Blog Tag: cigarette smoke removal

For the past 40 years the use of UV lights in HVAC ducted systems has been promoted as a way to eliminate mold and bacteria from the inside of the HVAC air handler. These UV light systems are normally located in or near the fan coil area where moisture is most present. These light systems are often used in-lieu of air filters or specifically HEPA air filters. One of the main reasons for using the UV lights is that they do not create any additional static pressure across the fan so that the air flow remains constant and stays at the correct air flow for maintaining proper heating and cooling of the indoor environment.

While it is true that HEPA filters or high density filters will create additional static loads on the air handler fan and can reduce air flow, the HEPA filters are much better at removing the airborne mold, bacteria and other contaminants, especially the smaller sub-micron particles that can truly affect your respiratory systems.  

The challenge with using UV lights, is that fact that the air flow from the fan passes by the UV at a very high rate of speed, and they airborne contaminants are not seeing the UV light rays for very long and in many cases the UV light does not destroy or kill the mold, bacteria or viruses. Even after multiple passes, the overall efficiency of the UV lights is minimal. As a comparison, if you are passing all the air all the time through HEPA or high efficiency air filters, all the air all the time is being filtered and the air filters will actually capture the particulate and keep it from re-entering the air stream.

One reason that people tend to stray toward using the UV light systems is the fact that HVAC contractors find that installing the UV light systems is easier and requires virtually no maintenance and most people have little knowledge of particle removal or efficiencies of air filters vs UV light systems. It is important to understand the differences between these two processes and remember that air filters are always a better option than using light as a means of minimizing the levels of harmful bacteria in the indoor environment.

For more information on our HEPA based product line, please go to our website at;  http://www.pureairsystems.com  . Or, you can call us on our toll-free number at 800-869-8025.

Smoke from cigarettes and cigars is highly visible and has a distinct odor. It is pungent and will stick to any surface and re-release the odor for a long time. It will cling to clothing and stain hard surfaces over time. Of all the airborne contaminants we generate, cigarette smoke is the most difficult to remove from the air.

Smoke from cigarettes and cigars has both a particulate component and an odor component. Both difficult to capture using filtration systems. The odor can only be removed using carbon based media and the cigarette smoke will even plug up a HEPA filter over time.

The use of ozone generators or UV lights also do very little to alleviate this situation indoors and it is now  the reason smoking is prohibited in almost all indoor facilities, restaurants and eating establishments. It is just too difficult to mitigate with almost any filtration technology.

Pure Air Systems has been making high end, HEPA based, fan powered air filtration systems since 1985 and one of only three companies in the world that make systems for both the commercial and residential markets. The systems range in capacity from 50 DFM to 2000 CFM and can include a prefilter, scanned HEPA filter and carbon media. The systems now all use variable speed drive motors and are digitally controlled. The units are also capable of being used in 120/240 50/60hz applications.

For more information please go to our website at:  http://www.pureairsystems.com   or call us on our toll-free number at: 800-869-8025.

In the 60’s Eric Burton of the rock group The Animals sang a song about a lost soul. The name of the song was Tobacco Road. The animals and song went on to become an iconic part of early rock and roll. Along the same lines the product tobacco had also become one the most influential soft drugs in the US and around the world. Nicotine, one of the main components of cigarettes and other tobacco related products, is also one of the most addictive compounds legally allowed in every country in the world.

In addition to the nicotine that is harmful to the user, the cotinine that is released as a result of burning the nicotine is a sticky material that sticks to everything it touches and releases an odor that lingers for a long period of time. Attempting to remove this airborne gaseous compound is difficult as it requires both carbon for adsorption of the odor as well as filter media ( usually HEPA filters) to capture the very fine airborne particulates that are released by the cigarette.

Because of the nature of the two emissions both the carbon and media filters ( HEPA ) need to be changed frequently making it very expensive and challenging to remove cigarette smoke in a room or enclosed area. This is one of the major reasons whey smoking is now prohibited in almost every public building and most restaurants.

For more information on the complete line of HEPA and Carbon air filtration systems please go to our website at: http://www.pureairsystems.com   or call us on our toll-free number at: 800-869-8025.

