Blog Tag: HVAC systems

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.

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.

The term “the powers that be” is a phrase used to refer to those individuals who collectively hold power over a particular domain. The phrase often connotes a sense of resignation or cynicism and is used when referring to a large corporate entity or government structure that has enough power to affect change even if it is not for the betterment of the populace as a whole. Many of us see this process take place with the corporations we work for and with laws passed by local, state and federal governments.

In today’s world of social media and instant information and instant feedback from anyone and everyone on every level we have the power to express our opinions and feelings about those issues that dramatically affect us and yet “the powers that be” continue to try to convince us that  we need to follow their lead. This is especially true in the area of indoor air quality and air filtration or air purifying systems.

For years the the most commonly used air cleaner for the residential market was the electronic air cleaner. This device was considered the standard in the industry and laid claim to a number of performance guarantees that were never achieved. Yet people continued to purchase it because this was the only system HVAC contractors new how to install. And,they required very little maintenance or cleaning. The interesting part is that people didn’t realize the poor dust removal performance until medial air filters entered the scene.

Electronic air cleaners only needed to be cleaned or washed down a couple of times a year. The one big selling point to the consumer was the fact that you didn’t need to replace anything…ever. Just clean the particle collecting plates or wires on a regular basis and make sure the power pack was working correctly. When high grade media air filters were introduced into the market the HVAC contractors fought their entry with a lot of energy. While electronic air cleaners were being sold for $600.00 to $1,200 dollars installed. A filter frame and filter media unit was only a few hundred dollars and more often than not just included in the price of the HVAC system installation.

Once homeowners began to realize that the air media filters, which were usually a pleated polyester or cotton fiber material, were more effective at remove the airborne dust particles the sales  of electronic air cleaners dropped dramatically. Even though air media filters had to be replaced once every three months or so, the vastly improved dust collection was preferred.

Pure Air Systems offers a complete line of HEPA, Carbon and polyester dual-layer ring panel air filters that are very effective at removing and reducing harmful airborne contaminants. These systems are normally attached to the existing HVAC systems and in many cases can used as stand alone units. It is interesting that today, “the powers that be” now recommend HEPA or other types of media air filters over any of the electronic air cleaners currently on the market.  For more information on the complete line of commercial grade air filtration systems available from PAS please go to our website at: www.pureairsystems.com. Or you can follow us on Twitter at: @pureairsystems

From the TV to the newspapers, magazines, online media, Facebook, etc. etc., you are constantly besieged with warnings and comments about how to best take care of your body to ensure a long healthy life. We all know the dangers of cigarette smoke, lack of exercise and eating all the wrong  foods, but we never think much about the air we breathe.

In many parts of the US when the weather conditions are right, you might have an “ozone” alert and are warned to stay inside or minimize your outside activities and reduce your driving if at all possible. In the summer months these “nozone” periods may last a few days to weeks at a time. The levels of both ozone and suspended particles can be extremely high on these days and breathing in large amounts of these pollutants can even affect  healthy people.  While staying indoors can help….it is not the total solution.

You have heard the comments about indoor pollution being worse than outdoor pollution a hundred times from air filtration manufacturers and home builders alike. In essence, this is true. The tighter home and building construction designed to help conserve energy use for heating and cooling has also created a tighter living and working environment. It has also reduced the amount of fresh air circulating in the house or building.

For over 25 years Pure Air Systems has been making HEPA and Carbon based, fan powered, commercial grade air filtration systems that can really help you improve your indoor environment. The HS series of PAS filtration systems are designed so they can either be attached to the return air side of any HVAC system or used as stand-alone units. In either installation configuration the HEPA systems can not only filter all the air in your home 48 times a day but also introduce outside, filtered fresh air. This dual-style capability is unique to the PAS line of air filtration products.

HEPA filters are the only true way to consistently remove the small, sub-micron particles that can be harmful when ingested into your lungs. Over time even small concentrations of harmful airborne particles can create significant health issues. The longer we live in our increasingly polluted environment the more doctors and scientists are convinced environmental factors are major contributors to a wide range of chronic diseases.

Young children are especially susceptible to lung damage at early ages as their lungs are not fully developed until after 10 years of age. Maintaining a relatively clean environment for children and also older adults with reduced lung capacity is critical. With medical costs sky rocketing , preventative health practices are essential today for minimizing unnecessary medical expenses.

Pure Air Systems has systems installed in thousands of homes, offices, commercial operations, medical facilities and major pharmaceutical operations across the US and around the world. For more information on our complete product line please go to our website at: www.pureairsystems.com or like us on Facebook at; www.facebook.com/pureairsystems.

With US companies continuing to use more off shore operations to manufacture their products,  the quality of some of these products has become suspect. Where a company once used heavy duty metal construction they now use high density plastics and other non-metalic components to fabricate the end product. In some cases the substitute materials are better, but in many cases they are not.

