Blog Tag: HEPA Filtration Systems

Having been an owner of a company that produced actual hard technologies and not just a service or digital technology process I have been obsessed with finding a way to help people understand the value of making something of value and making a living at it.

Pure Air Systems was started in 1985 with one air filtration system in our product line. We had adapted a commercial HEPA filtration system that was used in the Asbestos Abatement Industry to work with any ducted HVAC system be it residential or commercial. In addition we modified it to work as a stand-alone unit for any application requiring the reduction or removal of sub-micron airborne contaminants.

The acceptance of the product by consumers and commercial operations was gratifying but we soon realized that our original model 600H unit ( producing 600 CFM of HEPA filtered air) was not adequate for many of the commercial customers applications.

To resolve this issue we decided to bring two new HEPA filter systems into the product mix. One rated at 1200 CFM and the largest rated at 2,000 CFM. We were able to adapt the same size blower and housing for both air flows by simply adding a 3/4 HP motor to the 1200 HS unit and a 1 HP motor to the 2000HS unit. In this way customers could actually increase the capacity of their 1200HS ( should they need it ) to 2000 CFM. This was both cost effective and made it easier in the manufacturing end.

The other issue presented to us was the configuration of the filter housing itself. We had originally designed the units so they were built in two sections that were symmetrical giving us the ability to orient the inlet and discharge of the units to adapt to any type of HVAC system. We then added another modification to allow for any of our systems to have either a straight through air flow from end to end or a top inlet and side discharge. These housings could even by changed in the field should the customer realize one orientation was better than the other.

Being obsessed with making the systems customer friendly was always my goal. Pure Air Systems is now 31 years old and the obsession with maintaining high performance HEPA based air filtration systems is still a priority.

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

HEPA filters or High Efficient Particulate Air or Absolute filters have been around since the development of the atomic bomb. HEPA media was created in Los Alamos, New Mexico specifically to remove or reduce the alpha particles that were produced in the development of atomic fission. Yes, 1941 was the genesis of HEPA filters that we know today.

This media has the ability to remove a higher percentage of particulate under 0.3 microns than any other type of mechanical media or device on the market today. This is the filter media that is used in all hospital surgery suites, the CDC, optical manufacturing, micro-chip manufacturing and all laboratories both medical and electronic around the world. It is also the main filter used by Pure Air Systems one of the major suppliers of HEPA based, fan powered, high performance air filters in North America.

Based in Indianapolis, IN. PAS has been in business since 1985 and over 32 years has provided the best performing HEPA filtration systems any where. They have incorporated the new variable speed motors that are rated at 120/240 volt, 50/60Hz motors that allow them to be used any where in the world. PAS began with one model, the 600H unit which became the 600HS unit and then moved onto develop the 1200HS, 2000HS and 500HS portable system.

The ability to move filtered air at rates from 50 CFM to 2000 CFM at 1% increments make the Pure Air Systems filtration systems some of the most effective HEPA based air filtration systems on the market. And, over their 32 years of being in business, PAS continues to use the highest quality, made in America, components with over 10,000 units still in operation today.

HEPA filters are difficult to use in air filtration systems as they have a very high resistance and it requires very powerful motors to pull the air through the HEPA filters. Through the use of large industrial fans and motors up to 1 HP, the PAS units produce up to 2000 CFM of HEPA filtered air from their largest models.

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

Hype…used more often than ever before. Why? Because there is more opportunity thru social media to spill your story or talk about your business than ever before. Yes, you can now make up more stuff about whatever and have fewer people verify that what you say is true. Why? Because we are all too busy doing the same thing.

Perhaps another reason for so much well crafted dictum are the social media professional organizations and individuals who will charge you to get your name, company or product thousands of hits, likes, reads, etc,etc. over an entire bread basket of social forums. They design the material to show all the best aspects of the product, idea or concept and support it with confirmations from other organizations…who by the way are also using your organization to support their claims.

I’m not saying that everything you read is partial truths, there are companies out there that have been around for 20 to 30 years that have developed a reputation for performance and execution on a consistent basis. You know these companies and their products and you trust them. Funny, but most of these companies use minimal social media to promote themselves. They have websites and sometimes a Facebook page..but that is about it.