As everyone knows, being around smoke from a forest fire is extremely difficult and dangerous as smoke inhalation can be deadly. For California this past year, the forest fires have been nothing short of horrific. Many homes were lost and smoke hung in the air for weeks in many areas of California.

Pure Air Systems, an Indiana based company, has been making fan powered, HEPA based air filtration systems since 1985. Their systems are capable of being used either in conjunction with an existing HVAC system or as stand alone units. The partial by-pass configuration of the units allow for complete filtration of the home environment while also adding the ability to introduce outside, filtered fresh air to pressurize the home.

A homeowner in the San Francisco area purchased a PAS Model 600HS HEPA Plus system to do just that. His ability to bring in outside air through the 600HS unit and pressurize his home allowed him to stay inside and almost eliminate any smoke or odor from coming into his home. In fact, many of his neighbors also came to his house to escape from the smoke that was everywhere in the SF Bay area.

The 600HS unit has three filters. A dual layer ring panel filter to capture large particles and keep the HEPA clean, a 10 lb carbon filter to remove odors and a scanned 99.99% commercial grade HEPA filter to remove sub micron particulate. Pure Air Systems also makes larger versions of this filtration system ranging from 50 CFM to 2,000 CFM. These systems have been on the market for over 34 years and are the best performing HEPA based air filtration systems on the market today.

For more information on the complete line of HEPA and Carbon based air filtration systems please go to our website at:   https://www.pureairsystems.com    or call us on our toll-free number at 800-869-8025.

The reduction/removal of airborne particulate is usually accomplished by the use of air filters or filtration systems. The filters may be installed in a ducted heating/cooling systems return air grill or as a stand alone unit that circulates the air in a specific room or building. These types of filter systems are the most effective as they allow for circulation of the air within the room and while keeping the room temperature and humidity levels constant.

On the other side of the equation is the use of pressurization to reduce particle levels and/or maintain a higher degree of fresh air in a room, building or environment. To pressurize any room or space you simply need to draw in or pull in enough air from an outside source to change the pressure gradient in the room from either negative or static to a positive pressure room. We can all identify with positive or negative pressure as seen when we enter a large building or office and when opening the door the air blows out into your face ( positive pressure) or you have some difficulty opening the door ( as it seems to be pulled away from you) and overcoming negative pressure.  Another way to identify positive or negative pressure in a room is to open the main door about 1″ and take some smoke or a piece of tissue paper and place it at the door opening. If the smoke or paper moves toward the opening the room is negative, if it moves out toward you the room is positive.

The use of positive pressure as a means of filtration or “room cleaning,” has some major drawbacks. First, the air you bring into the room would probably be from an outside source. Although in a large building you could pull air from any space in the building and pressurize the room but that air may be just as dirty as the air in the room you are attempting to clean. Therefore, using an outside air source for pressurization is usually better but is comes with some costs.

Unless you live in a part of the country or world where the daily average temperature is around 70 degrees fahrenheit  and the humidity is 40% or less, bringing in outside air to pressurize a room will substantially alter the temperature and humidity in the pressurized environment.  In order to use pressurization effectively you would need to introduce at least 30% outside air as it relates to the amount of air being heated or cooled in the room.  For example is you have a room that circulates and conditions 600 CFM through its heating/cooling system you would need to introduce at least 180 CFM of outside air to remove some of the  airborne particulates or contaminants.

This process is often used in smoking areas in bars and lounges and in locations where odors, gases or fumes are being generated and dilution by introduction of outside air is the least expensive alternate. The amount of air introduced from the outside would vary depending upon the type of contaminant as just mentioned. It may be that up to 50% dilution is required to effectively reduce the levels of contaminants, however, this large amount of air will displace half the air in the room so some form of vent is needed to allow the fresher air to come into the room and push the contaminated air out of the room. It will also significantly impact the heating/cooling/humidity levels in the room or space.

For more information on pressurization, filtration and alternate methods of contaminant reduction please contact Pure Air Systems at: https://www.pureairsystems.com. You can also contact them directly at: 800-869-8025.

In 1958 the Platters released a new song titled, “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes.” This song has since been recorded by hundreds of artists over the years. It has been used in more than 50 movies as either the main theme song or one of the tunes as a way to emphasis a certain feeling or emotion. The Platters went on to record a number of other hits, but this one tune has had more impact than all their other well-known songs.

