Perception VS Performance

I have often said that perception often trumps reality when it comes to human nature. Historically this is true. Many of our most favored historical events never really happened the way the history books write them, but the fact that we have passed these stories on from generation to generation and used them as support for certain issues creates the perception that these events actually occurred in one specific way. Changing that perception is very difficult and in many cases impossible even when showing factual, provable data to the contrary.

This same principle is true when discussing a particular product or company and the difference between the historical perception of the performance of a product and the actually performance of a product. Take automobiles for example. During the late 70’s and early 80’s the American automobile was considered the best in the world. Even though the Japanese products continually out-performed the Big 3 cars, the perception was nobody could do it better. Then as more people tried the foreign made vehicles they began to realize the Japanese and Germans had better performing cars with fewer mechanical problems. Then the perception shifted to the foreign manufacturers side that nothing made in the US was any good. Even though the US automobile industry has cars equal to many foreign cars in performance and reliability, the perception of foreign being better than domestic still exists.

In order to change the perception of the level of performance, the company must develop products that perform up to and above the expected level of the customers. This must be done consistently as people are much less loyal to a product or company than they used to be. If they try something and it works well they will buy it again. If, however, the second purchase turns out to be less than desirable in performance the customer may totally abandon the product and perhaps any products made by that company. Again, loyalty is spelled with a small “l” these days.

Pure Air Systems has been manufacturing a line of commercial grade HEPA based, fan powered air filtration systems since 1985. The systems operate in a wide variety of applications and their components are all high end, commercial grade, certified products. Performance has always been the primary feature of the PAS product line. Since the first model 600H was shipped in 1985 the performance and longevity of the systems has been recognized as some of the best in the industry. In fact, there are PAS systems in the field that are now over 20 years old, still working and providing the kind of performance expected by their customers. Now when selling to a new customer PAS has the benefit of having these new orders from people who have found the PAS product line to be known for its quality and consistency of performance and based upon that perception they will purchase the products assuming they will meet or exceed their expectations. And, they always do.

For more information on the complete product line from PAS, please go to our website at: https://www.pureairsystems.com or follow us on Twitter @pureairsystems. Of course you can always call us on our toll-free number at: 800-869-8025.

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Extra Virgin Olive Oil

There are times when you really see something for the first time after seeing it over a 1,000 times. You know what I mean. We are blasted by the media with all types of  new terms now common or strange terms now common. Our acceptance of odd terms and crazy  advertising slogans is amazing. We seldom question these terms because we start using them ourselves. The title of this blog is one of them.

So…when can virgin be extra virgin? Can you be extra dead? Things can be extra special, although special is usually good enough for me. I suppose the term extra denotes that something is better than what you can imagine. Again, if I can’t imagine it, how can it be better? Quite the conundrum. Hm..can you have an extra conundrum?… Get the point.

Companies have a habit of trying to out-do their competition by using the word extra to describe how well their product cleans, or the amount of additional service you’ll get by choosing their company or my favorite….NO EXTRA CHARGE.  Which actually means we are over-charging you for the base service but throwing in some other services that we would normally charge for but you think are free when they really aren’t.

Pure Air Systems has been manufacturing commercial grade, certified HEPA based air filtration systems since 1985.  From the beginning the metal framed, high performance HEPA and Carbon based systems were designed for commercial, institutional and industrial applications and have exceeded the performance requirements by our customers.

Using ECM style, digitally controlled motors, that are rated 120/240 volt, 50/60Hz, these systems can and are used around the world in applications as simple as food storage pressurization to portable and stationary surgery suites in second and third world countries.  The ability to use motors up to 1 hp but operate on the electrical usage of a 1/3 hp motor which makes these units inexpensive to operate and maintain.

The PAS HEPA systems range in volume capacity, as measured in cubic feet per minute, from under 50 CFM to 2000 cfm. The variable speed controllers available on all units allow for incremental air volume adjustments in 1% increments to allow for finite control of the HEPA filtered air required for your applications. There are few commercial grade HEPA systems on the market that give you this type of control with a full range of systems.

The new HPS 350 and HPS 500 portable units are fast becoming one of the more popular HEPA units available from Pure Air Systems. These compact, yet powerful, HEPA units have four speed volume control and are only 21 inches long and 13 inches square. They weigh less than 24 lbs.  These new systems can be used stand-alone or even configured in a by-pass mode for use with existing HVAC systems.

