Blog Tag: HEPA Filters

THE MEDIA is getting a lot of attention these days and depending upon which side of the aisle you sit your position about this pandemic is dependent upon which media outlet you watch or listen to. The term “media” also refers to the type of filter materials used in air and liquid filtration. In the case of these types of materials, they are not subject to opinions or bias. Filter medias have a specific protocol they must pass in order to have a rating for a certain efficiency of particulate removal of certain sized particles.

Pure AIr Systems, founded in 1985, has been making fan powered HEPA based air filtration systems for the commerical, medical, industrial and institutional markets with a very high degree of success. The HEPA media used in their systems is tested under very stringent test protocol to meet or exceed 99.99% removal of particulate 0.3 microns in lager and approach 95% on particulate smaller than 0.3 microns. 

The efficiency of this type of media doesn’t care where the particles came from or how they were generated or even the color and texture. It is a filtration media that is used globally and recognized as the best available filtration for removal of airborne bacterial and viruses. It is important to listen to the science not the hype. 

For more information on the complete line of HEPA and Carbon filtraion systems please go to our website at:  https://www.pureairsystems.com .   

The Corona Virus pandemic has brought out a cry for protective gear, masks, respirators and ventilators not to mention HEPA based air filtration systems to maintain positive pressure rooms in make-shift hospitals. HEPA filters are made from special paper-like materials that are extremely dense and designed to capture a very high percentage ( usually 99.99% or greater ) of sub-micron particulate. These filters are used in surgery suites, laboratories, chip manufacturing, and any place where airborne particles ( bacteria and viruses ) are present. 

With the Covid-19 pandemic there is a race to provide any type of mask for the first responders, medical personnel and now the general public. This demand has brought out a number of individuals and groups making masks ( or printing them ) out of various materials; mostly cloth of some kind. However, some are offering HEPA masks that look like a regular cloth type mask. True HEPA masks worn by first responders are PAPR masks. Positive Air Pressure Respirators.These masks have true HEPA filters in their design and also have fans to assist in pulling the air through the HEPA filters. These masks are battery powered. Without the assistance of the fan you would would have difficulty pulling air through the mask with your own lungs as the HEPA paper has extreme resistance compared to standard surgical masks. 

The N-95 masks are similar to MERV 8 air filters. They are good for 95% of particles in the 3.0 to 10.0 micron range. Certainly much better than cloth but not as good as HEPA media. The reason this is important is that viruses, such as the Covid-19 virus, can be as small as .0005 microns in size. As a comparison, your hair is about 100 microns in diameter. This sub-micron size makes Covid-19 airborne and allows it to pass through standard mask materials. This is why this virus is so deadly. 

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

Viruses are very tiny microbial particles. They are less than .012 microns in size and are easily transmitted by air or touch. The masks that people are wearing to protect themselves from this virus. Unfortunately this is just not the case.

In order to remove viruses from the air you need some very special HEPA type filters. These are called SULPA filters. This stands for Super Ultra Low Particulate AIr or Absolute filters. These are used by the CDC and other medical clinics around the world. Most of the masks now worn by people for protection are not capable of removing any viruses and most bacteria. They are good for removing large dust particles. HEPA masks are available but very expensive and hard to breathe thru as the HEPA paper is very dense and creates a lot of air resistance. 

Pure Air Systems has been making HEPA based, fan powered air filtration systems since 1985 and has a number of HEPA filter systems that are designed for residential, commercial, institutional and medical applications. Their portable unit is certainly one of the best on the market for reduction/removal of harmful airborne particulate including bacteria and some viruses. Their systems can be attached to existing HVAC units or used as stand-alone systems. 

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

Pure Air Systems has been making commercial grade, fan powered HEPA based air filtration systems since 1985 and has seven different model and size configurations to fit any commercial, medical, industrial or residential application for reduction and/or removal of sub-micron airborne particulate. Recently, GOTO RX, a company based in Ontario, Canada that specializes in pharmacy clean rooms and other products for the pharmacy industry, recently purchased a 2000HS HEPA filtration system from Pure Air Systems to tests it’s effectiveness using a smoke test by the College of Pharmacists, Air Quality test protocol. The unit was mounted in the ceiling of two clean rooms with short duct runs to a number of inlet points to capture the smoke that was generated by the testing equipment.

William Fretwell, President of GOTO RX provided this description of the smoke test and the results. The 2000HS was tested at a flow rate of 43% of maximum ( 2000HS can move up to 2,000 CFM ) with a room  air change rate of 45 air changes per hour which is above the 30 changes per hour normally required for this type of clean room. So there was lots of spare capacity. During the smoke test where a special chemical is used to generate smoke that is extremely fine with much of it invisible to the naked eye, the particle counter found no smoke passing through the Pure Air Systems HEPA unit. The 2000HS created a clean room environment in both rooms with a Clean Room rating of Class 6, which is 10 times cleaner than the required standards. William Fretwell commented that, ” most hospitals don’t have anything up to this standard”.

