How to reduce Paint Booth Filters Costs

Next to paint costs, paint booth filters cost is one of your largest consumable expenses when it comes to painting. The volume of filters you use is often in direct relationship to the amount of paint you spray. However, there are a variety of factors you can potentially improve to reduce paint booth filter costs which we will cover in this article.

Factor 1 – Transfer Efficiency

Transfer efficiency refers to the effectiveness of which spray equipment applies coating to a particular product. The higher the transfer efficiency of the equipment you’re using, the less paint will become over spray which will keep filters from becoming dirty as fast. Additionally, proper spray techniques can help keep coating waste to a minimum.  For a complete article covering transfer efficiency you can check out this guide here or see below for a quick summary.

Transfer efficiency of various spray equipment from highest to lowest

• Electrostatic- Electrostatic spray equipment can be 85-95 percent efficient but is not well suited for all applications which is why you should see if electrostatic will work for your application. You can learn more about electrostatic spray guns here.
• HVLP spray guns – HVLP spray guns can achieve up to 65% transfer efficiency
• Air Assist Airless spray guns-Air assist airless provide similar transfer efficiency to HVLP (about 65% transfer efficiency)
• LV MP spray guns-LV MP spray guns can also achieve up to 65% transfer efficiency, however they are not approved in all states as showing reductions in VOC’s which can be important if you are trying to show emission reductions.
• Conventional spray guns-conventional spray guns are significantly less effective than the other methods mentioned so far as they typically only achieve transfer efficiencies of up to 35%.
• Airless spray Guns – typically are able to provide up to 35% efficiency

Technique considerations to improve transfer efficiency

To maximize transfer efficiency, you should try to keep your spray pattern so that you are not spraying significantly wider than your target at any given time. You should also trigger the gun on and off at the end of each pass as this can easily result in significant coating savings. A final general tip is to hold your spray gun a proper distance from the product, which each gun will differ and you can learn about proper distances from the product to hold the spray gun here.

Factor 2 – The type of Paint Booth Filter you Use

There are a large variety of paint booth filters available. Different filter types are designed to work with different applications. They also can have price differences. Ultimate costs of your paint booth filters include the cost of the filter itself, disposal fees, and long term any reduction in your paint booth’s life due to choosing a filter that is not well suited for your application. In general, a single stage filter is the most common filter that is used however if you have problems with your paint booth filter clogging too rapidly it can be a good idea to consider a 2 stage filter system with a sacrificial initial filter that is typically lower cost or a different single stage filter design.  To best determine a good filter system for your application it can be a good idea to work with a filter provider that offers free trials to determine the right fit for your application (which is something we can offer). In addition to the idea of a single stage or two stage filter you have to consider the capacity of the paint booth filter. Higher priced filters will typically hold a higher volume of coating then a lower cost filter, this will be something you can evaluate effectively through a paint booth filter trial. The extra cost can often times be worth it once disposal costs and filter change out labor time is considered. A final idea that can help reduce filter costs is changing to a blanket style paint booth filter. A blanket filter will typically be lower cost but will also weigh a lot when it is full of coating which can be a drawback depending on the size of filter and what you have available for use to remove the filter.

Factor 3 – Proper Paint Booth Gauge

A spray booth manometer provides a visual gauge to determine when paint booth filters need changed. By having a properly functioning and calibrated manometer you will be more likely to not change paint booth filters prior to them being truly old. To ensure your paint booth manometer is calibrated you can review this guide on installing and calibrating a manometer.

Conclusion

By choosing spray equipment that has the highest transfer efficiency, using good spray technique, choosing a proper paint booth filter, and using a visual gauge you can potentially help reduce paint booth filter costs. If you are interested in determining if you could potentially be saving on your paint booth filter costs and need further guidance we can provide a free consultation as well as a trial of any potential paint booth filter that might be determined to be a better solution for your spray application, feel free to contact us for a free consultation here.