Venting

[holsterguy]

So, how do you guys vent your casting set-up? I cast in my unfinished basement. Have my pot set up under a boarded up window with an old range hood above it vented out the window. Doesn't seem to work very good. Last casting session, the wifey thought something was burning. Told her no, I just fluxed my pot with beeswax.

[HangFireW8]

You need makeup air to replace what is vented by the range hood. Then it will draw better. You need to crack a window somewhere. The best setup is run a larger pipe ( 8") from another window to under your casting bench.

I cast in a garage corner with a window on either side. I open the lower window on the windward side and the upper window on the downwind side.

[Bookworm]

I cast in a barn. Absolutely no problems with air flow there. Even with the doors shut, I get 'flow-through' ventilation.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I do cast in the house, next to a window which is open (cracked open in winter). The room is onthe 2nd floor, a former kitchen when this house was a duplex. I don't flux, I put clean alloy in my bottom pour casting pot and leave a layer of dross on top of the melt to inhibit more oxides from forming and it also insulates the melt for better temperature control.

[bangerjim]

I ALWAYS cast outside here in AZ. In front of my back lot shop. Nice weather pretty much 388 (!) days a year!

If you do it inside, you need a VERY good inflow to the room and a VERY good outflow right over your casting area. From your OP, sounds like you have NO inflow air to the basement. Big problem! In Illinois you have the problem of sucking wet sticky hot air into your basement. And in the winter sucking cold bone-chilling air into your basement. Neither will result in a peaceful co-existence with your wife.

Might as well cast outside! And keep the basement dry in summer and warm in winter. And the wife happy. I sure would.

[ThomR]

I cast in my detached garage with the garage door open. I have my setup basically in the middle of the garage door.

[glockfan]

i'm casting in a closed room with a fan blowing toward an open window.im sitting between the fan and window with the pot right under the window ; the air flow created is enough to drive the fumes outside the room .i don't flux though.

[Pardini]

I cast in the garage. I had 4 feet added to the back of the garage when the house was built for my reloading/casting bench. Over the bench I had the contractor put in a vent pipe through the roof. 8 or 10 inch I think. I installed a high cfm three speed vent hood. One side of the hood is flush against the wall. The other side I block when I cast. The pot only sits partially under the hood, but it pulls all the flux smoke off the pot in a hurry, up and out through the roof.