As a result of the successful test results, GOTO RX is planning on publishing an article for Pharmacy Practice Magazine with the title, “The New Clean”. It is important to note that PAS has been using their HEPA based filtration systems for over 35 years in a wide variety of clean room type applications with superior results. For more information on the complete line of HEPA and Carbon based 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 use of Marijuana for both medical purposes and recreational use is growing across the U.S. There are now only 15 states where it is fully illegal.  In 12 states you can legally smoke pot and many other states allow it for medical use. Not to be punish, but the growth of pot as a sustainable business is exploding and the states that have made it legal are reaping the rewards in the form on increase tax dollars going into their coffers. 

Back in the early 1990’s Pure Air Systems, a company that makes high end HEPA  and Carbon based, fan powered air filtration systems, was asked to provide an all carbon filled 2000 CFM unit to a Florida police station to help remove the odor from the Marijuana stored in their evidence room. The odor was very strong and filled the entire police station. The system worked very well and to this day that Police station continues to order replacement carbon media for that unit.

Massachusettes, one of the states that has made pot legal, has a number of new pot growing operations now being built in that state with some at large as 1 million square feet. The goal of these operations is to produce a very high grade marijuana product so that their yield per acre is better than their competition. The better the grade the less weed you need to obtain the desired effect.

In order to accomplish this goal, these pot growers are ordering a large number of Pure Air Systems largest model ( 2000 HS ) to both filter the air coming into the building and the air exiting the building. On the inlet side, they are using the 2000 HS units with HEPA filters to significantly reduce the amount of airborne contaminants from entering the grow space that could inhibit the growth and purity of the pot strain. On the exit side, they are using the 2000 HS but without any HEPA filter. These units are usually desingated as 2000 OA units as they contain only Carbon media. These significantly reduce the odor being produced by the grow house operation. Almost identical to the application of these systems in the early 90’s at the Florida Police station.

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. 

In today’s fast paced society we often don’t think about common products or processes. We assume that anything we buy or use will operate as indicated and that we should be able to utilize the product with a minimum of effort and retraining. Our home heating/cooling system fits into that category. We turn on the heating or cooling cycle from our thermostat and expect the temperature in the home to match the temperature setting. We do this without much thought. 

When the heating or cooling doesn’t cool or heat adequately we automatically contact our local HVAC contractor rather than even attempt to diagnose the problem by ourselves. While the problem maybe a major malfunction of a component, often times the reason for the lack of cooling or heat is a plugged air filter. 

The blower/motor assembly on your HVAC system is rated at a certain motor horsepower and air flow, as measured in CFM. These are matched systems for the cooling coil and heating system based upon the size of the home. This includes the static pressure the fan sees to pull and push the air throughout the duct system. If the filter is plugged it will take more energy to pull the air through the filter and since the motor/blower assembly is designed to handle a limited amount of static pressure for the CFM it moves. 

If the static pressure capability for the blower/motor is 1.5 ” at rated CFM capacity and the plugged filter adds another .5 to 1.0″ of static load ( which it can do ) it will significantly reduce the air flow through the system as much as 50%. That means it takes much longer to heat or cool your home and it also puts a strain on your system in total. And, it will significantly reduce the ability to remove humidity from the home. Checking the condition of your air filter on a regular basis should be part of your routine.

Pure Air Systems makes a complete line of fan powered HEPA based air filtration systems. We can help you choose the right filter or filtration system for your home to ensure you always have your HVAC system working at its full capacity and that the air in your home is always well filtered.

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 contact us on our toll-free number at 800-869-8025.

In 1985, Don Musilli founded a company to sell high end HEPA air filtration systems to the residential market. HEPA filtration at that time was somewhat limited to the micro-chip manufacturing industry, asbestos abatement companies, medical operations and some industrial applications. The residential market was using standard pleated, card board box framed general duty filtration media filters or electronic air cleaners. These air filters were located either in the main return air grills or at the point where all the return air entered the main air handler ( HVAC unit ) and were designed primarily to remove very large airborne particles and to keep the cooling coils and fan blades clean.They did little to remove the smaller, respirable sized particulate that could create health issues for many homeowners.

Whether we are indoors or outside, we are breathing air that contains various sizes of particulate. The larger particles. those that you can see with the naked eye, are usually 20 microns in size of larger. ( for comparison, your hair is 100 microns in diameter ). These larger particles are aspirated into our lungs and the majority of them are exhaled out. The smaller, sub-micron particles however, ( those less than 20 microns in size ) tend to stay logged in the lung linings and mucus membranes. These smaller particles may represent a wide range of organic and inorganic materials including pollen, pet dander, ragweed, bacteria, viruses and industrial pollution. For those individuals that suffer from allergies many of these airborne particulate are the primary cause of their respiratory dysfunctions.

Pure Air Systems pioneered the use of HEPA filtration systems with their first model 600H unit.that included a true, scanned HEPA filter rated at 99.99% removal of all particles 0.3 microns and larger, a wire framed ring panel prefilter ( to keep the HEPA clean ) and a true carbon filter to remove odors and gases. These systems were designed to attach to the return air side of a ducted HVAC system using the partial by-pass concept. This unique concept allowed homeowners, for the first time, to use a true HEPA filter system on a residential HVAC unit. These HEPA systems cleane all the air in the house up to 24 times a day and remove a very large percentage of the sub-micron, airborne particulate. 

