Fresh Air
When we hear the term “fresh air” we often think about being outside next to the ocean feeling the breeze or on top of a mountain breathing the cool, crisp air. Or, when you are stuck indoors in a building or home for long periods of time you might say, “I’m going outside to get some fresh air.” If we really believe the air is better outside, why do we spend so much time indoors? And, more importantly, what is fresh air?
In reality the term “Fresh Air” is really a misnomer. While it is true that air outdoors is not prone to have that “stale air” smell you have indoors due to lack of ventilation, the levels of airborne contaminants and gaseous molecules outdoors is often not any lower. Yes, that is correct. Depending upon where you are outdoors the levels of harmful airborne particulate and gaseous pollutants can be extremely high.
You already know that during the spring and fall of the year various grasses, weeds, trees, etc. produce pollen of all sorts creating significant allergic reactions and health problems. Is this fresh air? You are outside…aren’t you? Or if you are in a downtown area of a large city you can sometimes feel some stinging in you eyes and throat. That’s usually caused by the high levels of gases such as nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide and hydrocarbons from all the vehicles. Of course you also have all the airborne particulate that is produced by tires grinding dirt into sub-micron particles. So now that we have identified fresh air let’s take a look at the process of using outside air for ventilation and reduction of CO2 in homes and buildings.
Pure Air Systems has been manufacturing HEPA and Carbon based fan powered, commercial grade air filtration systems since 1985. These units were not only designed to filter the air in a room, home or commercial facility but also to concurrently introduce small amounts of outside air and filter that air prior to introducing it to the indoor environment. As we mentioned before, the term fresh air is really a misnomer. Unless the outside air source is filtered prior to mixing with the indoor environment, it is not fresh air.
The PAS product line is capable of introducing high percentages of outside air that is filtered by three different medias. First there is a polyester dual-layer ring panel filter that is designed to take out the larger particles. Second the carbon media removes many of the odors and gases. Third, is the HEPA filter itself which is a certified HEPA rated at 99.99% removal of all particles 0.3 microns and larger. This three stage filtration ensures that any outside air will be in actuality, “Fresh Filtered Air.”
So the next time you hear the term fresh air remember there are levels of fresh air and you need to make sure that you use the right filtration process to ensure you and your family are breathing fresh air.
For more information on this concept and the complete product line offered by PAS please go to our website at: www.pureairsystems.com. You can also contact us on Facebook and Twitter.