Embraceable Ewe

There are stories and anecdotes galore based on one of the more popular farm animals…sheep.  Some of them are funny and others down-right bawdy, but overall most people picture the sheep as one of those soft, cuddly, counting-to-go-to-sleep animals. Most of us have at one time or another purchased some woolen piece of clothing or have found memories of your mother or grand mother knitting you a pair of woolen mittens. Makes you wonder why they didn’t name these animals Wools rather than Sheep.

Perception is a powerful tool. Companies that tout their abilities to help  you develop your Brand are really good at getting the public to perceive you and your company as experts in your field. They develop a series of stories, promotions, blogs, advertisements, social media content and YouTube videos that constantly blast their customers “Halo” effect to the public. Hoping that if you see their name and product often enough from every corner of the  marketing world you will eventually assume this company must be good because everyone is talking about them. Like I said, perception is a powerful tool.

Pure Air Systems has been manufacturing commercial grade, certified HEPA based air filtration systems since 1985. In those days it was difficult to get information into the hands of the public without advertising or getting some press releases in the trade journals. The internet was still 10 years away from becoming any viable marketing tool. So PAS got the word out the old fashioned way…..performance.

The problem with performance as the primary marketing tool is that it takes time for the news about the systems to spread out the national market. It is funny how good news travels slowly and bad news travels quickly. As the information about the PAS HEPA systems spread, more people began to order the units and in a few years the HEPA Shield systems were well known in the commercial and residential markets. As the ability to promote the overall benefits and features of through the internet became a reality PAS began to get more requests for information about their systems from countries around the world.  Over time, and with new innovations and models being added on a regular basis, PAS developed a reputation for providing some of the best, high performance, reliable HEPA air filtration systems on the planet.

Today, Pure Air Systems has over 8 different HEPA and Carbon based products designed for almost any application where the removal of a high percentage of sub-micron airborne pathogens, allergens and particulate are required. The new variable speed ECM motors now used throughout the PAS line are rated 120/240 volt, 50/60 Hz and can be used anywhere in the world. PAS has uniquely crossed the line between reality and perception. In their case they are synonymous.

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

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Filtration Cliff

There is no lack of comment, opinion and overblown diatribe regarding the upcoming potential “fiscal cliff.” The politicos love to be able to scare people by predicting economic catastrophe if certain members of either party don’t come to a consensus on how to resolve this problem. The interesting thing is that even if the parties don’t agree something will happen without their involvement or decision. And, chances are that all this partisan posturing will be replaced with a compromise that will give credit to both parties while making the right decision for the American public. Disaster averted!

In the field of air filtration there are often two distinct approaches to resolving the same problem. And, like the political parties, one is often more correct than the other. More over, the right decision will have a very positive effect over a very long period of time and for a large number of individuals.

The removal of airborne particles from indoor air environments has always employed some type of mechanical filter. Cloth medias, fiberglass filters, cotton fiber filters and the man made medias ( including HEPA ) have been around for over 70 years. Mechanical filters are simple in nature. They capture the airborne particles that are drawn through them ( usually by a fan or air moving device) and the larger particles get caught in the media fibers while some of the tiny particles pass through. Over time as the filter media loads up, or gets dirtier, even most of the smaller particles are caught in the filter. In the case of HEPA filters, sub-micron particles are captured at efficiencies approaching 99.99% at less than 0.3 microns in size.

One other type of filtration device was also developed and used in the early 50’s and a variation of that technology is still use today. The electronic air cleaner was a simple device that used positive/negative charges to attract particles as they passed through a charged wire grid. The earlier versions were not very effective except for capturing very large particles. The newer versions are slightly better but this technology is really not appropriate for any applications except general duty residential.

In the 70’s another style of air filtration device hit the market. However, these devices were referred to as air purifiers and not air filters. These consisted of ozone generators and ionizers. They did not use any type of media and were touted as being able to purify the air in your home or office and no filters needed to be changed. Simply wipe the attraction plates or replace a small component part once in a while and you had all the clean air you could ask for. Unless you really wanted it to actually work at removing airborne particles.

Air purifiers are simply not capable of eliminating the harmful, sub-micron, airborne particles and allergens in the air. This is the reason that hospitals, laboratories, chip manufacturers, optics companies, the CDC, etc. etc. do not use air purifiers for any application. They rely only on mechanical filters such as HEPA filters. But, the discussion continues to rage on and there are proponents on both sides of the equation.

For more information on mechanical filter and HEPA air filtration systems please go to our website at: www.pureairsystems.com or follow us on Twitter @pureairsystems. You can always reach us at our toll-free number at: 800-869-8025.

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Small But Mighty

“Here I come to save the day….that means that Mighty Mouse is on his way. Yes sir when there is a wrong to right, Mighty Mouse will join the fight….” And so the song goes. If you are old enough to remember that cartoon you know that Mighty Mouse became a metaphor for the ability of small people to make big things happen.

