Blog Tag: odor removal

If at first glance you think I misspelled the title of this blog and it should read “Sea Water” you are incorrect. This is about water in the form of water vapor or condensation that you often see on windows and where ever damp cold air comes in contact with a warm surface. When you “see” water condensing or water dripping from someplace it shouldn’t be you need to find out why.

One of the most common places in a home to find water in the form of condensation in on single pane windows or on walls or surfaces that are inside barriers for outside walls. Condensation forms when the dew point is relatively high…say 60 to 70 degrees and there is a lot of humidity in the air. Since warm air holds moisture better than cold air the condensation issue is usually found in the summer months. Although it can also be an issue in the fall or spring of the year.

One of the challenges with tight homes and office buildings is the limited amount of fresh, outside air that is introduced into the indoor environment. While constantly circulating the air with the HVAC  fan systems does keep the air moving,  it does little to keep the air from getting stagnant or reduce the indoor levels of  CO2. Introducing outside air, even small amounts over time, can be significantly help the occupied areas. However, if the outside air is hot or cool and humid, then the condensation issue can be a problem again.

Some of the newer variable speed drive, high efficiency HVAC systems incorporate a de-humidification function that allows the cooling coils in the air handler to get really cold during the AC cycle prior to turning on the air handler fan. This allows for more removal of the moisture that may be introduced as outside, fresh air through the HVAC unit.

One of the main reasons for minimizing the amount of “indoor” moisture is to reduce or eliminate the potential for mold growth. There are two main “needs” for mold to grow. Water and a food source. Take away either one and you will significantly reduce the chances of mold growing in the indoor environment. So when  you see water in the form of condensation on the windows in your home or office you can be fairly sure that there is moisture forming in other parts of the indoor structure. And….where there is water there is mold.

Pure Air Systems has been making HEPA and Carbon based fan powered air filtration systems since 1985. These units can be attached to  and HVAC system or used as stand-alone units in residential, commercial, institutional or industrial applications. For over 25 years PAS has used their units to introduce small amounts of outside air that is first past through the HEPA units then into the HVAC units. Since the PAS units are mixing small amounts of outside air (usually 50 to 80 CFM ) with large amounts of warm, unfiltered return air ( usually 300 to 800 CFM) there is little chance for moisture to occur.

This process has been used thousands of times since we first introduced the systems and has been very effective at not only cleaning all the air in the homes up to 48 times a day, but provide for some fresh air without the potential for adding moisture or inviting mold growth indoors.

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 call us at: 800-869-8025.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Remember when you first started to learn to write in cursive ( okay this is before texting) and you sometimes transposed a d for a b? When you did this it would sometimes look correct especially when combined with other words in the same sentence. Eventually you learned which letter format was correct and the d & b letters found their way into the correct word locations and you now know that each letter expressed a different meaning.

This difference between these two letters is no better misunderstood than in the different meaning of the words Adsorb and Absorb. For most people the word Absorb is used in common language as in “this paper towel will absorb a lot of water before I need another one”. Or, ” this new Sham-Wow will absorb 10 times its’ weight in water”.

So when we are using something that has the ability to pick up moisture (of any kind)  like a sponge we use the word absorb or absorption (in this case the second b is replaced by a p….don’t ask me why…ask Daniel Webster).

When we change the second letter in Absorb to a d… and make it Adsorb it modifies the meaning of the word but interestingly does not really change the process the word describes. Adsorb means the removal of odors and gases by the use of medium such as carbon or charcoal. Carbon, for example, will adsorb common gases such as formaldehyde or acetone.

Much like a sponge absorbs water, carbon and other adsorptive media use a very porous surface area to attract and retain gaseous molecules until it is saturated and then release some of those molecules like a sponge releases some water once it is saturated.

Carbon, and the other adsorptive medias such as potassium permangenate and specially treated carbon mediums, have been used for many years to aid in the removal or reduction of harmful gases and many household and industrial odors.

Pure Air Systems has been using carbon as a standard component of their HEPA based air filtration systems since 1985 and today offers a complete line of Carbon based adsorption systems for the commercial, institutional, industrial and residential markets. For more information on this line of Adsorption systems please go to our website at: www.pureairsystems.com

The colder weather is here and your home is now closed up all the time. You come home after work or after being out of the house for a while and you notice an odor that wasn’t there before or you didn’t notice until now.

Some odors come and go and often they are related to issues such as cooking,  paint or new carpet odors. These often dissipate within a few hours or sometimes days in the case of new carpeting.  But some odors linger and some stay around all the time.

Some of the most common, constant odors are generated by pets, musty basements, and odors generated from outside the home.

Pet odors are probably the most common and the most difficult to remove, reduce or cover up. Cats, for example, tend to spray and the odors are very difficult to remove. Dogs typically have a general doggy smell and this can get worse as the dog gets older.

Musty basements, especially in older homes, can be a significant problem and often this odor carries up into the first floor of the home. The musty odor is actually caused by mold in the basement ( often associated with damp basements) and when the mold spores it generates an odor, this odor is the musty smell.

Outside odors are often generated from farming processes or industrial manufacturing. Close proximity to major highways and heavily traveled roads can also be an issue. Wood burning fireplaces can be a significant problem especially in the winter months.