Whether it’s smoke from a cigarette, leaf fire, charcoal grill or exhaust fumes from an oil burning car, smoke will quickly and substantially irritate your eyes; with symptoms ranging from mild irritation to watering eyes, burning sensations, partial or complete blindness that can linger for long periods of time. These symptoms don’t include the choking, coughing, respirable irritation that accompanies the watering eyes. Anyway you slice it, ( and sometimes smoke is so thick you can slice it with a knife), exposing your eyes to smoke is not a good thing.

Interesting that in industrial facilities or manufacturing facilities where respirators are required, often the only eye protection is from safety glasses. While these protect the eyes from large flying particles, they do nothing to keep fine, airborne dust or smoke particles from entering your eyes. Small amounts of contaminants over long periods of  time can be just as damaging as large concentrations over short periods of time. Protection from or removal of the smoke particles is critical.

Pure Air Systems has been making HEPA and Carbon based commercial grade, fan powered air filtration systems since 1985. Removal of very high percentages of very tiny, sub-micron particles is their primary function. The HEPA systems offered by Pure Air Systems ( PAS) have an initial efficiency of 99.99% removal of all particle 0.3 microns or lager. And, approach 95% removal of all particles 0.12 microns and larger.  Since smoke is fairly visible with the naked eye, one assumes that smoke can be easily removed by the  HEPA units. While this is mostly true, it is not what you can see that hurts you, it is what you don’t see, and there-in lies the problem.

The visible smoke is extremely large, measuring more than 20 microns in size up to and over 100 microns in size. These larger particles are normally aspirated in and then expelled from the lungs. These larger particles are also more easily washed away by the tears that form in your eyes when subjected to high concentrations of smoke. However, the smaller, invisible smoke particles; those less than 20 microns in size, are easily ingested into the body and are not as easily removed by the tear ducts in your eyes. It is these smaller particles that cause all the damage and the majority of them can be removed by the use of HEPA filters.

Smoke is an irritant and should be treated as one. Even smoke from candles can be a problem when used in small, confined areas. The black soot-like particles that come from the wick ( both old and new styles ) is also very tiny and should be considered a threat to your body.

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

There is a lot of discussion today regarding the right to bare arms. Everyone is quoting the constitution and telling their senators and congressmen to uphold the 2nd Amendment as written by our fore fathers. There are federal gun laws that in many cases are being challenged by many states and there is the NRA and other political groups that demand their rights be upheld. This issue is so highly charged that people are threatening their local politicians and demanding their rights to be heard.

The right to free speech and to openly challenge what we think is wrong, is one of the main freedoms we have in this country. The 1st amendment says so. When we see an issue that interferes with our rights or challenges our health we are able to speak out about that issue.

One of the biggest issues that faces a lot of people is the ability to work, play and live in a smoke free environment. For some, protecting themselves from the health dangers of cigarette smoke is an important as being able to carry a gun to protect themselves from harm.

Over the past few years almost all of the large and small corporations in the US have banned smoking in their workplace. For Hospitals and other health care facilities smoking is banned even out in their parking lots. Schools, universities, all public buildings have also banned smoking.  All of these new laws were passed as a direct result of the public speaking out and demanding a safer, healthier work place.

In many cities, counties and townships across the US bars and taverns have eliminated smoking altogether. While many bar owners and restaurant owners thought eliminating smoking would kill their business. Just the opposite. People that never frequented bars now came and stayed for long periods of time, drank and ate more and came more often.

Second hand smoke is now considered to almost as much of a health risk as smoking itself. For children and individuals with respiratory problems second hand smoke can be harmful both short term and long term. Again, the ability to openly challenge the tobacco industry as well as local laws and state legislation regarding non-smokers rights has been successful.

Pure Air Systems has been manufacturing commercial grade HEPA and Carbon based air filtration systems since 1985. Since its beginning PAS has been providing filtration systems for bars, restaurants and other facilities where smoking is still permitted. These large, high volume HEPA units incorporate Carbon media as well as a prefilter to effectively remove the harmful smoke particles as well as significantly reduce the smoke odor.