For more information on the complete line of HEPA units and their applications, please go to our website at; www.pureairsystems.com. You can also follow us on Twitter @pureairsystems or follow us on our Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/pureairsystems. Of course you can always call us on our toll-free number. 800-869-8025..which by the way is at no extra charge…

 

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Running With Scissors

For most children the ability to explore their surroundings  is usually conditional to the restraints put on by  their parents…more often than not, their Mother.  Most children have more energy than they know what to do with and running is one way of using that energy. “Don’t run,” is the most often constraint placed on kids. A large number of accidents occur when children run with abandon. It is, however, more challenging when children run with something sharp in their hands….like scissors.

Telling someone not to do something because it may cause them harm often falls on deaf ears until that person has an unfortunate experience with that specific situation. Learning the hard way is often the only way for some.

For people who have severe allergies or companies and technicians who want to control their environment, the use of sub-standard air filtration systems and devices is not uncommon. The decision, however, to use  a filtration device that will not remove the small, sub-micron sized particles to minimize or reduce the allergy problems is as dangerous as running with scissors. Sooner or later something bad will happen.

Over the counter allergy medicine is at best, psychologically helpful. Most of these are anti-histamines and will provide minimal relief, usually just masking the symptoms. Removal of the allergens or removing yourself from the source of the allergens is the only way to really provide some relief. Just like allowing the child to still hold the scissors but not allow them to run, is only a partial solution to the problem.

General duty air filters that are found in your HVAC return or in your return air grills are good for removing large particles and then only when the air handler fan is running. During the off cycles nothing is being pulled through the filters. It is always best to have your fan setting on the thermostat set on run. While this uses a little more electricity, in the long run it will maintain a more even temperature in all rooms of the home or office and keep the air moving toward and through the air filters. This process alone of running the fan continuously is helpful even if you are using standard air filters.

Pure Air Systems has been manufacturing HEPA and Carbon based air filtration systems since 1985. These commercial grade, certified HEPA systems are used in the residential, commercial, institutional, medical and high-tech manufacturing markets around the world. These systems incorporate some of the most effective and advanced motor and controller devices available on the market today.

Using HEPA filers or HEPA based air filtration systems is still the most effective method of removing the respirable size airborne allergens. The difference in reduction of these particles in using the HEPA filters rather than standard duty air filters is significant. In cases where PAS customers have switched to a HEPA filtration system, over 80% of those with significant allergies found they slept better, had fewer symptoms and needed fewer or no additional allergy medications.

For more information on the complete line of HEPA and Carbon based air filtration systems please go to our website at: www.pureairsystems.com. Or follow us on Twitter: @purairsystems. You can also reach us on our toll-free number. 800-869-8025.

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Fish Or Get Off The Pot

Don’t you just hate it when someone is trying to make an important point and they use the wrong phrase or terminology and the whole conversation goes down the drain. Using mixed metaphors can do that to you. Once you do it, you lose all credibility. It’s happened to me and I’m sure on occasion it has happened to you.

Giving a presentation on your company’s product or service in front of an audience, whether it’s 3 people or 30, requires some preparation and practice along with a great power point presentation. Without the practice or the right tools the entire message can get lost in the shuffle. So to speak.

I think you get my point. Getting the correct information in the correct manner and style appropriate for your audience is critical to making a lasting impression. But more importantly, when you have a captive audience full of potential buyers you need to nail it. After all, in today’s difficult economic climate, you need all the new business you can get because it’s a jungle out there.

When writing the text for the Pure Air Systems website, it was decided that the material would be geared more toward education and indoctrination of all things “air filtration” and “IAQ,” rather than a “let me tell you what I’m going to do,” sales type pitch. The current website is a direct result of that process. Don’t get me wrong, it didn’t start out that way. But this is now the 7th iteration of the site and  all the changes were made as a direct result of customer feedback.

When dealing with technical terms and products, it is important to look at your audience as novices when it comes to your particular product or service. Just because someone uses a similar product or service doesn’t necessarily mean they actually understand how it works or why it works.  And, if they don’t understand the basics they can easily be swayed into buying some other product that claims to be as good or better than yours but is less expensive. Education is the key.

When you go to the Pure Air Systems website you will find an easily navigable site, with tabs that indicate exactly what they are and the information under the tabs is in sync with the tab names. Additionally, the information in the “Pure Air University” section is specifically written for the laymen as well as the knowledgeable. It doesn’t get any better than that.

