Crossdraft spray booths get their name from the way the air moves inside them. Just as downdraft booths have their air intake on the top, and the exhaust in the flooring, crossdraft booths have the air intake at one end of the booth, and the exhaust at the other, making the air move along the length of the booth. And although this type of booth has its advantages and disadvantages, this ventilation system is very efficient, but only if the right kind of filters are used.

Crossdraft booths usually take in their air through the doors, or more specifically, through the intake filters that are placed on the doors. These filters are very important because they remove the particles from the incoming air. This air is usually drawn from the workshop itself, so you know it contains a lot of particles, which could, if not stopped by the filter, ruin the paint job. But when the intake filters are in place, this is very unlikely to happen.

The air gets exhausted out of crossdraft booths through the filters on the back, usually with a little help from an exhaust system which draws the air out of the top of the booth and back into the shop. The exhaust filters are usually a part of a multi-staged filtration system. Paint arrestors are usually the first tier of defense against the overspray and fumes that come with spray painting or priming. After the arrestors, there are one or two layers of exhaust filters, to make sure the air which exits the booth is properly filtered before being released into the shop.

So, now that you know how much good work filters used in crossdraft spray booths do, make sure to maintain them properly, and to change them when they need changing. Don’t wait for them to get all sticky and dirty, as soon as you notice the draft gauge behaving funny, either clean the filters, or get new ones if you can’t clean them. But whatever you do, make sure you have functioning filters in place when you’re doing work in a crossdraft booth.