Garage Smoke Eater
There are several reason to look for a smoke eater for your garage. Recently the main reason website visitors have been contacting us about garage air purification is because they want to change the space into a mancave.
Adding a LakeAir brand smoke eater is a great start to converting a garage to the perfect Cigar Spot. There are other reasons to add a smoke eater to your garage. Some hobbies and part time businesses generate a lot of smoke. Adding a smoke eater can make the area a nicer and safer place to work on your projects whether they be for enjoyment or financial gain.
Smoking Air Filtration
LakeAir has many different garage smoke eaters that will do a great job of removing the smoke from the air. Keeping the odor in the garage is often the most pressing issue. For these cases we like to recommend the 120 level units. when a unit has a suffix of 120 it is designed heavy on the odor removal. The best unit however is the LA2-RC2-HOC
Using a a smoke eater for your mancave just makes sense. You keep the smoke out of your home and provide cleaner air for the cave dwellers. LakeAir Product are built to last a generation. There is a great chance your son or daughter will be able to use the same equipment you’ve purchased when they take up the pipe or cigar themselves.
Welding & Laser Filtration
Capturing smoke from welding and laser cutting processes is much like that of cigar smoke. However the volume of smoke, especially with laser is quite a bit more. If you are cutting wood the amount of smoke being produced may require venting along with purification and or multiple smoke removal units.
Its great that you are able to work on things you love at home. whether its a hobby or how you help pay the bills adding a smoke eater will provide you with a safer workplace. Fumes from the mechanical processes you are performing could travel into the home install proper equipment and provide safety for your family as well.
CM2-RC2-HEPA
- 500 CFM
- True HEPA ~ 99.97% Efficient
- 900 gram carbon / 2.5 inch filter
- Quiet Unit /up to 500 sq. ft.
- 24 x 24 x 13
- 490 CADR
- Ceiling Mount
CM2-RC2-HEPA
- 500 CFM
- True HEPA ~ 99.97% Efficient
- 900 gram carbon / 2.5 inch filter
- Quiet Unit /up to 500 sq. ft.
- 24 x 24 x 13
- 490 CADR
- Ceiling Mount
Maxum HEPA-120
- 500 CFM
- True HEPA ~ 99.97% Efficient
- 900 gram carbon / 2.5 inch filter
- Best Table Top Smoke and Odor Elimination
- 17 x 13 x 13
- 490 CADR
- Table Top / Shelf / Floor
Maxum HEPA-120
- 500 CFM
- True HEPA ~ 99.97% Efficient
- 900 gram carbon / 2.5 inch filter
- Best Table Top Smoke and Odor Elimination
- 17 x 13 x 13
- 490 CADR
- Table Top / Shelf / Floor
Maxum HEPA Air
- 500 CFM
- True HEPA 4.5 ~ 99.97% Efficient
- 300 gram carbon / 0.75 inch filter
- Best Table Top Smoke Removal
- 17 x 13 x 13
- 490 CADR
- Table Top / Shelf / Floor
Maxum HEPA Air
- 500 CFM
- True HEPA 4.5 ~ 99.97% Efficient
- 300 gram carbon / 0.75 inch filter
- Best Table Top Smoke Removal
- 17 x 13 x 13
- 490 CADR
- Table Top / Shelf / Floor
MAX Guard-S
- 1500 CFM
- Electrostatic Filter ~ 97% Efficient
- 1000 gram carbon / 1.5 inch filter
- Washable Filter (fits in dishwasher)
- 22 x 14 x 16
- 1450 CADR
- Floor Unit on Casters
MAX Guard-S
- 1500 CFM
- Electrostatic Filter ~ 97% Efficient
- 1000 gram carbon / 1.5 inch filter
- Washable Filter (fits in dishwasher)
- 22 x 14 x 16
- 1450 CADR
- Floor Unit on Casters
Maxum Electrostatic Home
- 275 CFM
- Electrostatic Filter ~ 97 % Efficient
- 20 gram carbon / 0.1 inch filter
- Best to add a super carbon
- 17 x 13 x 13
- 260 CADR
- Table Top / Shelf / Floor