So, if you are at wits end, and you want information that separates the men from the boys, the wheat from the chaff, and puts you in a better light, then go to our website for information on the best HEPA air filtration systems on the planet. You’ll be glad you did. Find us at: www.pureairsystems.com. Or call us at: 800-869-8025. Thanks a bunch!

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Maid In Amerika

If you go to the comments section of any article published on-line that discusses the plight of the American manufacturing machine you find people complaining bitterly about the fact that nothing is made here anymore. In truth, the vast majority of major products are made here in the US. However, almost all of the consumer electronics and most of the general duty appliances are made outside the U.S., and therein lies the problem.

If you use a cell phone, computer of any style or type, tablet or other digital communication device, more than likely it is manufactured overseas. Yes, many of these companies, like Apple, are based right here in the U.S, but they have their devices made some place else. Small appliances also fit into the same category. Yet, it is interesting to note, consumers may complain about the perceived lack of American made products, but they will purchase the imported brands even if there is a similar product that is actually made right here. The main reason…price. Over time people have rationalized that one companies product is the same as another companies product and therefore price is the deciding factor.

Pure Air Systems has been manufacturing commercial grade, certified HEPA and Carbon based air filtration systems since 1985. These units were and still are made right here in the USA. In 1989 PAS began putting “Made in the USA” stickers on each unit. It was our way of telling people this product was fabricated from all US made components. The intent was to assure the public that we were not importing the products from overseas.

Over the years a number of  U.S. based companies offered alternate air filtration technology based systems that in some case competed with our smaller units. The majority of these systems were fabricated overseas and they were usually of a lesser quality but also considerably less expensive than our systems. And even though PAS has repeatedly shown to meet or exceed the performance requirements of our customers, many individuals and some companies continue to purchase the imported products.

Today, Pure Air Systems continues to manufacture all of its systems here in the U.S. Some of the electrical components and a few mechanical components are fabricated overseas as these required parts are no longer made in the U.S. However, our products are still some of the most powerful, effective and sophisticated HEPA air filtration systems made today. Customers from around the world now use our filtration systems and our reputation for quality and performance is seldom challenged.

There is no doubt, that companies around the world have access to the same technologies and components and the need to continue improving our products has never been greater. However, we will never sacrifice quality and performance for price. We know what is required to provide our customers with the best available air filtration technology and they rely on us to maintain that premise.

For more information on our complete line of HEPA and Carbon based air filtration products please go to our website at: www.pureairsystems.com or follow us on Twitter @pureairsystems or go to our Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/pureairsystems.

 

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Bak to Skool

I do a lot of writing and publish a number of blogs on-line. I am always careful to check the spelling and punctuation since these types of mistakes will often make the reader less interested in the material. So it really bugs me when I see so many people, many highly educated, misspell a word or use a word incorrectly. And, as a result of so many of us using texting tools like our smart phones, iPads, tablets, Facebook, Twitter, etc, etc., we tend to use a “short hand” approach to form a sentence or thought. Hence the use of this title for the blog.

The problem isn’t that we do it…the problem is we accept it as a normal method of communication. And to a certain extent I understand the rationale. I use Twitter a lot and you have to be very creative to make a point with just 140 characters and include a link. But the problem extends itself into the way we now gather information and educate ourselves about someone or some thing. I have found, for example, that writing a blog that is under 500 words gets more reads than one that is 600 words long. It seems that people want to be informed in 500 words or less….even better if you just show a picture with a short caption. This is why it is so difficult these days to get someones attention long enough to make a significant point or properly inform.

Pure Air Systems has a web site that is designed to cover all aspects of readers attentions spans. We have a quick info section that allows you to see a photo of the product with 3 to 4 sections of information that can be selected with one click of the mouse. This information is short and to the point.  If you want more information you can go to other sections in the site that provide more details on the products and their applications and our installation guide.

However, the area that gets the most action is our “Pure Air University” section. This has a number of “chapters” covering all aspects of Indoor Air Quality, basics of air filtration, ventilation, motor design, etc.  This section provides a lot of basic knowledge that allows the end user to become better educated and thus allows them to make a more informed decision.

We also have a section that allows the end user or contractor to pose a specific problem or question. We read these daily and respond within 24 hours with an answer.  They can also pose questions on our Facebook page or through Twitter. Of course we have an 800 phone number they can call during office hours. Interestingly most people and contractors prefer to contact us via email or through the social media programs. And, many of those “digital” contacts are made on their mobile devices. Which means they want a quick, short answer. We will try our best.

