Common Spray Booth Issues and How to Solve Them

Most spray booths are sealed, enclosed spaces with fans and filters, and so no paint should escape under normal circumstances. Nevertheless, it is not uncommon for issues involving dust, over-spray or noise to arise in a well-maintained spray paint booth.

This may be a sign that the spray booth is not working correctly. The causes can include an improperly sealed booth, faulty filters or fans.

Below you'll find some of the most common issues.

Issues with over-spray.

The best way to deal with over-spray issues is to change your filters regularly. Usually, a manometer, which shows the condition of the spray booth filters, can give you a good indication of when this needs to be done. If you can see over-spray around the inside and outside of the booth, it's a sign that you need to change the filters.

Also, you need to take into account the quality of the filters you are using. Higher quality filters will collect more over-spray. Consider upgrading your filters to higher-quality ones.

You should also regularly inspect the fans. The fans are supposed to move air at a speed that correlates to the area of the spray booth. A fan that is not moving the air at the appropriate speed can lead to over-spray issues. An anemometer, which is a gauge that shows the speed of the air, can tell you if your fan is working as it ought to. A fan that is slower than recommended should be either replaced or adjusted.

Dirty booth.

Dust and dirt in your booth will lead to lower quality paint finishes. Cleaning your booth regularly is vital to prevent potential imperfections in the finish. Using a sponge mop and booth coating will go a long way to keep your booth clean.  

Smells.

Your spray booth will inevitably smell of paint, but, the booth has an exhaust system that will ensure that the smell does linger and will not spread to the outside of the booth. If you can detect paint smells outside the booth, that's a sign that the exhaust may not be working correctly and needs fixing.

Problems with air make-up units.

Your air make-up unit should be set up to run with positive pressure. Don't forget to check the power supply regularly as well as the gas supply levels. If you have any problems, you may need to call maintenance. 

Your booth is too loud.

Chane in the amount of noise coming from your booth may be a sign of problems with the fan. If the issue can't be resolved, you can try placing the fan inside the duct to reduce the noise.