Keeping It Clean

Top shelf paint jobs demand a clean paint booth. For helpful maintenance tips, read on.

Over time, the buildup of paint overspray and dirt in the paint booth can lead to many problems that can reduce the efficiency of your painting operations. Filters become clogged, hoses get covered with paint and lights are dimmed. It just becomes difficult to spray effectively if the booth is dirty and is not properly maintained.

Paint booth maintenance is a two-step process. The first step is performing those tasks—when you’re painting—on a daily basis that help maintain the cleanliness and efficiency of the booth. The second step is doing those maintenance tasks at the scheduled intervals, whether it be daily, weekly or monthly.

Remember, regardless of the type of filtration system, the quality of your paint work will suffer without regular, ongoing paint booth maintenance.

DAILY REMINDERS WHEN SPRAYING

As we find throughout the automotive world, dirt is public enemy number one. The body shop is no exception. Before you begin any paint job, the spray booth must be as clean as possible. Just think of the number of different ways dirt can get inside the booth. The most obvious is the air that moves through it, but don’t forget the other sources. These include the vehicle being painted, the painter, the spray equipment and even the paint.

We’ll talk more about the filters later, but let’s look at some simple things you can do to keep dirt out of the paint booth. First of all, only go into the booth when the fans are running. The positive pressure generated by the fans will move any dirt and dust out. After the vehicle is inside and you’re ready to paint, stay in there, close the doors and keep everyone else out until you’re done. Opening and closing the doors, and people going in and out, disrupts the airflow. This allows dirt to collect inside and on the vehicle being painted.

While on the subject of dirt, the spray booth is not a storage room. Don’t keep parts, paint, trash cans or workbenches inside the booth. These items are dirt collectors. And this dirt will eventually find its way onto the finish of the vehicle being sprayed. Here’s another simple rule to keep in mind. Don’t do any body preparation work or paint preparation inside the booth. It’s a paint booth, not a work room.

The vehicle being painted is usually the biggest source of dirt in the paint booth. Dirt hides in every crack and crevice on the vehicle. It’s behind the bumpers and in the engine compartment. After you thoroughly clean the vehicle, put it in the booth. Don’t leave it in the general sanding area where it can collect more dirt and dust. When the air blast of paint hits the dirt, it gets kicked out of its hiding place and lands on the finish.

Finally, let’s talk about clothing and cleanliness. Don’t wear cotton clothes when spraying a vehicle. It’s a major source of foreign particles. Wear a lint-free paint suit, rubber or nitrile form-fitting gloves, a head cover and a respirator. And once you start painting, stay in the booth until you’re done.

SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE

When discussing scheduled maintenance for a paint booth, we’re talking about three different components—filters, fans and lighting. Let’s start with filters.

Regardless of the design of your booth, it’s basically a large rectangular structure through which filtered air flows, in and out. And the filters that clean that air become clogged with dirt, dust and overspray. So, you can see that clean filters are necessary to maintain the cleanliness of the air and the booth. Therefore, filters are your top maintenance priority.

A filter replacement schedule is based on the design of the booth and can be established with input from the booth manufacturer. The output of your shop and the type of equipment you use are also important factors to consider. Frequent filter replacement will save money in heat costs as well as cut labor time.

Check the booth pressure daily with a manometer. This will help you determine when the filters are getting clogged. High booth pressure indicates a restriction from clogged filters. Monitoring booth pressures can help you fine tune the interval at which the filters should be changed.

Fans are used to move air through the filters to create paint booth pressure. Dirt and overspray will accumulate on the fan blades. This added weight can cause an imbalance problem that, if left unchecked, can cause serious fan damage. Such damage can include bearing failure and blade separation. So, regular fan blade cleaning must be on the scheduled maintenance list.

Another item to check on the fans is the belt tension. Be sure the fan blade and motors turn easily by hand. Note: Use electrical lockouts when checking the fan. If the fan bearings have grease fittings, lubricate the bearings about once a month.

The last major booth component that requires maintenance is the lighting. It should go without saying that all lights should be in working order. Any burned out bulbs should be replaced. Let’s state the obvious: proper lighting is necessary to achieve a high quality paint job.

As a general rule, more expensive bulbs will provide more useful lighting than inexpensive ones. Color-corrected bulbs are designed to duplicate sunlight which, in theory, will give you the best light to paint and allow you to do the best color matching. Just be sure that these bulbs produce as much light as the standard bulbs.

And lastly, light covers become dirty and covered with dust and overspray. Dirty covers reduce visibility in the paint booth that can result in redos. When performing other light maintenance, clean the covers.

We’ve covered the three major components of the paint booth, but our maintenance tasks don’t end there. The booth itself must also be maintained and in good condition.

Before and after every paint job, wipe down the walls, floor and ceiling. An easy way to keep the booth walls clean is to use a strippable, spray-on coating. When the overspray builds up to an unacceptable level, strip off the dirty coating and apply a new one. Keep the entire booth clean of excessive overspray and dirt build-up. Keep the exhaust chambers and stacks clean to remove any risk of fire.

Here are a few more items to include on your scheduled maintenance checklist:
1. Thermostats and temperature indicators – re-calibrate these devices to ensure proper temperature readings in the booth; improper temperature readings can lead to under estimating drying times
2. Door seals, latches and seams – check these components occasionally to prevent air leaks into the booth; such leaks bring in dirt
3. Sprinklers and safety system – check to ensure proper operation
4. Top of the booth – clean it from time-to-time; dirt will build up on the roof of the booth and can be sucked into the booth every time the doors are opened and closed