For more information on the complete line of HEPA and Carbon based air filtration products and systems by PAS please go to our website at:  wwww.pureairsystems.com

There is no end to the amount of discussion on the health issues related to smoking.  Everyone either knows someone who smokes or is a smoker. Today most public buildings don’t allow smoking as do offices, hospitals, schools and churches. In fact the only places you can smoke is outside, in your own home (maybe) and in bars that still allow smoking.

If you live with a smoker or work in an environment where smoking is allowed you know the challenges of getting smokers to quit or smoke less. Smoking is more addictive than the majority of illegal drugs. And the cost of smoking in dollars for health care is enormous. In addition, smoke from cigarettes and cigars will coat the walls, ceilings and HVAC duct work with a nicotine substance in any home or office building over time.

If you are around a smoker in your home or office and you inhale the smoke for a continued period of time you will in essence have the same lung damage as the smoker himself. It is for this reason that smoking is prohibited in so many places.

Cigarette and cigar smoke contain hundreds of chemicals many of which are considered carcinogens. Breathing in these chemicals over time can create significant health problems. In addition you have a constant odor problem with smoke which tends to cling to everything, including your hair and clothing.

Some of the health issues include OCPD, respiratory dysfunction, eye infections, lung cancer to name a few. It is important therefore to minimize your contact with cigarette smoke. If you live with a smoker they need to smoke outside. If you work with a smoker and he or she won’t quit, you need to find another position in the company or find another job.

Cigarette and cigar smoke is very small. The amount you see with the naked eye represents only 35% to40% of the smoke coming off the cigarette. The rest is less than 10 microns and much is it is less than 1 micron in size. It is this smaller size particle that remains in the lung linings and mucus membranes and is not expelled when you breathe out.

Due to the nature of cigarette and cigar smoke it is not easy to remove this contaminant with general duty air filters or even ventilation. Pure Air Systems has been selling its HEPA and Carbon based filtration systems for smoke removal since 1985. HEPA filters will capture over 99.99% of the smoke that it sees. The carbon media will adsorb much of the nicotine odor.

While the majority of our HEPA systems for smoke removal were installed in restaurants, bars, and bingo halls, a large number have been sold to homeowners. These systems are attached to the return air side of the HVAC system and will capture all the cigarette smoke and odor that is pulled into the system through the return air grills in the home.

If you are really serious about the air you breathe in your environment then you need to get some serious filtration systems that will actually remove the harmful smoke particles and odor.

For more information on the complete line of HEPA an Carbon based filtration systems offered by Pure Air Systems, go to our website at: www.pureairsystems.com

When The Platters released this song in the fifties  the lyrics were more about the hearts desire and flames from the heart causing smoke to get in your eyes. Today, these words are used most often when describing smoke from a cigarette getting into your eyes.

While more and more bars, restaurants, public buildings, hospitals, office buildings, schools, etc, etc, etc, no longer allow smoking of any kind, there are still thousands of places where people are subjected to cigarette and cigar smoke. Some people ( and I am included in this group) can even detect cigarette smoke when standing outside 15 to 20 feet away from a smoker.

With all of the airborne contaminants that we are subjected to, cigarette smoke ranks as one of the most difficult to deal with. It is comprised of about 100 different chemicals including nicotine, the major component of cigarettes, and one of the most addictive chemicals used legally. Which is why almost 40 million Americans still smoke.

There are a number of challenges when dealing with cigarette smoke but two of them are the most difficult. First, the small smoke particles that come off the cigarette are easily aspirated into the lungs of anyone within 5 to 10 feet of the smoker. The smoke you see coming from the cigarette is really fairly large, 20 to 100 microns in size. However, the majority of the smoke coming off the cigarette is very small and invisible to the naked eye, it is sub-micron in size (less than 1 micron) and is easily trapped in the lungs.

The second most difficult component of cigarette smoke is a substance called “cotinine” which is a component of nicotine. This material is transported by the cigarette smoke and is somewhat tacky and will adhere to any surface. This chemical has a strong odor lifetime; meaning it will continue to release an odor for days after it is released from the cigarette and attaches to a surface. It is this chemical that sticks to your clothes and carries the odor from the bar or restaurant back to your home. It really does stink.