Maxum Electrostatic Home
- 275 CFM
- Electrostatic Filter ~ 97 % Efficient
- 20 gram carbon / 0.1 inch filter
- Best to add a super carbon
- 17 x 13 x 13
- 260 CADR
- Table Top / Shelf / Floor
MAX Guard HEPA
- 900 CFM
- True HEPA 4.5 ~ 99.97% Efficient
- 1000 gram carbon / 1.5 inch filter
- Best Smoke Removal
- 22 x 14 x 26
- 890 CADR
- Floor Unit on Casters
MAX Guard HEPA
- 900 CFM
- True HEPA 4.5 ~ 99.97% Efficient
- 1000 gram carbon / 1.5 inch filter
- Best Smoke Removal
- 22 x 14 x 26
- 890 CADR
- Floor Unit on Casters
MAX-700
- 650 CFM
- Electrostatic Filter ~ 97% Efficient
- 300 gram carbon / 0.75 inch filter
- Washable filter (easy in the dishwasher)
- 17 x 13 x 13
- 625 CADR
- Table Top / Shelf /Floor
MAX-700
- 650 CFM
- Electrostatic Filter ~ 97% Efficient
- 300 gram carbon / 0.75 inch filter
- Washable filter (easy in the dishwasher)
- 17 x 13 x 13
- 625 CADR
- Table Top / Shelf /Floor
MAX Guard-HEPA-120
- 900 CFM
- True HEPA ~ 99.97% Efficient
- 2000 gram carbon / 3.0 inch filter
- Best Smoke Removal / Extra Odor Removal
- 22 x 14 x 26
- 890 CADR
- Floor Unit on Casters
MAX Guard-HEPA-120
- 900 CFM
- True HEPA ~ 99.97% Efficient
- 2000 gram carbon / 3.0 inch filter
- Best Smoke Removal / Extra Odor Removal
- 22 x 14 x 26
- 890 CADR
- Floor Unit on Casters
CM2-RC2-HEPA-120
- 500 CFM
- True HEPA 2.5 ~ 99.97% efficient
- 1800 gram carbon / 4.5 inch filter
- Smoke Odor Killer
- 24 x 24 x 13
- 490 CADR
- Ceiling Mounted
CM2-RC2-HEPA-120
- 500 CFM
- True HEPA 2.5 ~ 99.97% efficient
- 1800 gram carbon / 4.5 inch filter
- Smoke Odor Killer
- 24 x 24 x 13
- 490 CADR
- Ceiling Mounted
CM2-RC2-M15
- 650 CFM
- MERV 15 Filtration ~ 95% Efficient
- 900 gram carbon / 2.5 inch filter
- Quiet Operation
- 24 x 24 x 13
- 625 CADR
- Ceiling Mounted
CM2-RC2-M15
- 650 CFM
- MERV 15 Filtration ~ 95% Efficient
- 900 gram carbon / 2.5 inch filter
- Quiet Operation
- 24 x 24 x 13
- 625 CADR
- Ceiling Mounted
MAX Guard-M15
- 1100 CFM
- MERV 15 Filtration
- 1000 gram carbon / 1.5 inch filter
- Lower filter replacement costs
- 22 x 14 x 26
- 1070 CADR
- Floor Unit on Casters
MAX Guard-M15
- 1100 CFM
- MERV 15 Filtration
- 1000 gram carbon / 1.5 inch filter
- Lower filter replacement costs
- 22 x 14 x 26
- 1070 CADR
- Floor Unit on Casters
CM2-RC2-S
- 800 CFM
- Electrostatic Filter ~ 97% Efficient
- 900 gram carbon / 2.5 inch filter
- Washable Filter (fits in a standard dishwasher)
- 24 x 24 x 13
- 625 CADR
- Celling Mounted
CM2-RC2-S
- 800 CFM
- Electrostatic Filter ~ 97% Efficient
- 900 gram carbon / 2.5 inch filter
- Washable Filter (fits in a standard dishwasher)
- 24 x 24 x 13
- 625 CADR
- Celling Mounted
The Basics of Air Purification for a Garage
Garage air purification tends to be a bit more commercial in nature. When an activity gets moved to the garage, most of the time it is because it is less than desirable for inside the home. These systems tend to have a greater air flow and thereby are a little louder. Many times the air purification volume is boosted so the air purification system can do extra cleaning without the extra noise. As a general rule to get the same air cleaning power with 25% less noise it requires 42% more circulation. These figures are derived from the blower manufacturers data.
The list below shows our different types of filtration available for garage and shed air purification systems. We will go into some detail on each further into this webpage. Carbon filtration is present in all of our air cleaning devices. In some cases in maybe the only filtration media. When a air cleaning system is primarily odor removal, it is refereed to as an VOC Extractor.