There are a number of things today that we might link to the ‘small but mighty” phrase; cell phones come to mind. Today’s cell phone is really a miniature computer. Talking on it is only one of its uses. You can get email, send texts, use any of your social media apps, skype, tango, face-time, get directions, take photos or videos,  make reservations, purchase products and the list goes one. All from one small device that sits in the palm of your hand.

Pure Air Systems has been making HEPA and Carbon based fan powered air filtration systems for the residential, commercial, institutional and industrial markets for over 26 years. Their product line includes systems with air flow capacities from as low a 30 CFM up to 2000 CFM. The size of the larger units range from 12′ square by 36″ tall to 48″ square by 55″ tall. However, the new kid on the block is just 13″ square by 21″ long.

The new HPS 350 and 500 series portable units are two of the most powerful portable HEPA filter systems on the market today. Using commercial grade, scanned 99.99% at 0.3 microns and smaller and a combination polyester carbon media prefilter. The unit is made of 20 gauge powder coated steel and weighs only 30 lbs. The air flows range 150 CFM to 500 CFM using a four speed fan control switch.    These air flow rates are higher than any other portable of a similar size anywhere on the planet and the powerful EBM blower/motor assembly is rugged, durable and powerful enough to pull the air across the HEPA to provide the designed CFM speeds.

The HPS units, like their big brothers, are designed to be used in either a partial by-pass concept when being attached to an existing HVAC return air duct system or as stand-alone units. Most often they are used as portable room filtration systems for individuals with allergies, asthma or other respiratory dysfunctions.

For commercial applications the HPS units are perfectly suited to cleaning the air in small clinics, medical and chemical laboratories, patient care rooms, class 10,000 clean room environments and building offices.  The units can be used to pressurize a small room or make it negative depending upon the specific requirement. The ability to vary the speed of the powerful blower/motor allows for the use of the HPS units in bedrooms and areas of the home where low noise levels are required but filtration is still needed.

The HPS series by Pure Air Systems. A small but mighty unit that really is designed to save the day. For more information on the complete line of HEPA and Carbon filters please go to our website at: www.pureairsystems.com or follow us on Twitter @pureairsystems or like us on our Facebook page and you can even call us on our toll-free number at: 800-869-8025.

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TOMBSTONE….”I told you I was sick”

Walking through an old grave yard the other day I noticed some unusual scripting on some of the tombstones. The typical “born date” “died date” were present on all of them but a few had more creative wording on the granite markers. One of the most popular epitaphs that has been written in dozens of languages world wide is…”I Told You I Was Sick.” I found this on two head stones. I’m sure the deceased relatives didn’t think it was funny, but somehow I think this comment says it all.

People complain about everything today. And with the help of social media they can do it 24/7  and have the world be their sounding board. For many people, complaining about their health or how certain issues affect their health has become their favorite hobby. However, in many instances these “cry wolf”  health concerns are actually valid complaints. Negative reactions to various foods, environmental conditions and industrial pollutants, both liquid and air, are more common than ever.

Pure Air Systems has been manufacturing commercial grade, certified HEPA and Carbon based fan powered air filtration devices since 1985. Our experience in working with individuals, environmental specialists, Allergists, Physicians and Industrial Hygienists has provided us with a wealth of  practical application knowledge regarding the overall effectiveness of our HEPA filtration systems.

Individuals who either are pre-disposed to a specific type of allergen or pathogen or those who have weakened immune systems due to  constant contact with airborne contaminants (both particulate and gaseous) and who have used one of the Pure Air Systems HEPA units in their living and/or work environment, have achieved excellent results with the systems. In almost every case where an individual was experiencing some physical or respiratory distress from their polluted environment, the introduction of the PAS HEPA systems provided a minimum of 70% relief with the majority of individuals having virtually no symptoms at all.

While these results are not derived from a scientific, long-term study, the fact that people have continued to purchase the PAS products for over 27 years has proven the market recognizes the ability for the systems to excel and provide the performance as promised by Pure Air Systems.

For years individuals have complained about certain health issues that they believe are directly related to their living or work environment. Often these health issues are discarded by the medical profession as emotional or psychosomatic. While there are some instances where this is true, for the most part the symptoms and the suffering is real. Recently the medical profession has determined that the underlying cause for many of the “environmental illness” issues are now related to fibromyalgia…which can be treated to a certain extent with medication.  However, contact with our customers who have been diagnosed with this disease have found that it is the “easy out” diagnosis for everything environmental.

The fact is that those people who suffer from constant contact with any type of allergen, gaseous pollutant or pathogens continue to find more relief when living and working in a cleaner environment. Especially when they use one of the PAS HEPA systems. For individuals who do have an issue with the air they breathe contacting us now is better than having to write something too soon like, “I told you I was sick,” as your epitaph.

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

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Help! My Job Is Making Me Sick!

While many of us have often complained about our jobs, employers and co-workers being difficult to deal with, most people don’t associate their place of employment as the root cause for making them ill or sick.

