Advice wanted from basement dwellers!

so your plan is to condition this space ?
if not your fine your return line should not be drawing from basement anyway :<)))

-- Tony---- Reinholds,Pa.------ REMEMBER TO ALWAYS HAVE FUN

I recommend building walls completely around your furnace and hot water tank.
seal the door good and install a make up air pipe from the outside that is larger than the flue.
If not wanting to do this then install the pipe from the outside and put a filter over the outside of the furnace where combustion air is drawn.

as to what I have had for the last 20 years is a 4” pipe ran straight to the return air duct for make up air
started with a 2hp 2 bag dust collector, currently running that along with a 3hp 4 bag dust collector both sucking thru a sheet metal cyclone that is ducted with 6” 30 gauge pipe to shaper, tablesaw, radial arm saw, bandsaw, jointer, planer, and wide belt sander.

just added a shop vac with a clear vue cyclone hooked to 2” sch 40 pvc to 5 ports over and around workbench and 3 more in shop. used for routers and sanders

have a used takeout furnace fan under 1/2 of the workbench with 2 24×24x12 bag filters with 2 24×24x4 fiberglass prefilters, this fan runs when I first walk into the shop and is left on overnight to a week if I have run the sander.

natural gas furnace, natural gas hot water heater are both in corner of room. no dust problem with either

furnace fan does run all the time with an electronic air cleaner due to wife’s allergies, she can walk into the shop when I am working with no problems unless I was sanding, with the shop vacuum add, only time she has a problem is if the wide belt sander is running

Tony
Thanks for the response. The return air for the system is drawing from upstairs, but I am concerned with the combustion air that draws from the basement space through punched holes in the metal sides of the furnace cabinet.

Evilboweivel thanks for the response..it isn’t feasible for me to wall in the furnace and HWH. I was also thinking of taping filters over the openings in the furnace. A friend who does HVAC also said I could close up all the punched openings and pipe in combustion air from outside and connect it to the furnace.

This is only a problem in the winter because in the summer the fan will only be running not the boiler..

I am hoping that it wont be a problem..if it draws in some wood dust it will just burn it in the combustion chamber. I plan on getting the furnace cleaned every summer anyways..

-- http://www.facebook.com/pages/DSO-Designs/297237806954248

I have worked in basements for years and only make an allowance to not use finishes when the heating system is running. Good dust management as you have already established will sort out the rest. I will add that I generally don’t sand much and never with power equipment. I try and get a good finish with planes and scrapers and “if” I do need to get out a power tool to sand (I hate hate hate it) then I often go to an outside table. My wood working journey has been the elimination of sanding more or less…can stand the dust, the noise and the closed pore finish it creates on the wood.

A friend who does HVAC also said I could close up all the punched openings and pipe in combustion air from outside and connect it to the furnace.

This would be the ideal solution if you can do it with your furnace. Dust issues aside, you’ll get fewer drafts around your doors and windows because the furnace won’t be generating a negative air pressure.

Brad_Nailor,

It’s good to hear from you again….What’s it been….a year or two..? Glad to hear you’re back on track with your woodworking….I can’t help you with the question you asked, but saying hey, and hope you’ll stick around.

-- " At my age, happy hour is a 2 hour nap".....!!

Does the combustion air get exhausted via a chimney?

-- I dream of a world where a duck can cross the road and no one asks why.

MNgary—yes its flue’d to a conventional cinder block chimney

Rick Hey how are you? Good to hear from you…. I have been woodworking since last time I posted, but had lost interest in the site due to the high volume of political bull**. I want to give it another try..I miss seeing everyone’s work and discussing techniques and getting advice from guys that are doing the same thing I am! I will be posting some work I have been doing the last few years. My shop was in storage from Aug of 2017 till Oct 2017 while I looked for a new house and moved in ..and I’m just starting to get it set up in my new place.

-- http://www.facebook.com/pages/DSO-Designs/297237806954248

I’ve had my shop in the basement for 50 years. I have the same furnace/water heater setup you mentioned. Air is circulated from the living area upstairs thru return ducts to the furnace and back. Never had a problem.

As for dust control I have a WEN air cleaner for the shop atmosphere and a Delta dust collector hooked up to the power tools.

I also built a basement window exhaust fan from a furnace blower motor. This fan is the only thing I need to take precautions with. I cannot run the fan while the furnace is firing because the fan has enough force to pull furnace fumes back down the chimney.

-- Lew- Time traveler. Purveyor of the Universe's finest custom rolling pins.

You didn’t mention which “whole room air filter” (Air Filtration System) you are using. Was curious.