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Need better respiratory protection when milling grain

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  • #16
    Originally posted by TGTimm View Post
    After a visit from our friendly Oregon OSHA rep, we've decided that point-of-source dust collection/control is the most economical and safest way to go.

    The respirator-type masks you all and we have been using require employee training, employee respiratory health evaluation, and professional-level fitment (which can be done in-house, but the test kits cost >$300), and documentation, documentation, documentation. Fitment places serious restrictions on facial hair, which can be a problem, especially with hipster employees (and us old hippies). Paper "dust masks" don't require any of this, but also don't work.

    I've ordered a wood shop style 1.5 hp. Jet brand dust collection system (~$300). This will be installed in a lean-to outside the mill room, with non-sparking, grounded metal pipe plumbed directly to the malt bin, grist case, and mill. With some simple hoods and adjustable blast gates, I'm pretty sure we can eliminate all or nearly all of the free dust in the mill room, for less than the cost of a single year's use of respirators (due to the costs to conform to OSHA standards). Additionally, this should make for a much cleaner and more pleasant place to work.

    OSHA has agreed that this would absolve us of any need to use respirators/masks, and eliminate any need for a dust explosion abatement plan.
    Old post, I know, but I have some questions

    Could you detail what exactly this looks like? This seems like the best way to go. We have yet to build a mill room, so if you can outline more details it might help us to design it more completely. I get the dust collector (though I can't find one for less than $600) but it's the plumbing on the inside of the mill room I don't understand. We use a Frankenmill that we built ourselves so I am curious as to how you collect the dust in those areas while a) leaving room to put grain in and b) not sucking up actual kernels.

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    • #17
      Here are some pics:


      OSHA required the dust collector to be outside the mill room. It lives here:
      Click image for larger version

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      Our cheepo Jet 1 hp collector:
      Click image for larger version

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      4" sch. 20 PVC piping,with ground wire inside to prevent explosions. Ground wires extend into the collection hoods:
      Click image for larger version

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      A small dust collection hood at the top of the mill. I cut out the back of the upper housing of the mill for this, then sealed the rest of the upper housing:
      Click image for larger version

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      Attached Files
      Last edited by TGTimm; 06-01-2015, 03:44 PM.
      Timm Turrentine

      Brewerywright,
      Terminal Gravity Brewing,
      Enterprise. Oregon.

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      • #18
        The last image above is a large dust collection hood on top of the weigh-bin for the grain going into the mill. I used vinyl storm window covering for the cover, with a hinged lid in front for adding bagged grain. The curved pipe behind the hood is the grain drop from the silo Flex-auger.

        All the covers need to leak to allow enough airflow to convey the dust. For the same reason, I didn't use any 90 degree fittings, and minimized the length of the flex-hose.

        I have quite a bit of left-overs (flex-hose, blast gates, fittings, etc) from this project if you're interested.

        I sourced most parts from Amazon, a few from Rockwell. Total cost was well less than $1000. If you're going much further or adding more pick-ups, a larger dust collector would be needed. The little 1 hp works for us. Our mill room is now dust-mask free and clean (the pictures were taken before the mill room was thoroughly cleaned)!
        Last edited by TGTimm; 06-01-2015, 03:46 PM.
        Timm Turrentine

        Brewerywright,
        Terminal Gravity Brewing,
        Enterprise. Oregon.

        Comment

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