FAQ

The answer to this question really depends upon the type of spray booth you have. If you have a booth in which the filter is designed to sit vertically then the Procart filters are better suited. If your booth has horizontal filter frames then you can use either filter - however if you are able to fit a Procart, then we always recommend using this range. If your filters are designed to sit horizontally at floor level, or lower, then the Profibre, the Procart K or Procart KH is, generally, better suited.

The Procart range of filters will always offer better filtration and maintain a constant and smooth airflow for much longer than the Profibre range. However every spray booth is different and every customer wants something different from their filtration, hence the reason why we have a range of filters so that you can have the right filter to match your requirements.

We have many customers ask us this question and, indeed, have visited customers only to see that they have managed to fit their filters back to front. So, this is not a stupid question and you are not alone in being unsure which is the front and which is the back of these concertina filters.

Our standard white Procart and Procart I filter is fitted with the flatter side facing into your spray booth therefore the deeper folded 'V' section is the back of the filter. The overspray enters the filter through the hole on the front and is drawn into the deep 'V' section. As the air circulates within this area the paint is absorbed by the cardboard and held whilst the air exits the filter via the offset hole on side of the 'V'.

If you have a Procart H, Procart HS or a Procart M2 that are constructed with a fibre layer, then this media should be installed facing the back as it is designed to act as a secondary level of filtration.

With all our fibreglass filtration products, there is a back and a front. It may not always be obvious, but it is important that the product is fitted correctly so that you are getting the most efficient and effective filtration.

Our Profibre rolls are coloured green and white and it is the green side that faces into the spray booth, therefore it is this face that the overspray hits. If you are using our specialist Propora filter, then it is the purple side that faces into the spray area.

Both these filters are ‘progressively built’ which means that the fibres are closer together the deeper into the filter you go. So, the fibres are closer together at the back of the filter than they are at the front. This is so that the larger overspray particles are held onto the front of the filter whilst the smaller particles are held towards the back. If the filter is fitted back to front, then it will block very quickly.

It doesn't matter which of the spray booth filters, from our Procart range, that you are installing into your booth - they are all installed in the same way.

The first thing that you must do is know which is the front of your filter; our standard Procart B is white on the front and brown on the back - therefore the white faces into your booth, so this is the side that faces the sprayer. The rest of our booth filters have the fibre on the back so, again, it is the cardboard that faces into the spray booth.

Once this has been decided then you need to measure the width of your booth and cut the Procart to size. The minimum number of folds, per metre, is 26 and the maximum is 32. This means that for every 1-metre of spray booth width you want to count between 26-32 folds on your filter. For example, if your booth measures 3-metres then you should count 3 x 26-32 folds (78-96 folds), plus an extra couple of folds at each end to hold the filter in place.

Generally you should use a pleated panel for air entering an area (air input) and a glass panel for air exiting an area (air extraction). Pleated panels give a higher level of filtration so can hold much smaller particulates, such as dust, that would pass through a glass fibre panel. This is why using a pleated panel to filter input air is recommended.

All of our pleated filters (Procart B, Procart H, Procart I & Procart M2) should be fitted into your booth at a minimum of 26 folds per meter. This means that if your booth measures 2 metres wide then you would need to count 2 x 26 folds (52 folds) plus a couple of extra folds, at each end, to hold the filter into the frame. However, don't feel that you must stick to 26 folds regardless. This is the recommended minimum number per metre of your booth however this can be increased to allow for individual circumstances such as a very high airflow, dry or very fine paint particles or just to generally improve the filtration quality if required. One way to think about this is that the more filtration holes per square metre then the higher the filtration level, so increasing the 'folds per metre' from 26 to 28 will increase the number of filtration holes therefore improve the filtration of your booth air.

Some of you may be thinking of trying to clean your HEPA filter yourself in order to save a little money. But cleaning a HEPA filter is not the best of ideas for many reasons. Firstly, a HEPA contains many extremely thin mesh fibres which enable the filter to function but they are very delicate so any form of brushing or wiping could, very easily, cause damage. Even if you could be certain that the filter would not be damaged during the cleaning process, there are other reasons why cleaning a HEPA filter is not a good idea.

Cleaning a filter is a very dirty job. There is a high possibility that you will bring some airborne contaminants into your home or workspace unless you undertake the cleaning outside. Getting rid of those pollutants would be your biggest reason for using a HEPA filter in the first place. Any contaminants from the filter, that are introduced back into the air, may lead to new microbial growth or you may inhale some of the contaminants which could result in breathing difficulties.

There are plenty of factors that will determine which type of booth is best suited for you - that could be budget, volume of work, type of work, size of items being painted, or the amount of space you have available.

However, if you want to know which type of booth gives the best air filtration and removes the most dust/contaminants from the air then the answer has to be a wet spray booth.

Historically, people have moved away from wet booths as they were under the impression that the water was costly to maintain and water changes were a frequent necessity. This is not the case as the water is easily treated and doing so properly can eliminate water changes completely.

As you can see from our site, we manufacture spray booth filters for dry spray booths and treatment chemicals for wet spray booths so hopefully you can accept us offering impartial advice.

Its very hard to give a definite time for when to replace an old HEPA filter as there are many elements involved, for instance, humidity, filter location, usage time, the quality of air entering the HEPA and the quality of air filtration required.