In the air filtration and air purifying market the trend has been to use lighter, less expensive plastic type materials especially for powered devices. For throw away air filters the use of cardboard frames is still the norm as plastic is more expensive. For some residential applications the use of plastic materials is appropriate as these devices are not usually subjected to harsh environments although they are often placed in unconditioned areas. For the commercial, industrial and institutional markets, however,  the environments can and usually are much more challenging.

Pure Air Systems, has been manufacturing high end, commercial grade, HEPA and Carbon based air filtration systems since 1985. From the beginning PAS used nothing but steel for the fabrication of their products. Even the new portable unit now available from PAS is fabricated from steel and the complete product line uses a powder coated paint process to ensure durability in any environment. To be sure there are very few, if any, other filtration companies that use this type of construction for their products.

In the majority of non-residential applications the PAS systems are mounted in and around the heating/cooling air handling systems. In many cases they are used as stand-alone units. Often they are located in non- heated or cooled environments and many times they are located outside.  And, in the case of many manufacturing and process facilities, the environments can be caustic or contain gases that can etch or destroy plastic type materials. In thousands of installations in these types of environments the PAS product line has proven to be one of the most reliable and durable filtration systems available on the market today.

Aside from the durability of the product line the overall effectiveness and efficiencies of the HEPA and Carbon based units are second to none. Pure Air Systems makes some of the most  powerful, high volume commercial grade, digitally controlled systems on the market today. And because the systems’ variable speed motors are rated 120/240 volt, 50/60 Hz, they can be used anywhere in the world.

Even for those applications in the residential market, the steel construction of the PAS product line offers some major advantages over the plastic type filtration device construction. Many of the PAS 600H and 600HS models, for example, that were sold during the late 1980’s and early 1990’s are still in operation today. Other than changing the filters on an regular basis and perhaps having to replace a motor after 10 years or so, these systems continue to operate effectively and efficiently.

For more information on the complete Pure Air Systems product line and applications please go to our website at: www.pureairsystems.com. Or you can contact us at our toll free number.  800-869-8025.

William Bendix was first introduced as the bumbling husband who was a riveter for an Aircraft company in California. It is somewhat of an oxymoron that the show was called the Life of Riley, which really refers to someone with money and who has few cares in the world. Riley’s life was just the opposite. Money was always an issue and he had challenges with all of his friends and especially his wife Babs. Riley’s famous line was, ” What a revoltin development this is!” You have to hand it to him, he was honest to a fault.

We all like our lives to be simple, with minimal challenges and drama and yet sometimes the simplest thing will interrupt our perfect world. Like going outside in the Spring time to enjoy the beautiful weather after a nasty winter only to find that the pollen and ragweed levels have gone through the roof. Or all that rain you had to help your drought stricken lawn after a hot dry summer has found its way into a small hole in the roof and now water is in the walls of your house and so is the mold.

Changes that affect our health seem to be more challenging than most other problems we incur. The people at Pure Air Systems understand these issues. With over 25 years of experience in dealing with hundreds of different airborne pollutant problems and installing  thousands of air filtration systems installed around the world, PAS has the answer to your allergy or air pollution problem.

Beginning in 1985, Pure Air Systems started manufacturing commercial grade, certified HEPA based air filtration systems for the residential, commercial and institutional markets. Today, PAS is considered one of the leaders in high performance HEPA and Carbon based, fan powered air filtration systems. Their system range in air volume from 50 CFM to 2000 CFM. The new, smaller portable unit can produce over 400 CFM from a unit only 13″ high and 21″ long. The larger systems can either be attached to an existing HVAC system or used as stand-alone units.

The combination of employing  HEPA filters, Carbon media and polyester ring-panel prefilters makes these systems some of the most effective in the world in removing and reducing high levels of sub-micron particulate, odors and gases. In addition, the motors used in the PAS systems are rated 120/240 volt, 50/60 Hz so they can be used in commercial applications and are completely adaptable to all the electrical systems used around the world.

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

Almost every home in the US is heated and/or cooled using a forced air ducted ventilation system attached to a heating/cooling system. The vast majority of these systems are designed to move a certain amount of CFM of air to adequately heat or cool the living spaces. In addition, many of these systems incorporate some type of air filtration device; either a pleated or box style filter or a more  sophisticated high efficiency air filtration system. In either case these filtering devices can reduce the air flow through the ducted ventilation system.

All HVAC systems are designed to move a certain amount of air, as measured in cubic feet per minute or CFM at a certain resistance or static pressure, as measured in inches of water using a fan motor with enough horse power to move the warm or cold air through the duct work an into the living spaces. Unfortunately, most HVAC systems do not take into account the resistance across the air filter or filtration device and this added static pressure can reduce the air flow through the system thus taking longer to heat or cool the living spaces. This both increases the operational costs as well as providing for a less than comfortable environment.