For more information you can contact us at: www.pureairsystems.com, Facebook.com/pureairsystems, @pureairsystems. This is 500 words.

 

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Carpe Diem

The first time I actually paid attention to this Latin phrase was when I saw the 1989 movie Dead Poets Society, staring Robin Williams. The term Carpe Diem means “Seize The Day.”  The movie was about boys coming of age in a prep school and their teacher was providing new ideas and ways to think differently about themselves and the world around them. Some of us look at the world through rose colored glasses while many of us look at the world in wonder.

It is in my nature to question everything. While it is easier to sit back and accept what we hear and read, questioning takes energy but also tasks the informer to explain their position. We seldom question information from sources we believe to be credible or from associates who seem to know more about certain issues than we do. We certainly don’ t want to be cynical all the time and yet we get trapped into accepting something based solely on a small amount of information.

Information on product performance is especially susceptible to this problem. Well-known companies with well establish product lines can come out with a new product or service and we immediately accept their “hyped” performance claims simply because of our product loyalty. We will purchase their product and deem it unacceptable only after we have determined over continued use that it just doesn’t meet the performance claims.

Pure Air Systems has been manufacturing commercial grade HEPA air filtration systems since 1985. The acceptance of true HEPA filters for best choice of removing respirable sized airborne contaminants has slowly progressed over the years. For years ASHRAE standards for pleated media filters ranging in efficiencies of 30% to 95% in particle reduction efficiencies were touted as best choice for airborne particle reduction. However, unlike the HEPA filters which actually have an efficiency rating based upon particle size, the ASHRAE standards were based on particle weight not on particle size reduction efficiency.

Over the years a new “MERV” rating system for filter efficiency came into use to even the playing field. These new MERV ratings established a particle size removal rating for each MERV grade of filter based upon the effectiveness of removing a percentage of particles at 0.3 microns in size. Which, by the way, is the particle size standard for HEPA fitlers. They have to have a minimum efficiency of 99.97% reduction of all particles 0.3 microns in size or lager to be considered a true HEPA filter.

Once the new MERV standards were adopted by the filter manufacturers it opened the eyes of the people and companies that use air filters. Like Robin Williams who stood on the desk in his classroom because he wanted to look at the world from a different point of view, the MERV ratings offered buyers a more objective way to evaluate air filters.

You can view the entire line of HEPA and Carbon based air filtration systems manufactured by Pure Air Systems on our website at: www.pureairsystems.com. Or contact us by phone at: 800-869-8025.

 

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Help! My Job Is Making Me Sick!

While many of us have often complained about our jobs, employers and co-workers being difficult to deal with, most people don’t associate their place of employment as the root cause for making them ill or sick.

Back in the 1980’s the term “sick building syndrome” was coined and it related to the fact that the indoor air quality in many commercial, institutional and industrial buildings was so poor that many of the employees developed allergies, respiratory issues and even asthma from long term indoor exposure.

After a lot of study it was determined that some of the main causes for the poor indoor air quality were lack of ventilation and/or amount of fresh air and the chemicals that were being off gassed from the building materials and office equipment. In addition, many of the office sections that were attached to  manufacturing sections were down wind of the contaminants being produced by the manufacturing processes.

Many employees sued their employers and building owners and managers and made the building and mechanical engineers aware that this IAQ problem was significant. As a result of the employee fire storm a number of changes were made by both ASHRAE ( American Society of Heating Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers) and BOMA (Building Owners and Managers Association) for new construction of buildings. These new changes; both in building materials and HVAC modifications, made some significant headway in maintaining a healthier, safer work environment.

Some of these changes included adding more outside air through the economizers located in the HVAC air handling units, better heating/cooling comfort level controls and better ventilation for office equipment such as printers, copiers and fax machines. These changes went a long way to making significant improvements in the work environment. Then came 9/11 followed by the current economic meltdown.

While these two events did not happen simultaneously, they both have negated many of the changes that were previously made to ensure better indoor air quality. 9/11 forced many building owners to reduce or eliminate the amount of fresh outside air introduced into the buildings. They were concerned with the possibility of terrorists using chemical or radiological gases and these gases being drawn into the building.

This change did two things. First, it reduced the amount fresh air and reduced air exchange rate. Secondly, because they were not bringing in cold or hot humid outside air, they found their heating and cooling bills were substantially lower. So in one case it increased the amount of CO2 in the work environment which brought back the IAQ problem but it did save them money.

