filter box. its the trade version of a recirc kitchen hood. just a fan with filters in a box. use a carbon filter to catch the paint thinners. need a normal filter to stop the carbon filter from getting dirty with dust. ventilation systems have off the shelf filters which would be a good size for a tiny spray booth. downside is you would have to try it to see if the carbon filter catches enough of the thinners.

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AlDrag

247 posts

Master Geek

#3367635 26-Apr-2025 12:09

tweake:

you don't ever want to push dirty air up into the ceiling as it will end up all around the house.

another way to do it is use what we use for welding, a filter box. its the trade version of a recirc kitchen hood. just a fan with filters in a box. use a carbon filter to catch the paint thinners. need a normal filter to stop the carbon filter from getting dirty with dust. ventilation systems have off the shelf filters which would be a good size for a tiny spray booth. downside is you would have to try it to see if the carbon filter catches enough of the thinners.

How would it end up around the house if it's fully sealed? Just in case there's a leak in the future?

Carbon filter is a good idea. I'm only doing low pressure airbrushing for kitset models, so like 30psi max. I'm sure a carbon filter could handle that. Just need enough static pressure and airflow so it all goes through the duct.