In general terms, the HEPA filter should be changed every 3 to 6 months, which is a relatively broad average. When a filter's capacity to capture a large number of particles is reduced, it should be replaced. Let’s say, if you keep using a filter that is only 50% effective, that means it would take about double the amount of time to clean the air in the same room compared to a normal HEPA filter. This is something that should be remembered when your HEPA starts to age.

There is not much difference in air filtration when comparing the depths of HEPA air filter apart from airflow and pressure drop. Generally your choice of depth of HEPA filter will depend on the frame in which you are fitting it. If you are making your own frame, we recommend choosing the depth of filter based on your fan specifications. SPCB UK can supply most filter sizes and depths according to your requirements with a lead time of a few weeks. Standard depths depend on the type of filter:

Laminar Flow: 68mm, 78mm, 88mm, 110mm, 115mm - custom depths up to 125mm
Turbulent Flow: 150mm, 292mm - custom depths up to 305mm
Deep Pleat: 150mm, 292mm - custom depths up to 300mm

We recommend comparing fan specifications with the technical sheets on our website. If you require more information, then do please contact us.

The filter efficiency is the same whether you have a wooden frame or a metal frame so if your concern is filtration quality then you can choose either frame type and receive the same filtration levels. Whilst a wooden framed High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter is generally cheaper than a metal cased alternative, there are some important differences.

A metal frame will be more rigid and robust than the MDF equivalent and will be moisture resistant. This is of value during the installation process. However, the metal frame also includes grills to support and protect the filter medium. Whilst grills are also optional on the wooden frame, this increases the price.

The wooden option is generally a great version for recycling and / or disposal by burning which would not be possible with a metal grill in place.

Please don't use these to filter air entering a spray booth. You will not require air that has been filtered to this quality for a booth in which you are conducting standard spraying. Our Pleated Panels or Protop will provide perfectly adequate air quality. HEPA filters will also offer far too much resistance for a spray booth so the extraction fan will not function properly.

As detailed in the Technical Specification section, HEPA filters work in a different way to a standard filter, which means that the filters will collect all size of particles. There is a weak point, however, at 0.3 microns which is known as MPPS (Most Penetrating Particle Size). This is why we show the filtration efficiency for this size of particle as this is the minimum quality of filtration. For further information please look in the Technical Specification section.

You can order either by telephone, email, or directly on this website. You can decide which is the easiest and most convenient way for you for you to place your order.

If you are an established customer or have an account with us, then you can email your order together with a Purchase Order number. You will receive confirmation of receipt of your order and an estimated delivery date.

You can pay for your order by PayPal or most types of Credit or Debit cards with orders placed via the telephone or on this website. We can also issue a Proforma invoice and will accept payment by bank transfer or cheque.

If you have an account with us, then you will be invoiced with terms of 30EOM with final payment accepted by any of the above methods.

If you place your order via this website then, once the ordering process is complete, you will receive an automatic order confirmation.

If your order is placed over the telephone or by email then the order confirmation will be sent once the order details have been entered onto our system. You will also receive a confirmation when your order is despatched together with a receipt or invoice.

We often send special offer discounts and voucher codes to our customers. These are sent by email to customers who have given us their email address and opted in to the newsletters when placing an order, if sending feedback, requesting that their email address is added to our marketing list or by contacting us separately to make such a request.

These email offers are entirely optional and customers can opt out at any time. We do not send contact information to any third party.

If you are not on our marketing list currently and would like to be, please contact us.

For orders placed on the website then, as soon as your order is complete, you will be issued with a receipt by email.

For all other orders your receipt will be sent once payment has been confirmed. For credit accounts, you will receive monthly statements showing your order and payment history.

We are more than happy to set-up a trade or credit account for you if you are going to be a regular customer.

You will need to complete an application form and, once established, your account will change your payment terms to 30 days EOM. Your account will also allow you to log-in to this website and place your orders using a Purchase Order number.

Different customers use purchase order numbers in different ways. Some insist that a number is used for every order placed and others only when an order is placed on account.

For either way, we are happy to take an order number and it will be shown on the appropriate paperwork including invoices, statements, receipts and delivery notes. If you are placing an order using your credit account, then we will insist on an order number before we despatch goods.

Providing that the goods you have ordered are in stock then we aim to dispatch orders within a few working days depending on the time of year. Orders are normally sent on a next day service with a few exceptions such as palleted goods and delivery addresses in some parts of the Highlands and offshore.

Many orders are with our customers the following working day, especially if the order is placed before midday. If you choose our 'priority' despatch option, then your order is treated as urgent and it will be sent at the earliest possible time.

However you place your order, either by telephone, email or directly on our website, we will inform you, as soon as possible, if your goods are not in stock and when they will be available

Tell us as soon as possible.

Orders can take a few days to be handled depending on the time of year and so we give the option of priority despatch at the checkout.

All deliveries are sent by a specialist courier and tracked until arrival. You will be informed when your consignment is on its way by email or text if provided. Delivery should then usually be expected within 1 - 3 working days.

We do check on the progress of orders but may not be aware if there is a delay. If your delivery has not turned up within the estimated time, then please contact us online or call 01673 895130 so that we can investigate and help to resolve any issues. It is important to us that your delivery arrives as expected and in good condition as soon as possible.

It is very important to inspect your delivery before accepting it from the courier. If it is damaged or parts are missing, then you can refuse the delivery.

If this is not possible at the time, then any damage must be reported to us within 5 days so that we can investigate and arrange a replacement. We may ask for photos to help with any potential claim we may have to make.

The most important thing for us is that you have the goods you ordered and in the condition that you expect.