How often do you change cartridages on respirators?
as recommended by manufacturer, or if you smell resin thru them that’s a good sign you’re overdue!
Here is something you can do to keep your vapor catridage alive a little longer, and is just a good idea. After you finish with all of your clean up take your mask and put it in a zip lock bag. Even when you are not using your mask the cartidage is soaking up voc’s. The right answer is when you start to smell voc though.
The activated charcoal in a vapor cartridge will absorb vapors if they are present but can be regenerated by placing it in an oven, though I don’t know for how long at what heat. Anyway it’s simpler to buy another or cockroach one from work.
I store mine on the shelf in the garage where I glass. I believe the cartridge will also release vapors when it’s not in a VOC-heavy environment.
“Breakthrough” is the term used, and means that when you smell the thing you’re trying to filter, it’s time to change. There are, however, vapors that are REALLY bad, and by the time you smell them through the cartridge, your lungs/liver/CNS are shot already. Typically these are urethane paints (auto and aircraft paints) with di-isocyanates in them. Hmmm, that’s some of the stuff used to make surfboard blanks…