Pure Air Systems is one of these companies. They, like other successful companies, let their products and services speak for themselves. Started in 1985, PAS has been making commercial grade, certified, fan powered, HEPA based air filtration systems for the commercial, residential, institutional and industrial markets that meet or exceed the customers expectation for performance. In the beginning it was very difficult to compete with lesser made and poorer performing competitors systems as any company that made a filtration systems with a HEPA or HEPA type filter claimed amazing performance and reliability.

Over time. customers found the lesser made unit actually did not perform up to expectations as many of these customers purchased PAS products and the differences were startling. Unfortunately having to wait until a customer using a competitors system to purchase yours takes time. That is why Pure Air Systems is now 30 years old and 90% of all the original competitors are no longer in business. Words are fine, but performance is better.

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.

One of the major problems with the transfer of viruses and bacteria from human to human is…human contact. This type of contact exists every second of every day everywhere, with the possible exception of monks in Tibet. And, because humans are the greatest carriers of communicable diseases it is only natural to accept the fact that separation and/or elimination of contact will greatly diminish this transfer of pathogens from person to person.

Unfortunately this is not going to happen anytime soon as it is impossible to operate in a human void. It is with this understanding that I discuss the aspect of offering some revised air filtration system designs to help reduce the levels of airborne particulate and pathogens so as to minimize the transfer of viruses and bacteria from person to person.

Air Curtain HEPA Filtration Laminar Flow Systems. No acronym for this one. This device can create a laminar air flow curtain..top to bottom, for a opening like area such as those used in Pharmacies, Dr. Offices, Entry Windows in Public Offices, Wound Care, Room Isolation and anywhere you can separate people from other people with HEPA filtered air effectively.

One of the reasons this type of device is becoming more appealing is the rapid rise in infections that are more difficult and more expensive to treat than ever before. In addition, the lack of any development of new antibiotics creates a sense of urgency in finding ways to prevent the spread of disease ( at almost any cost ) rather than try to treat it once it is present in the body. Not only is treatment expensive, but often not totally effective is curing the disease. Sometimes there are other collateral damage issues to the body and in many cases death is the result of the disease transfer.

The Ebola issue is one that, while very deadly, is mostly isolated to a few small areas of the world. However, even a small number of infected traveling to other countries undetected can create a major medical emergency of grande proportions. The other issue is one of social demographics. Those individuals of lower income or with little or no access to continual health care are the most at risk and interestingly the ones who make more contact with other people during normal hours. Restaurant help is one area where most of the servers and cooks are in the lower wage category and are most likely to come in contact with large numbers of people in very small, crowded areas.

School children that are in the free lunch programs often are not seeing any medical professionals on a regular basis and again they are coming in contact with hundreds of students a day and then those students go home to see their respective families. Kind of a viral virus program.

More information on this type of HEPA Air Curtain product can be found at the following website: https://www.pureairsystems.com or by contacting this author at: donmusilli@gmail.com. You can also call Pure Air Systems at their toll free number: 800-869-8025.

As simple as it may seem, most people have very little knowledge of how an air filter, home, car, industrial, commercial institutional varieties actually work.  There is an assumption that the filter media itself does all the filtering and the more dense the media the better. While denser media is certainly more effective at removing finer, smaller particles, these types of filter media also have a much higher resistance or pressure drop both initially and when they load up with dust and dirt. Also, the filter media is really just the base for what really does all the filtering of the fine, sub-micron airborne particulate.

Most filters today use a MERV rating to indicate their level or efficiency with the higher number being more dense and more effective at initially removing fine particulate and the lower numbers being more of a general duty filtering capability. However, if a MERV 18 filter is best for fine particulate removal even a MERV 6 or 8 rated filter will eventually reach the same overall efficiency of the MERV 18 filter, and here is the reason.

 Even with “see through” filter medias, the internal areas of the filter fibers will, over time, fill up with larger airborne particles and make the passage ways through the media smaller and smaller eventually capturing even sub-micron dust particles as they are trapped in the now mostly blocked filter media. Unfortunately as the filter loads up the air resistance through the filter increases to the level where is significantly restricts the airflow through the filter and will reduce the performance of the fan and/or air handler.

