Soldering Smoke: How Does Everyone Deal With It?

[TheRuler8510]

I thought I would ask what other folks do to deal with smoke generated by soldering flux.

In my case I solder in an unventilated basement, and although I use a small Weller fan with a carbon filter, it hardly seems adequate. The odor (and coating of my lungs) seems to go on for days even though I have a $300 room air filter and a Ionic Breeze nearby. I am starting to think I may need to take more advance measures like build a fume exhaust extraction contraption.

Any ideas out there to share?

Thanks,

[rob77]

actually it's not safe in a not ventilated room, it would be better to have a window or at least some kind of ventilation.
the small fume extractor filters might help a bit, but it's still far from ideal.
under such a conditions i would go for a kitchen fume extractor with a fan and tubing routed to outside and install it above the bench where you solder.

[janoc]

I can speak only from a hobbyist POV, if you are doing some serious stuff, look elsewhere, please!

• Low cost - hold your breath while soldering (not joking :-p)
• Medium cost - get a small fan (e.g. from a PC) and let it blow over your workspace. Alternatively, turn it around and have it suck the fumes away from you. Cheap and easy.
• Expensive - buy a fume extractor, they start around 30EUR on eBay, but they are usually noisy and the filters need replacing. Unless you do hours of soldering every day, I wouldn't bother.

Of course, having a decent ventilation in the room is required - even an expensive fume extractor is of no use if the extracted smoke has nowhere to go! If you don't have a window you can open every once in a while, then it is better to either move your bench elsewhere or install a ventilation system first.

[AndyC_772]

The fumes need somewhere to go that's outside the room. Circulating them round the room with a fan won't help, you'll just breathe them in at a lower concentration over a longer time period.

[Richard Crowley]

The hardware available for clothes-dryer venting (flexible hose, couplers, exterior vent, etc.) would seem ideal for the kind of small-scale fume extraction one would need for hand soldering.  Along with a 100mm (4 inch) "muffin fan" to move the air. If you already have that Weller fan, perhaps simply venting its discharge to the outside would be a practical solution. 

I concur with AndyC_772.  Simply recirculating it around a sealed room seems silly. Especially if it affects you that profoundly.

[Arp]

The fumes need somewhere to go that's outside the room. Circulating them round the room with a fan won't help, you'll just breathe them in at a lower concentration over a longer time period.

Wouldn't the particles stick to the walls, ceiling etc or fall onto the floor when cooling down? Can't see how it would be circulating forever waiting for you to breath it in?

[KJDS]

Add nicotine, it's cheaper than cigarettes.

[rob77]

Add nicotine, it's cheaper than cigarettes.

that sounds like a business-plan, develop a nicotine solder flux - you don't have to buy cigarettes anymore.. just keep soldering  

[FrankBuss]

A professional solution would be this:

http://www.ersa.com/art-ersa-ea-55-i-805-4913.html

Needs no outside ventilation, but it costs EUR 800. I'm using this:

http://www.reichelt.de/Loetdampfabsaugung/FXF-11/3//index.html?ACTION=3&GROUPID=4135&ARTICLE=8078&SHOW=1&OFFSET=16&

Still expensive, but works reasonable well. I'm not sensitive to solder fume, but I figured it might be better for my health to use it.

[Jeroen3]

I have a 120mm pc fan with a nexus beamair on a few batteries.
Creates a steady compact stream of air you can put anywhere on your workspace to blow away smoke.
And I usually open the window, if it's not too cold outside.

http://www.nxstek.com/NXS-nexus-beamair-airguider.htm

[rob77]

or just buy a cheapo <100Eur kitchen fume extractor with integrated fan and connect a 100mm flex hose/tube to it and route it to the outside of the building (or connect it to a UNUSED chimney if there is any )

[retrolefty]

I just close my eyes if and when they start to sting and stop soldering and keep them closed until the stinging stops. 

I'm 66 and been soldering most of my life, but of course not every day and not for long continuous periods, maybe a couple of times a month for an hour at a time or so.

 I'm not recommending to not take soldering fume protection measures, but I've never taken any special precautions as a DIY hobbyist. YMMV.   

[Richard Crowley]

My practice, experience and age are essentially identical to Retrolefty's.
But many people are hyper-sensitive to various environmental things (including solder rosin fumes).
Recirculating fumes that you are known to be sensitive to just makes no sense. Exhaust them to the outdoors.