Back in the 1980’s the term “sick building syndrome” was coined and it related to the fact that the indoor air quality in many commercial, institutional and industrial buildings was so poor that many of the employees developed allergies, respiratory issues and even asthma from long term indoor exposure.

After a lot of study it was determined that some of the main causes for the poor indoor air quality were lack of ventilation and/or amount of fresh air and the chemicals that were being off gassed from the building materials and office equipment. In addition, many of the office sections that were attached to  manufacturing sections were down wind of the contaminants being produced by the manufacturing processes.

Many employees sued their employers and building owners and managers and made the building and mechanical engineers aware that this IAQ problem was significant. As a result of the employee fire storm a number of changes were made by both ASHRAE ( American Society of Heating Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers) and BOMA (Building Owners and Managers Association) for new construction of buildings. These new changes; both in building materials and HVAC modifications, made some significant headway in maintaining a healthier, safer work environment.

Some of these changes included adding more outside air through the economizers located in the HVAC air handling units, better heating/cooling comfort level controls and better ventilation for office equipment such as printers, copiers and fax machines. These changes went a long way to making significant improvements in the work environment. Then came 9/11 followed by the current economic meltdown.

While these two events did not happen simultaneously, they both have negated many of the changes that were previously made to ensure better indoor air quality. 9/11 forced many building owners to reduce or eliminate the amount of fresh outside air introduced into the buildings. They were concerned with the possibility of terrorists using chemical or radiological gases and these gases being drawn into the building.

This change did two things. First, it reduced the amount fresh air and reduced air exchange rate. Secondly, because they were not bringing in cold or hot humid outside air, they found their heating and cooling bills were substantially lower. So in one case it increased the amount of CO2 in the work environment which brought back the IAQ problem but it did save them money.

This event was shortly followed by the slowdown in the economy and the current economic meltdown. With fewer employees in the office buildings and with more companies having significant cash flow issues, there was no need to go back to the modified ventilation rates and other IAQ positive practices. In addition, with the threat of losing a job a reality for many people, nobody is going to complain or sue their employee because of some indoor air quality problem.

Today, the problems with poor indoor air quality still exist and employees are still having some of the same issues that they had in the 80’s.

Pure Air Systems has been making fan powered HEPA based air filtration systems since 1985. From the beginning these units were designed to not only filter the air in a select area but also have the ability to introduce outside, filtered fresh air into a building with minimal affect on the heating or cooling costs. For more information on how these systems work and the complete product line please go to: www.pureairsystems.com

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Why Is It So Difficult To Test The Air In My House?

The term “IAQ” or Indoor Air Quality has been used to relate to the condition of the indoor environment in which we live and work. Often times this term is used in conjunction with companies trying to sell a device or filtering system to help you improve your indoor air quality.

But what is in my indoor air that creates this “quality” problem? And, more importantly, how do I get my indoor air tested to determine the “quality” of the air I breathe?

In a number of TV commercials that promote various types of air filters they show (graphically) the types of potential airborne contaminants that may be in your air including dust mite feces, bacteria, dust particles, pollen, etc.  These specific particles are usually from less than 1 micron to 10 microns in size so they are invisible to the naked eye. We can see particles that are about 25 microns in size.

In addition to these particles there are also gaseous molecules that are released into the air from things such as household cleaning fluids, appliances, cooking odors and off-gassing from furniture and carpets. All of these particles and gaseous molecules make up the environmental “soup” that affects IAQ.

Testing  for the specific types of particles and gases in a home, office or any environment is not a simple process.  For example, to test for the types and levels of bacteria in an environment requires some special petri dishes and sampling devices. Once the samples are taken, it is then necessary to have these plates incubated at a certain temperature for a certain time and then evaluated for species and quantity by a  trained, degreed scientist.

Testing for particles in the air is even more difficult. This is where the “CSI” type of equipment is required. To ascertain the specific type of particulate requires very expensive equipment and highly trained technicians.

To determine the specific type of gas or odor requires a very expensive ( usually $25K or more) Trace Gas Analyzer and the ability to understand how to use it.

If you used the above referenced testing protocol and equipment and had to pay for the readings and report, you would probably have to spend upwards of $2,500 to $4,000. And that may be low. So, when someone says they can test the air in your house using one simple device and do it for under $200.00, you need to seriously question this process.

Rather than testing the indoor air, we suggest you do two things. First, make sure your home is properly heated and cooled and that you have no condensation on the windows or free moisture in the house. This creates mold and bacteria problems. Second, use the best available air filter technology available to ensure the capture of these small, micron sized particles.

Pure Air Systems offers the finest HEPA based, commercial grade air filtration systems on the market today. In addition, these filtration systems include carbon media for the adsorption of gases and odors. HEPA filters are the most effective means of removing and reducing the levels of harmful airborne particles. For more information on indoor air quality and the HEPA air filtration systems, go to our website at: www.pureairsystems.com

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