Therefore, most HVAC filters are relatively open or low on the MERV scale so they will last at least 3 months before needed to be changed. For applications where a MERV 18 filter or true HEPA filter is required, a more powerful blower/motor assembly will be required along with a prefilter to keep the final filters from loading up too quickly.

A good, medium duty, Merv 6 or 7 rated filter is fine for most general duty applications. These give you best filtration performance over the life of the filter.

The now famous line from the Star Trek series…”To boldly go where no man has gone before,” has become an iconic phrase used shamelessly by TV, radio and print media for decades. So, as a blog writer I will also paraphrase this line in relationship to the topic of this blog. This blog is about HEPA filters and going where no man has gone before.. inside the HEPA.

HEPA media is basically wet laid and rolled out like newspaper material and incorporates large amounts of tiny glass material to give it some strength. It is very thin and fragile and therefore when it is used in filtration the HEPA media is pleated and has either aluminum separators or glue beads between each pleated layer to keep the media from rubbing against itself  and damaging the fragile media.

The HEPA media is extremely dense creating a significant amount of resistance or pressure drop creating a challenge to pull air through the media for filtration purposes. As compared to general duty air filters, such as fiberglass or ring panel filters, the amount of energy required, in motor HP, to pull the air through the HEPA is significant. Usually requiring at least a 1/3 HP motor for small HEPA filters and up to 1 HP and greater for the larger 24″x 24″ by 12″ deep metal framed HEPA filters.

HEPA filters are composed of a mat of randomly arranged fibres. The fibres are typically composed of fiberglass and possess diameters between 0.5 and 2.0 micrometers. Key factors affecting function are fibre diameter, filter thickness, and face velocity. The air space between HEPA filter fibres is much greater than 0.3 μm. The common assumption that a HEPA filter acts like a sieve where particles smaller than the largest opening can pass through is incorrect. Unlike membrane filters at this pore size, where particles as wide as the largest opening or distance between fibres cannot pass in between them at all, HEPA filters are designed to target much smaller pollutants and particles. These particles are trapped (they stick to a fibre) through a combination of the following three mechanisms:

1. Interception, where particles following a line of flow in the air stream come within one radius of a fibre and adhere to it.
2. Impaction, where larger particles are unable to avoid fibres by following the curving contours of the air stream and are forced to embed in one of them directly; this effect increases with diminishing fibre separation and higher air flow velocity.
3. Diffusion, an enhancing mechanism that is a result of the collision with gas molecules by the smallest particles, especially those below 0.1 µm in diameter, which are thereby impeded and delayed in their path through the filter; this behaviour is similar toBrownian motion and raises the probability that a particle will be stopped by either of the two mechanisms above; it becomes dominant at lower air flow velocities.

Pure Air Systems, in Indianapolis, Indiana has been manufacturing HEPA based air filtration systems since 1985 and has thousands of their  units installed in a wide variety of applications across most of the US and over seas. These units use the commercial grade, certified, scanned HEPA filters for all of their systems providing the best available technology for the reduction and removal of airborne contaminants, pathogens and allergens as small as .012 microns.

For more information on their complete line of HEPA 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 years from 2006 through 2012 are now referred to as the last recession. I don’t agree. The major unraveling of our economy began when the major multi-national corporations began to move their engineering, R& D and assembly and manufacturing operations off-shore. They found the cost savings were extraordinary as they could retire many of their highly paid senior executives and engineers and the cost of labor overseas was much lower than the US based operations. In addition, the environmental laws and lower health care costs significantly added to the bottom line.

The second part of the economic collapse began when greed took over the housing market. Well greed and the lack of any controls over who could borrow money and how much credit was extended with little thought for paying it back. This was the U.S. Banking industry at its lowest point of operational functionality. Combine the unrealistic expectations that housing prices would climb 5% a month forever and the continued movement of high paying jobs off-shore and you had the beginning of the major transition that changed our economic landscape.