Pure Air Systems manufactures a line of HEPA and Carbon commercial grade, high performance air filtration systems that are designed to attach to the return air side of any forced air ducted heating /cooling system. These fan powered units are designed to assist the heating/cooling fan system but taking up any additional static pressure across the HEPA and Carbon media so the HVAC fan only sees the static resistance from the duct work. This allows the HVAC system to operate as designed and heat and cool the house effectively and efficiently.

Pure Air Systems is one of only a few companies that provide fan powered units and it is the only air filtration company that uses the ECM, digitally controlled motors that can run in sync with the ECM motors now used in all the new HVAC systems. In addition the Pure Air Systems units can be used as stand alone systems and move HEPA filtered air throughout any living environment without being attached to an HVAC system. This is very important for those environments where a non-ducted heating cooling system is utilized.

It is important to be aware of these issues since you want to get the best performance and lowest operating costs from your new high efficiency heating/cooling systems.

For more information on the PAS line of filtration systems please go to our website at www.pureairsystems.com.

As this Blog is being written millions of gallons of oil are being pumped into the Gulf of Mexico contaminating the Gulf states shore lines. Petroleum products are the life blood of an industrial world, but in this case the patient is dying.

Petroleum or oil in its natural form is composed of a number of chemicals including alkanes, cyclokanes, aromatic hydrocarbons, nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur. It also contains a small amount of copper, nickel and vanadium. If these chemicals are ingested or inhaled even in small quantities the health issues are severe.

This is evident when you are filling up your car with gasoline, a by-product of petroleum. When you get too close to the nozzle as it delivers the gas to your tank, you automatically stop breathing when you get a whiff of the odor from the gas. Your body is telling you not to breathe these fumes.

Aside from the strong “take your breath away” odor, most petroleum products are highly flammable. This in one of the reasons why the labels on these petroleum products packaging always tells you to keep it away from any open flame. Yet, many people store petroleum based products in their basement or garage next to the Heating/Cooling unit.  Aside from the potential fire hazard any fumes leaking from the cans or containers will be pulled into the air handler of the heating/cooling system and distributed throughout the house.

Even small amounts of these chemicals inhaled over time can cause severe health issues for individuals. Children are even more susceptible to being affected by the vapors from these products. Their lungs are not fully developed and therefore can be more quickly affected by even small exposures only a few times.

Keeping the petroleum products, solvents, paint thinners, paint, etc. in a cool, dry, out of the way storage area is the best solution to eliminating these problems.  It is essential that you always wear a mask or respirator when handling any petroleum product for long periods of time and make sure the area in which you are using it is well ventillated.

Pure Air Systems has been manufacturing HEPA and Carbon based air filtration systems since 1985 and has a vast amount of experience in reducing and removing odors and gases from petroleum based products. For more information on the complete line of carbon based products please go to our website at:  www.pureairsystems.com

Everyone who owns a home knows that the costs of home ownership go well beyond just paying the mortgage, insurance and taxes. It also includes the cost of heating and cooling the home; which can be significant.

One of the major uses of electricity is the electrical motor that turns the fan in the forced air heating/cooling system found in most homes. The motors range in horsepower from 1/3 to 3/4 HP and many of them are the standard induction motors. These motors use a lot of electricity and are relatively inefficient; often running 12 to 24 hours per day especially in the hottest and coldest months of the year.

Depending upon the electrical costs in your area; usually measured in costs per kilowatt hour, your overall electrical costs to run your home may range from as low as $50.00 per month to upwards of $300.00 per month or more for larger homes. Interestingly almost 40% to 50% of these costs may come from running the heating/cooling fan motors.

Since the early 2000’s the ECM motors or Electrically Commutated Motors were introduced ( BY GE). Unlike standard induction motors that use windings and have only two to three speeds available, the ECM motors use a series of magnets to turn the motor shaft and have a speed range that runs from less than 10% to 100% of available power ….and this can be digitally controlled in 1% increments so you have a very wide range of speeds to run the motor.

Not  only does this variable speed capability allow for better air flow control for your heating/cooling fan but is also uses up to 50% less electricity than the standard induction motors running at the same horsepower.

Pure Air Systems was the first HEPA based air filtration company to introduce these motors as the main motor drive unit for the complete line of fan powered, commercial grade, certified HEPA systems.  In fact, PAS introduced the GE ECM motor drive systems in 1999, almost 3 years before these motors were introduced into the HVAC systems. Today, the ECM motors are ubiquitous in the heating/cooling and appliance industries.

Aside from their variable speed and low power consumption capabilities, they are also capable of being programed for a variety of applications. For the HEPA units these motors are capable of automatically ramping up when the pressure drop across the HEPA filter starts to increase and thus maintaining the same air volume throughout the life of the HEPA filters.

When the HEPA units are used in conjunction with a heating/cooling system also using the ECM motors, you have the best of both worlds.

For more information on the Pure Air Systems ECM driven HEPA systems please go to our website at: www.pureairsystems. com