One of the real challenges in dealing with cigarette smoke and all of its components is the removal or reduction of this smoke from the air. Ventilation and air dilution were used years ago as one way of removing some of the smoke from occupied areas, but the cost of heating and cooling all that air made the process prohibitive. Using air filters in the HVAC system removed some of the larger airborne particles but did nothing for the smoke odor.

Pure Air Systems has been installing its HEPA based air filtration systems in bars and restaurants to remove smoke and odors since 1985. Although today there are few bars that allow smoking, there are still many that do along with many of the private clubs. Using HEPA filters is necessary to remove the sub-micron particles and to remove the odor component the PAS systems include carbon to adsorb the cotinine other odor causing chemicals.

It is interesting to note, that even with the use of the PAS commercial grade HEPA and Carbon based air filtration systems, it is very difficult to maintain a clean, healthy environment in a smoking area when you have a large number of the customers smoking.  And, with the amount of smoke that is generated by a large group of smokers the PAS filter systems require the HEPA filter to be changed once every 4 to 6 months ( normal life is 3 years) and the carbon to be replaced 4 to 6 times a year or more often ( normal life 3 to 6 months).

It is for these reasons, along with the obvious health issues, that entire communities, cities, towns and municipalities are banning smoking from any indoor public facility; even from parks, outdoor stadiums and other recreational facilities.

For more information on this topic and to learn more about the HEPA and Carbon based product line from Pure Air Systems, please go to our website at; www.pureairsystems.com.

While more Americans have decided to quit the smoking habit, almost 20% of the US population still smokes. Smoking is very addictive and difficult to give up. Many smokers try to limit their smoking to only the outdoors but this doesn’t work for everyone.

Many homeowners who smoke try to limit their smoking to one room to minimize the second hand smoke issues for the family members who are not smokers. While this seems like a good idea, the fact is that cigarette and cigar smoke easily travel along air currents and the odor can be recognized 50 feet away in another room.

Since most homes use forced air, ducted, heating/cooling systems, whenever the furnace or AC fan is on all the air from every room is pulled into the returns sent to the air handler, conditioned and then sent back out to the entire house through the supply ducts.  So, any smoke generated in any room in the house ( including the basement) will eventually be circulated throughout the entire home.

Pure Air Systems has dealt with this second hand smoke issue for many years, and very successfully. There are a number of methods using PAS filtration systems that can work for you.

First, you can place one of our model 600HS PLUS HEPA filtration units with carbon and variable speed motor with digital speed controller in the selected smoking room.  This unit can move up 600 CFM of air so if you sit next to the unit or place a small duct and hood on the inlet of the unit and smoke next to the system, the 600HS PLUS will pull out over 90% first pass of all the smoke (through the HEPA) and odor (through the carbon) and significantly minimize the amount of second hand smoke.

Second, you can use one of the new HPS series Portable HEPA units that again have both a HEPA and Carbon filter. This portable unit is considerably smaller than the 600HS PLUS unit (only 13″ sq. by 21″ long) and can move up to 500 CFM. It has a four speed air volume controller. Since this unit has a smaller intake area you will need to blow the smoke toward the inlet to allow for maximum capture.  First pass smoke and odor removal efficiency is slightly less than the 600HS PLUS but if used correctly the HPS unit can be the answer.

Third, you have the option of placing the 600HS PLUS or one of the larger HS PLUS units directly on the return air side of your heating/cooling system. The unit will remove the smoke and odor that is pulled through the return air grills in your home. However, this approach works best if you smoke near one of the main return air grills and you also have to make sure the heating/cooling fan is running at maximum speed to adequately pull the smoke to the unit.

Fourth, Pure Air Systems also offers a line of BioGuard media air filters that combine a polyester ring panel media with carbon. These filters replace the standard air filter located in your HVAC system and can be helpful in removing much of the smoke and odor from the cigarettes. Again, these filters work best when the heating/cooling fan is running and the smoke is generated near or close to a main return in the home.

Anyone of these options available through Pure Air Systems can be helpful in keeping second hand smoke from your family members. For more information on these filter products and smoking applications go to our website at: www.pureairsystems.com