Exhaust Extraction for workshop

[zooklm1]

Given it is now winter and cold outside, I am thinking about finding or building my own exhaust extraction system so I can run car/truck (testing/trouble shooting) with the big doors closed and not asphyxiate myself.
Thanks in advance.
Lee

[Tom]

Given it is now winter and cold outside, I am thinking about finding or building my own exhaust extraction system so I can run car/truck (testing/trouble shooting) with the big doors closed and not asphyxiate myself.
Thanks in advance.
Lee

When we built our current garage, I wanted to do exactly this. We didn't get too far down the road, however, as our mechanical engineer seemed to think the fans would need to be huge to meet code -- one on each side wall for cross flow. Big enough that there seemed to be no point -- it would end up drawing in as much or more cold air then just opening the doors. It would have been nice for getting hot air out in the summer, but we used a more traditional HVAC system for that. Admittedly, we didn't pursue it much after our initial discussion (and this garage has a lot of volume) so it may still work for you.

[dr bob]

I've seen and used exhaust extraction systems that have a corrugated metal hose that slides over the tailpipe, with a fairly low DP but high-volume fan outside to help extract the exhaust. The fans weren't huge, not much bigger than you'd use in a large-home HVAC system. Need to be metal of course. This was at a test facility at Chevron in La Habra (SoCal) in the early 1970's, while working on engine controls and test fuel blends needed to meet Cali's stricter-than-national tailpipe standards.

And contrary to some common guidance, I do keep working portable CO sensors in the home garage workbay. There's some discipline needed when first starting a car in there -- open the garage door, get all your in-car adjusting and seat-belting done, finish your beer, and only then start the engine and immediately drive out, like as soon as the starter motor disengages. They squawk once in a while if the engine runs inside too long. But best to know and suffer some squawks, in my opinion.