Thirty Four years later, PAS has added 6 more HEPA, fan powered, air filtration systems to its stable and over 10,000 of these units have been installed in homes and offices across the U.S. and Canada. 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 term HEPA means High Performance Particulate Absolute or Air. This type of filter is used in many applications where the reduction and/or removal of fine, sub-micron airborne particles is required at a much higher efficiency than standard media filters like the ones used in air handling systems or HVAC systems. In order to qualify as a true, certified HEPA filter it must pass be able to have a rating equivalent to a MERV 17 or higher. This means the filter can capture 99.97% of all particles 0.3 microns or larger. Compare this to a MERV 5 or 6 filter which has an efficiency of less than 20% on particles larger than 10 microns in size.

A true HEPA filter is normally a pleated media filter with large pleats with separators or a mini-pleat with glue type separators and is enclosed in a metal housing.and is sealed with an industrial sealant. The metal housing has a gasket on one end of the housing which is normally placed on knife edge seal to eliminate any air bypassing the HEPA filter. The HEPA paper or filter media is fairly fragile and it also enclosed in a housing to protect the HEPA. 

Because HEPA filter paper is very dense, the ability to pull air through the HEPA requires a larger motor/blower assembly as the pressure drop or resistance as measured in inches of water is much higher than the resistance through a standard throw-away furnace filter.Usually HEPA filters are mated with a blower/motor that is designed for this type of media, or they are enclosed is a housing like the ones Pure Air Systems makes that are stand-alone units with their own blower/motor and prefilters.

Pure Air Systems, located in Indianapolis, Indiana is one of a few companies in the U.S. that makes a high performance, certified HEPA, fan powered air filtration system that can be use in the residential, commercial, institutional, industrial and medical markets. These systems are designed to either be attached to any HVAC system in a partial by-pass configuration or as stand-alone units. They range in air flow from 50 CFM to 2,000 CFM.

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

Pure Air Systems has been manufacturing fan powered, HEPA based, commercial grade air filtration systems since 1985. With seven models to choose from PAS offers a system for any application in the residential, commercial, institutional, medical or industrial markets. Their systems can be attached to any type of ducted HVAC system or used in a stand-alone configuration.

Traditionally, the 600HS Plus L version was used on only up-flow HVAC systems located in a garage or basement. In some parts of the country, specifically areas of the South where there are no basements ( i.e. Florida ) a horizontal air handler is utilized. This makes is somewhat challenging to install the 600 HS L version as it can not connect to the return air side of the air handler due to the configuration. The PAS “S” version is a straight thru unit that could be mounted above the or to the side of the horizontal air handler or even in the attic area where space is available. 

Like the L version of the 600HS, the “S” version is split into two symmetrical sections so you can rotate the discharge and inlet access doors to one of four positions thus allowing for installation anywhere so you always have access to the blower/motor and filter sections. The 600HS model produces 600 CFM of HEPA filtered air using a 1/3 HP variable speed drive motor. There is also a 1200HS Plus version, producing 1200 CFM of air and a 2000HS Plus version, producing 2,000 CFM of air. All of these units come in either the L or S versions. And, they can be wired to either connect to the HVAC system or use a digital speed controller to run the units manually from 1% to 100% in 1% increments for specific air flow requirements.

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

For those individuals who live along the South West coast of Florida, this year has been especially challenging with the long last issues caused by Red Tide. This algae bloom is a common occurrence during the summer months and often begins out in the Gulf of Mexico. This year the Algae bloom has been larger and extends from Naples up to Tampa Bay. In addition, the blooms are toxic and kill sea life and produce an airborne bacteria that is harmful and potentially fatal to humans.

In 1985, Pure Air Systems was founded to bring true HEPA based air filtration systems to the residential market. These fan powered, metal housed units, are capable of providing surgery suite environments in all types of buildings and for all types of airborne contaminant applications. These true, commercial grade, scanned HEPA filters can remove up to 99.99% of all particles 0.3 microns and larger.

In the case of the Florida Red Tide issue, there are many days when the number of dead fish on the shore which produce a significant odor and also a release of toxic bacteria into the air which is blown onto shore and into the populated areas when the prevailing winds are out of the West. By applying the HEPA based technology used in the Pure Air Systems air filtration units, businesses and home owners along this stretch of shore line could effectively and safely remove a very high percentage of this airborne particulate and protect the health of those that live and work in this area.

The HEPA based air filtration systems offered by Pure Air Systems consist of small portables with volumes up to 350 CFM to large commercial units with volumes up to 2,000 CFM. PAS also utilizes variable speed drive motors so they can control the air volumes for 1 to 100% in 1% increments to provide the correct amount of air flow for the application. PAS units are used in the residential, commercial, institutional, medical and industrial markets.

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.