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Paint Booth Exhaust & Regulations

The federal government requires a permit for all paint booth air emissions, formulated on the amount of explosive organic compounds expelled. Additionally, paint booth exhaust systems must comply with state and local building and environmental laws.

  1. Ventilation

    • Ventilation systems must continually run during spray paint operations to allow vapors to be completely removed. Paint booth ventilation systems must be equipped with interlocks to prevent the spraying equipment from operating unless the exhaust system is working. Newly painted objects must be dried in the paint booth with the exhaust running.

    Ducts

    • Exhaust ducts must be assembled out of steel, sufficiently supported, secured against mechanical damage and separated by at least 18 inches from flammable materials. Each booth must have an independent exhaust duct system that expels the vapors outside the building. It is important to properly ground all metal components of the exhaust ducts.

    Make Up Air

    • The direction of the exhaust air flow must not be aimed at the make up air being added into the paint booth or to other ventilation intake systems. The make up air must be fresh and free of contaminants from exhaust systems in close proximity.

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