- HEPA – best performance overall
- Electrostatic – low filter replacement costs
- MERV 15 – adequate particle removal but lower replacement cost than HEPA
- Carbon – odor and VOC Removal
Uses of HEPA filters in your Garage
LakeAir True HEPA Filters
LakeAir uses only True HEPA filters. For a filter to be considered as a “True HEPA” is has to have been tested to remove 99.97% of all particles as small as 0.3 microns. What most people don’t know is that these filter are actually more efficient on smaller particles. In 2016 NASA conducted a study on the International Space Station. In this study NASA scientists discovered that the HEPA filters captured 99.997% of particles as small as 0.1 microns.
In a garage system HEPA filtration would be an excellent choice for the removal of very fine particles. What we like most about this is once enters a HEPA filter it is gone for good. Both MERV-15 and Electrostatic filtration are going to all some of the smoke to pass through the filter to be captured on subsequent cleaning cycles.
- Smoke – Smoke can come from many processes like smoking, wood burning.
- Paint – Tiny particles of paint especially when sanding is an activity
- Fiber Glass – sanding fiber glass creates very fine particles
- Metal – grinding metal can create the finest of dust
While HEPA filters give your garage the cleanest air, they also come with the highest cost of maintenance. The average HEPA filter replacement cost for a garage system will be about $200.00 a year.
Uses of Electrostatic filter Cell in your Garage
Washable Filter Cells
LakeAir Manufactures their own electrostatic filter cells. These filters are very well built You should expect 15 or more years of life in these filters. In fact we have hundreds of these filters that have been in use for 30 plus years. The Electronic filter cell is not as efficient as a HEPA filter. When they are clean they are 97% efficient. We estimate that these filters lose between 1 and 4 % of efficiency each week, The more dirty air that passes through them the quicker they lose effectiveness. A great part about these filters is the ease with which they are cleaned. You can pop them into a household dishwasher and clean them very well very quickly. We suggest using a good grade detergent like “cascade platinum”.
Be the activities talked about on this webpage have the potential to cause so many fine particles in the air that using electrostatic filtration makes a lot of sense. A cigar are will not likely use more than 2 HEPA filter a year, But a wood or metal shop could easily exceed this and this is where the cost savings shines.
- Smoke – When the smoke is extra heavy like laser wood engraving
- Smoke from Cigars, Vape, Hookah or Cannabis
- Wood Working – A busy wood shop creates copious amounts of dust
- Metal Milling – If you hone metal the extra will quickly fill a air filter
- Cabinet Blasting – media blasting can create super high concentrations of dust
Remember electrostatic systems do require more maintenance. our best guess is you will need to spend an extra 15 hours a year cleaning your electronic filter cells with some of these more dust intensive applications.
MERV 15 Media Option for Garage Filtration
MERV 15 air filters have been called the “poor mans HEPA filter”. While they are much cheaper, on average 35% less, they are still a bit pricey. Counting pennies is very important to some and this is where the MERV 15 fits in. They are not as good as a HEPA or electrostatic, but they offer good air quality with less work and less cost. If you are in good health, the MERV 15 level of protection should suit you well.
MERV 15 filtration will provide clean breathable air for just about any situation you might find in hobby use of your extra space. If your projects are going to produce very large amounts of dust or smoke, I would steer away from the MERV 15 Option. If your use is occasional, then the media filters could be and adequate way to go.
- Home Fitness – General dust coming from treadmills
- Crafting – Cutting paper and fabric products
- Sewing – Thread dust and fabric fibers
- Painting – Lite wood and metal prep for painting
- Electronics – Particles from soldering activities
A nice thing about LakeAir MERV 15 Media systems is you can easily upgrade your system to HEPA filtration by simply changing to HEPA filters. Our systems are designed for great versatility to allow customers to fine tune product performance to meet their needs.
Odor and VOC Removal "Carbon"
All of LakeAir Air purifiers have a carbon filtration element in them by design. The amount of carbon varies from unit to unit and can be as little as 10 grams all the way up to 5500 grams. Some settings require hardly any odor mitigation, while others scream for it. To this end we designed all of models to be able to be strictly carbon odor and VOC adsorption. As gaseous fumes are drawn through the honeycombs filled with carbon crystals the odor and VOCs are bonded to the carbon structure. Carbon can hold a tremendous amount of odor. The surface area of 8 grams of carbon is equal to one acre of land,
Its not very often we see a call for exclusive carbon filled filters. However, they do a great job at producing the results they were designed for. As a general rule when VOC extractors are called for there is a need for fairly high air flow. We suggest 8-12 air changes per hour in rooms where VOCs are being mitigated. Blow we will list some cases where a VOC extractor might be in order.