Pure Air Systems, a small manufacturing company in Indianapolis, makes some of the most effective, high performance HEPA based, fan powered air filtration systems on the market. Much of their growth came from the residential market while slowly building upon their commercial product line. The demise of the housing market hit the company very hard, but because they had a large number of residential units already in the field ( PAS started in 1985) the replacement filter part of their operation continued to grow. With the addition of two new systems designed specifically for the commercial, institutional, medical and industrial markets PAS was able to supplement their residential sales market with these higher priced systems. In addition, the commercial systems required more frequent changes of their three filters so the revenue stream from the “annuity” side of the business allowed for continued operations of the company while the economy went through its transition.

In 2014 Pure Air Systems is stronger and profits are coming back. Also, the addition of a new “FDA Medically Approved” portable will significantly add to the bottom line when this system goes into production in early 2015. Many large and small companies, in both retail and manufacturing, left us forever during the transition. Now that the new economy is forming more new companies will come onto the scene, hopefully with some understanding of how even small changes can affect their bottom line.

For more information on 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.

We have news 24/7 from every network on the planet, social media platforms that allow you to be in contact with someone, somewhere every second of everyday. Information overload has never been more true than it is in 2014. Many people feed off of this  interactive communication noise to the extent that they believe their lives would be a void if they didn’t have a cell phone, tablet or computer. With all of this distraction ( some good and some very bad ) it is often difficult to keep focused on a goal or project when you begin to examine all the outside information and let it affect your decisions or goals.

In 1985, Pure Air Systems, Inc. was established and its goal was to build the best air filtration systems on the market. Using true, commercial grade, certified HEPA filters as the main mechanical capture device, PAS began to develop a marketing plan to sell the systems to the residential as well as commercial markets. The first systems were large units, over 36″ tall and 15″ square weighing over 70 lbs each. All metal units with heavy duty blower/motor assemblies and a very large HEPA filter. They also included a dual-layer polyester ring panel filter and carbon media filter.

Friends and business associates were quick to tell me that nobody was going to buy these units that had to be attached to an existing HVAC heating/cooling system and the price installed was over $1,200.00. Most people could just buy an electronic air cleaner or simple media filter for a lot less money. Those comments were basically true, except the current air filter technology at that time was very ineffective at removing the smaller, less than 10 micron sized particles that constituted the majority ( by volume ) of the airborne particles in any occupied area. For individuals with allergies, asthma or any other respiratory dysfunction, the use of HEPA filters in their living environment proved to be a much more effective method of actually removing/reducing the levels of harmful airborne contaminants that were the primary cause of their health problems. The other, older filter concepts were really designed to remove only larger particles and had very little efficiency on removing the more harmful, less than 10 micron sized particles.

It was only through continued belief in the systems capabilities that allowed me to continue to pursue the goals of getting these systems to the people that needed them the most and that over time the extraordinary performance of the units would out weigh the cost of the HEPA systems.

Over time, the units gained some traction and the HVAC industry started to take notice of large interest by the public regarding the ability of the PAS units to do something none of the other air filtration or air purification devices could do. Five years later we had designed two more systems that were larger and better suited to the commercial, institutional, medical and industrial markets. Over time PAS became a leader in the production of high-end, HEPA based, fan powered air filtration devices that could be used in a very wide variety of applications and designed to be used anywhere in the world.

For more information on PAS systems go to our website at: https://www.pureairsystems.com or follow us on Twitter @pureairsystems or call us at anytime on our toll-free number at: 800-869-8025.

There is a mythological ghost ship that is supposedly piloted by dead soldiers named the Alice Marr. Myths usually grow out of stories that are half truths supported by people who supposedly were eye witnesses to the event or occurrence but could never be verified. Facts are seldom needed as the myth has more charm and appeal than a more factual, objective and realistic account. Are there really dead soldiers piloting a ship with the name of Alice Marr? Is it possible? Does it really matter? Some people would rather believe the myth because it fits their bias toward the supernatural or unknown, while others are truly skeptics and want facts to back up the facts.

