NEMO-Chemistry
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tiles and grout in a fume cupboard
To cut costs and make life a little easier, i was going to tile the walls of the inside of my fumecupboard.
the sides are wooden so i figured covering with ceramic tiles would be a better option. Not knowing what grout and tile adhesive is made from however,
my question... is there any particular tile adhesive or grout i should use so it dosnt react with spills?
or maybe put a bead of silicon around the tile edges where the tiles meet?
The other question is exhaust height, is there a ideal height for the flu of the exhaust so fumes dont linger around the outside of the building?
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MrHomeScientist
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I'd bet money on grout being some kind of carbonate, which would react with acids.
When tiling my lab, I used a grout sealant to help mitigate that. It's a clear coating you just paint onto the grout lines, making them
water-repellant. Silicone would be a good option for a fume hood. Silicon, on the other hand, may be difficult as it melts at 1414C!
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phlogiston
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Old fumehoods sometimes have tiles, but I can't find any information on the grout that was used for them. Commonly available grouts are usually
cement-based and not very acid resistant. Sealing, e.g. with silicone, seems like a good strategy. I am not fond of ceramic/tiled fumehoods because
they are very unforgiving if you drop a piece of glassware even from a small height.
Regarding height of the exhaust, it depends on you building and other buildings in the vicinity. I think looking at the regulations for
fireplace-chimneys may help to at least get some idea of the principle.
[Edited on 10-7-2017 by phlogiston]
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"If a rocket goes up, who cares where it comes down, that's not my concern said Wernher von Braun" - Tom Lehrer |
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JJay
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I am planning on coating the inside of my fume hood with plaster of Paris. It's mainly calcium sulfate, which is pretty inert at normal temperatures.
It can be used as a grout, although it's harder to apply than most commercial grouts.
If you decide to go that route, be aware that it can produce burns as it sets: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/art-class-girl-loses-ei...
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NEMO-Chemistry
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Thanks for the info. calcium sulphate sounds like a great idea. The chances are the tiles will mostly be the back and sides. getting the tape measure
out i realized i could actually use the sink draining board for the bottom. its not plastic exactly and i am not 100% sure what it is made of, but its
some Dupont material thats a bit like plastic except not flammable etc and very heat r3esistant. It also seems totally inert to everything i have
thrown at it  .
the downside is its a mare to cut, blunts a circular saw blade pretty quick. And being a kitchen unit has a horrid pinky colour with black flecks in!!
the silicon i was thinking of is the fishtank bathroom type sealer, but i do like the calcium sulphate option .
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Magpie
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Quote: Originally posted by JJay  | | I am planning on coating the inside of my fume hood with plaster of Paris. It's mainly calcium sulfate, which is pretty inert at normal
temperatures.... |
Sheetrock (wall board) is mostly hydrated calcium sulfate, ie, Plaster-of-Paris.
The single most important condition for a successful synthesis is good mixing - Nicodem
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JJay
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I considered making the entire thing out of sheetrock, but I want it to be semi-portable, and I'm not sure if sheetrock is strong enough. I've seen
fiber-reinforced sheetrock panels, but they are expensive.
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NEMO-Chemistry
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Just an update, the tile cement wasnt that good on wood, so i ended up using 'no nails glue. stuck the buggers or really good and then I used silicon
sealer instead of grout.
Not finished yet, so next question.... is it ok to use the orange type soil pipe for the exhaust? I think its a type of PVC but not 100% sure.
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Magpie
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I use 8" PVC for the exhaust duct - works great.
The single most important condition for a successful synthesis is good mixing - Nicodem
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NedsHead
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If you're worried about breaking glassware on ceramic tiles you could line the base of the fume cupboard with silicone baking sheet, silicone cookware
and utensils have become popular and some of them are quite useful for purposes other than baking, e.g. spreading flux with a silicone brush when
soldering / brazing
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NEMO-Chemistry
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Thanks magpie, i couldnt remember which colour of pipe was a no no, the orange stuff is cheap and easy to work with.
nead the base is a kitchen worktop, no idea the material but its chemical resistant and not as destructive as tiles for dropping things on . the sink is made from the same stuff.
Now the sad bit..........
Got to rip it all down again! I havnt made it tall enough to get a lab jack mantle and 400mm condenser in!! Also I was really unhappy with having
exposed copper pipes inside it.
On the plus side ebay has thrown up a huge amount of kitchen cupboards and units including inbuilt fridge all for £25!!! Ok kitchen units might be
naff to a purest but storage is one problem i have
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veganalchemist
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Can you not just line the fumehood with sheets of glass?
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Sulaiman
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| Quote: Originally posted by NEMO-Chemistry |
Now the sad bit..........
Got to rip it all down again! I havnt made it tall enough to get a lab jack mantle and 400mm condenser in!! |
You may want to consider allowing for the additional height of a vertical column for fractional distillation too.
CAUTION : Hobby Chemist, not Professional or even Amateur
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JJay
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You also need space for the thermometer above the column. I'm designing mine so the work area is about 110 cm high, and I'm actually not sure I'll be
able to fit a 60 cm fractionating column.
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NEMO-Chemistry
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| Quote: Originally posted by JJay | | You also need space for the thermometer above the column. I'm designing mine so the work area is about 110 cm high, and I'm actually not sure I'll be
able to fit a 60 cm fractionating column. |
Sorry i was on about a fractional column, The upside is there are a few changes I can make now, making it from wood and double glazed glass means its
not too big a deal to redo.
Except more tiling which I hate .
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