- Painting – When two part epoxy and Urethanes are being applied
- Printmaking – Some printers use inks high in VOC content
- Cannabis – Hemp can be a very stinky crop and sometimes need severe odor control
- Screen Printing – requires good ventilation of extra VOC extracting
- Furniture Refinishing – use stripping agent that gives off nasty fumes
- Gluing – Many glues contain VOCs that are released during the drying process
Ways to Mount an Air Purifier in your Garage
When you are converting a garage to a new use, often times there is a bit of build out. I might include finishing one or more walls. A new ceiling is sometimes introduced. During the buildout process you will have opportunities to incorporate various different air purification mounting types. It doesn’t need to be fancy, just a structure to place the air purifier in a place where it will do the most good and is convenient to the new design. LakeAir offers more mounting options than any other air cleaner device manufacturer. An important point to be made is that the cost of the filtration type is what determines the cost. A HEPA system has the same cost in a flush ceiling mount as a floor model. We try to keep pricing simple. Air purification is hard enough as is. We don’t hide our specifications, other manufactures are intentionally vague.
Flush Ceiling "low Profile" Mounts
The LAFC-RC2 units can be mounted flush to the ceiling or hung. The unit is only 11 inches high leaving plenty of head room underneath it. It weighs about 100 pounds and can be safely hung from the garage roof struts. 4 eyebolts (included) provide a simple way to suspend your air purification system. The air purification is entirely enclosed. Dirty air goes in and clean air comes out.
Flush In Wall Mounts
Flush in wall mounted air purification is something only available from LakeAir. This design allows you to mount a unit vertically. The air purifier depth is 11 inches. This would leave 6.5 inches protruding from the back of a standard 2 x 4 wall. It is easy to box out a small column to accommodate the WM-RC2. This design returns clean air over the heads of the rooms inhabitants.
Ceiling Suspended Option
The LA2 line offers great flexibility in filter selection. You can choose from 13 different filter combinations. This adaptability allows you to choose the right filtration for almost any garage use. The best odor control and VOC extraction comes from this versatile line. This unit has a bit more of an industrial look and might be more suited to hobbies that lend themselves to be more of a cottage industry.
Portable on Casters
The MAX Guard line offers the same cleaning power as the other commercial units that might be used in the garage. This is a heavy unit on caster so it’s sturdy and easy to move. Weighing in at 90 pounds with super solid construction it double as a small table. The unit will look nice in any surrounding. Just plug this heavy duty air purifier in and you are ready to go.
Table Top Air Purifiication
The Maxum models have been around since 1968. While they have retained their initial over all designed they have been upgraded to offer good volume electrostatic , HEPA, odor control and VOC extraction. These units are best on a table top but can work well on the floor or mounted on the wall. In many cases garage workers employ multiple units on different benches to provide spot air purification where its needed. These models range in prices from $650.00 to just under $1000.00
How much Smoke Eater do I Need for my Garage?
Determining the amount air purification you need for a given application is not an easy task. We have several air purification calculators scattered throughout our website. The calculator below is a pretty basic tool. The amount of air purification needed for different activities varies. Here is a short list of activities likely to be taking place in a garage and our respective recommendations.
- Laser Cutting of wood or cardboard (unvented) – 24 air changes per hour
- Cigar Smoking -20 air changes per hour
- Welding 10-16 Air Changes per Hour
- Cigarette Smoking 15 air changes per hour
- Woodstove burning – 6-10 air changes per hours
Air Purification Calculator for your Garage Use.
Enter the length and the width of your converted garage into the calculator. For he ceiling height enter the average height of the ceiling. The more exact you are the better, but the results given are guidelines and the margin for error is not critical.
The Solution to Clean Air is LakeAir’s Smoke Eater
Our primary goal at Lake Air is to provide clean air for our customers through our high-quality smoke eater for a garage. Our products are commercial-grade and come with a 7-year warranty and a 30-day full refund policy. LakeAir air purifiers are all made in the United States, ensuring that your residential or commercial facilities have the cleanest air possible while removing harmful particles and airborne pollutants. With over five decades of experience, you can trust that our team of air purifier experts will recommend the best one for your needs.
To find out more about how we can help you, contact us at 800-558-9436 at LakeAir today!
Provides Proper Ventilation
A ventilation system is required for safety in areas with limited space or windows. Keep in mind that the location of a fume extractor is also important. Fume extractors with built-in ventilation systems are extremely useful for small work spaces because they purify the air while also redirecting fumes. Indoor Air that is Free of Allergens and Pollutants When we are allergic to something, our bodies notify us that we will be unable to tolerate it. As a result, the more allergens in the air you are exposed to, the more likely you are to become ill. Clean indoor air allows your body to rest and recover, allowing you to perform at your time when you return outside.