[IanB]

I have found the wisp of flux fumes that rises from the joint is almost magnetically attracted to my face. My first cure for this is to have a small, low speed fan blowing gently sideways across the work so it moves the fumes away and they don't come towards me. The second part is to work in a large, ventilated space. You must have outside ventilation whenever fumes are being produced, whether solder fumes, solvent fumes, paint fumes, or anything like that. I think you should look into an extractor fan and ducting, perhaps a bathroom extractor or kitchen extractor leading to the outside.

One important thing about the "small Weller fan". Small fans only work effectively when blowing. They are nearly useless when sucking. So to avoid smoke in your nose, eyes and lungs, make sure you have a fan flowing the fumes away from your face. If your basement is large enough they will disperse and natural ventilation will do the rest.

[GreyWoolfe]

I have a weller fume extractor-WSA-350- that I bought off eBay for $30 and and additional $7 for 3 filters.  It works fine, I place it at the back of my Panavise work center and the flux fumes get sucked up without issue.  Hunt around and you can get a deal or just DIY.

[Refrigerator]

Dave could do a video about this ! 
I have made myself an extractor out of a fan from a microwave and a carbon filter, put in all in a wooden box and there she goes, it's pretty quiet since those fans are made to be so.

[nanofrog]

I have a weller fume extractor-WSA-350- that I bought off eBay for $30 and and additional $7 for 3 filters.  It works fine, I place it at the back of my Panavise work center and the flux fumes get sucked up without issue.  Hunt around and you can get a deal or just DIY.

How well does it actually remove fumes?
And do you have a window to help out (outside ventilation)?

Though there's a couple of windows in my lab, one is already used (window AC unit in it, and too far away for a vent line IMHO <unsightly more than flow issues>), and the other is off limits (front of the house). The unit you're using would be a lot easier than what I've been considering, which is to DIY a room HEPA filter into a fume extractor (already own it, and it's not being used).

Not sure if going the easier route is the way to go or not. 

[Neganur]

• Low cost - hold your breath while soldering (not joking :-p)

Have to admit, it's what I do at home as well. Inhale before, exhale slowly while soldering. Almost like shooting a rifle.

[M4trix]

I bought one of these for PCB drilling since dust from boards is equally or even more dangerous than flux fumes. Might come in handy for soldering as well? 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Portable-airbrushing-spray-booth-extractor-E420-with-extraction-kit-/120891551071?pt=UK_Crafts_DrawingSupplies_EH&hash=item1c25b2ad5f

[johansen]

I have found the wisp of flux fumes that rises from the joint is almost magnetically attracted to my face.

Breathe Deep

[VK5RC]

I like neganur have the habit of taking a breath before starting soldering the joint and gently blow the flux fume away,  you end up with a cleaner board as well, 

[liquibyte]

I was also holding my breath while soldering and I've been doing it this way for years and I'm getting tired of it so, behold, the 555 in all its goodness for PWM fan control.

[mjkuwp]

The hardware available for clothes-dryer venting (flexible hose, couplers, exterior vent, etc.) would seem ideal for the kind of small-scale fume extraction one would need for hand soldering.  Along with a 100mm (4 inch) "muffin fan" to move the air. If you already have that Weller fan, perhaps simply venting its discharge to the outside would be a practical solution. 

I concur with AndyC_772.  Simply recirculating it around a sealed room seems silly. Especially if it affects you that profoundly.

yup, I think this is what I am going to do.  In terms of volume of solder, most of my work is done in the toaster oven.  I can connect that to the vent and possibly tee in a remote hose for hand soldering.

just have to figure out how to cut a hole in the end joint/header at the top of my basement wall.  Also have to go through a decorative brick facade.

I think it is worth it.

[TheRuler8510]

I just searched Youtube, and found this guy that did a real nice job on a fume extractor; this gives me ideas.   

[Rigby]

Before you go cutting into things that can't easily be "uncut", know that dual intake single exhaust dryer vent switches exist.  Turn a knob, and the dryer no longer connects to the outside vent, but rather, the outside vent is now connected to a second hose you can run to whatever you need exhausted.  Makes quick work of solder smoke with something as small as a bathroom exhaust fan.