This event was shortly followed by the slowdown in the economy and the current economic meltdown. With fewer employees in the office buildings and with more companies having significant cash flow issues, there was no need to go back to the modified ventilation rates and other IAQ positive practices. In addition, with the threat of losing a job a reality for many people, nobody is going to complain or sue their employee because of some indoor air quality problem.

Today, the problems with poor indoor air quality still exist and employees are still having some of the same issues that they had in the 80’s.

Pure Air Systems has been making fan powered HEPA based air filtration systems since 1985. From the beginning these units were designed to not only filter the air in a select area but also have the ability to introduce outside, filtered fresh air into a building with minimal affect on the heating or cooling costs. For more information on how these systems work and the complete product line please go to: www.pureairsystems.com

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ASHRAE Ventilation vs PAS Systems

PURE AIR SYSTEMS

A Discussion on ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 62.2-2007
Ventilation and Acceptable Indoor Air Quality in Low-Rise Residential Buildings

OLD STANDARD: The concept of utilizing mechanical ventilation as an effective method for reducing indoor air pollution in homes and small commercial buildings (two – story) has been considered an effective method to ventilate homes and minimize sources of indoor pollution. This concept applies to spaces intended for human occupancy within single-family houses and multifamily structures of three stories or fewer, including manufactured and modular houses.

PREMISE: The use of moderate to high volume self contained air filtration systems to allow for high rates of air filtration to reduce indoor air pollutants in occupied areas while also introducing small amounts outside, filtered fresh air for ventilation in-lieu of large amounts of mechanical ventilation as discussed in the ASHRAE 62.2-2007 standard.

IN THE BEGINNING

The use of natural ventilation in occupied areas has been around since people lived in caves. It is somewhat interesting to note that the method of ventilation for reduction of indoor air pollutants has not changed much since then.

The use of either natural ventilation ( such as opening up windows, doors or use of gravity vents) or mechanical ventilation such as fans, ducted vents with fans and mechanical HVAC equipment with the ability to introduce outside air have been primary methods of ventilation for years. This method was used for natural conditioning of the air temperature, reduction of stale air (removal of CO2) or reduction and/or removal of airborne pollutants.

There are a number of challenges with using outside air for ventilation. First, if you introduce outside air that is significantly above (hot) or below (cold) the inside ambient temperature you will increase or reduce the temperature and humidity levels in the occupied area and the energy requirements (and equipment costs) to maintain a comfortable temperature and humidity range become excessive. Second, outside air is not really fresh air. In today’s world no matter where you live the amount of contaminants and pollutants in the outside air preclude you from introducing any air from the outside unless it is properly filtered.

A MORE EFFECTIVE ENERGY EFFICIENT METHOD

Since its inception in 1985, Pure Air Systems HEPA based air filtration units were designed to be used to both filter the air and offer the option of introducing small amounts of outside, filtered fresh air for ventilation and reduction of CO2 and other airborne pollutants. The PAS systems can be used in conjunction with any type of forced air ducted heating/cooling system in the partial by-pass configuration or as stand alone units.

Page 2. Ventilation In Low-Rise Buildings:

The Pure Air Systems filtration units are all fan powered and range in air filtration volume from 350 CFM to 2000 CFM. These units incorporate an ECM energy efficient motor, forward curved blower, prefilter, carbon and certified 99.99% at 0.3 micron HEPA filter. The system is attached to the return air side of the HVAC system and a portion of the return air is brought in through the HEPA system (see image below) and continuously filtered.

A small amount of outside air (usually 50 to 100 CFM) is introduced directly ahead of the PAS unit. This small amount of air is naturally mixed with the ambient air from the return. Since the amount of outside air is much smaller (by percentage) than the amount of ambient air, even with extremely hot or cold outside air, the resultant mixed air temperature that is achieved through the natural mixing process delivered back to the HVAC system has a temperature differential of no more than 5 to 8 degrees F. from ambient. This means the amount of energy required to heat or cool this air back to the required temperature is minimal.

CONCLUSION

With the new tighter, energy efficient building techniques used today the need for some type of ventilation in occupied areas is necessary. However, with the need to reduce energy costs and meet some of the new LEED building certifications it is more important then ever that alternate methods of introducing outside air for ventilation be considered. The ventilation method utilized by Pure Air Systems is not only more energy efficient but provides a much greater reduction of airborne pollutants and better indoor air quality.

Pure Air Systems
6115 Guion Road
Indianapolis, IN 46254
800-869-8025
www.pureairsystems.com

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