Products and their history often have the same type of perception by the average consumer. Once a product gets a reputation for being either extremely good with a consistent, solid performance or it has serious short comings, whether this is true or not the historical truths often blur its current reputation. Cadillac used to be the car everyone wanted. It had the reputation of being the best of the best in the automotive industry.  Then Lexus came into the market and in a few short years Cadillac dropped out of the picture as the elite standard in cars. Cadillac still has a following but mostly from the older generation who always associated Cadillac with quality and reliability as they were never strong supporters of the imports. In truth there are a number of vehicles that are probably superior to either of these brands but they don’t have the value myth of Cadillac or Lexus.

Pure Air Systems has been making HEPA based air filtration systems for over 27 years. While HEPA filters are decidedly the best, most effective method of removing harmful airborne allergens and pathogens, other less expensive filtration and air purification systems are still considered as good as HEPA.  This is what happens when there is a major price difference with products classed in one specific category and the challenge of getting the customer to appreciate that the HEPA systems are significantly superior and more expensive. True commercial grade, certified HEPA units can be 10 times more expensive than other forms of filtration or purification technologies. But they can be 1000 times more effective at removing the harmful particles in the air that can be a health concern.

The only opportunity an individual has to truly understand the differences or to be able to separate fact from fiction, is to actually use the various types of filtration systems in similar applications and then evaluate them on performance not on myth. Over time the customers who have purchased Pure Air Systems HEPA systems after trying a number of its lesser competitors have found that fact always triumphs myth.

For more information on the complete line of HEPA systems offered by PAS please go to our website at: https://www.pureairsystems.com or follow us on Twitter @pureairsystems or call us anytime on our toll-free number at: 800-869-8025.

It is fairly evident that in today’s competitive business markets that the adapt-or-die approach is fast becoming the norm. While we all like to be able to take some time to adapt to and enjoy new gadgets and technologies that actually make our lives better, the cost to businesses for this continuous evolution of new ideas is significant.

Manufacturing a product that has any significant use of newer technologies is initially expensive in the developmental stages but those costs are usually covered when the product starts selling in large quantities. Over time the R&D costs are adsorbed into the operational side and then profit ensues. This time cycle is normally 1.5 to 3 years and can be longer or shorter depending upon the speed of adaption by the market. However, the cost to most companies is not just the R& D alone, the rapid changes in technological development put a mental and physical strain on employees and management.

Pure Air Systems has been manufacturing HEPA and Carbon based, commercial grade air filtration systems since 1985. PAS started out marketing just one system, the 600H. By 1991 it had three system and by 2002 it was manufacturing six different HEPA based units. The last unit developed by PAS was in 2005/2006. This was the new HPS portable unit that is fast becoming a very popular HEPA system for the commercial market.  The HPS is a good example of how changes in technology make it more difficult today to develop products quickly and inexpensively.

With the exception of the HPS units, all the other PAS systems utilize the newer ECM, variable speed drive 120/240 v, 50/60 Hz motors. The HPS units are standard induction motors rated  120 volt/ 60 Hz. Although it is possible to get them in 220 volt, 50 Hz as this motors are made by EBM out of Germany. The use of this motor eliminated the need for a separate blower system as the EBM models couple the motor with the blower or fan. The induction EFM unit is the only PAS system not using the variable speed drive motors, but the EBM units are very powerful and they are all four-speed motors for air flow adjustment.

Now, PAS is working on another version of the HPS unit to be used in a specific medical injection process. The upside is that we can use all the same component pieces for this new system as are used in the current model. The downside is the housing has to be re-designed and modified to allow a positive flow unit, meaning the motor/blower has to be turned around and the inlet and discharge filters will require special slots for easy insertion and removal.  The controls will be simple, just an on/off switch and speed control switch and a 12 foot long, hospital grade power cord. Unlike the other PAS units, this new HPS version will be fabricated from aluminum to reduce the weight and it will be painted white rather than the standard beige paint now used for all the units.

The cost of making this re-designed version of the HPS system comes in two flavors, dollars for the engineering and fabrication of one unit ( prototype) and time and energy spent both finding and working with companies that can reverse engineer and re-design the system all at one time. While the market potential for this unit is big, there is no guarantee this system will fly off the shelves. It may take a year or longer for the market needs to identify the systems capabilities. It is, however, the cost of doing business in this highly competitive and technologically adaptive market.

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 @pureairsystems. Of course you can always call us on out toll-free number at: 800-869-8025.