Removing or reducing any of these odors in the home is very challenging. Burning candles or spraying air fresheners is only slightly effective and is short lived. These remedies only mask the problem. The real issue is that these odors are constantly being generated and distributed throughout the house by the heating/cooling system. So an odor in the basement becomes an odor on the second floor.

Pure Air Systems has been providing a wide range of Carbon adsorption products since 1985. Carbon is the most affective and commonly used material for the removal and reduction of both organic and inorganic odors for the residential, commercial and institutional markets.

Pure Air Systems has a number of large carbon capacity filtration systems that are fan powered and can be attached to the existing HVAC system to remove the odor from the air as it passes through the HVAC unit. These units are also capable of introducing small amounts of outside air to help pressurize the home to minimize the entry of odors produced by outside sources.

For a very effective but less expensive remedy, Pure Air Systems has recently introduced a line of Odor Guard filters that replace that are used in place of the furnace filter. These polyester ring panel filters have a Merv 8 filter media on one side and commercial grade carbon media on the other side. They fit tightly and will last up to three months before they have to be replaced.

The use of carbon at the HVAC unit has proven to be the most effective method of removing odors and gases that are present in the home. For  more information on the carbon products available from Pure Air Systems go to our website at: www.pureairsystems.com.

The use of carbon media for reduction and removal of odors and gases has been around since the turn of the century. For the most part carbon and charcoal are the same thing. Carbon used for adsorption of gases is normally expanded by using a combination of pressure and heat. This expanded carbon provides for a large surface area on each carbon granule allowing each granule to adsorb up to 100 times its weight in gases.

Carbon has a natural affinity to attract and retain a wide range ( hundreds of types) of organic and inorganic fumes and odors. As the gaseous molecule passes by the carbon it is adsorbed into the carbon media and retained until that carbon granule is saturated at which time the carbon will no longer adsorb any more ( like a sponge).

The life of the carbon (ability to adsorb) is based on a number of factors. The type of gas or odor, the molecular weight of the gas, volume of air and the concentration of the gas, usually measured in parts per million (ppm).  While all of these variables are important in designing a carbon system the most important is the concentration in and the required reduction or concentration out.

If you want to reduce a continuous air flow containing 30 ppm of styrene monomer to 4 ppm at a volume of 500 cfm and you only want to change out the carbon once every month, you may require as much as 60 to 80 lbs of carbon. Remember, once the carbon is saturated it will release any additional gases back into the air stream.

Pure Air Systems offers a wide range of carbon adsorption systems and specially treated media for unique adsorption applications. We offer a line of combination prefilter/carbon media filters that can be used in-lieu of furnace filters for residential and commercial applications.  In addition, all of our fan powered units, from our portable HPS series to our 2000 CFM units can be fitted with up to 80 lbs of carbon media and used in a wide variety of gas reduction/removal applications.

For more information on our complete line of carbon adsorption units and technology go to our website at: www.pureairsystems. com.

FORMALDEHYDE TESTING PROGRAM
PURE AIR SYSTEMS
HPS 500 SERIES CARBON ADSORPTION SYSTEM

FORMALDEHYDE REMEDIATION
SOLICITATION NUMBER: HSFEHQ-09-R-0047
FORMALDEHYDE REMEDIATION FOR MANUFACTURED HOUSING AND TRAVEL TRAILERS

OVERVIEW – REMEDIATION PROCESS – TEST PROTOCOL

OVERVIEW:

The Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency is researching the logistics and costs associated with the remediation of formaldehyde-contaminated manufactured housing and recreational vehicles. The DHS is requesting information from industry to determine its ability to remediate formaldehyde-contaminated manufactured housing and recreational vehicles.

Over the years, FEMA has procured manufactured housing and recreational vehicles which are located throughout the United States. Manufactured housing and recreational vehicles are in the form of park models with average dimensions of 14 ft x 40 ft; travel trailers averaging 8 ft x 32 ft; and mobile homes averaging 14 ft x 65 ft. FEMA has determined the manufactured housing and recreational vehicles are not suitable for residential use/habitation. FEMA is researching the logistics and cost associated with reducing the formaldehyde concentration in the manufactured housing and recreational vehicles to a level of 0.16 ppm or below, and maintaining that level indefinitely.

REMEDIATION PROCESS:

Established in 1985, Pure Air Systems has been manufacturing HEPA and Carbon based air filtration systems for the residential, commercial, institutional and medical markets. We have systems in operation in a number of government associated facilities such as; Lawrence Livermore National Labs, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Labs, BAE Defense Systems, U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, Picatinny Arsenal and U.S. Boarder Patrol to name a few.

For applications where the reduction/removal of odors and gases are required, we remove the HEPA filter from our systems and replace it with various carbon and adsorption based compounds specifically suited for removal or reduction of specific gases.

For the purposes of this specific project we used our new portable HPS 500 unit that can move over 500 CFM of air. The HPS unit is 13” square and 21 ½” long and weighs approximately 28 lbs as used in this test phase. We installed three filters in the HPS 500 for this test phase.

The first filter is a combination 12” x 12” x 1” ring panel polyester media on inlet side and carbon media on discharge side. This first filter is designed to remove dust particulate and keep the adsorption media clean. This first filter contains 76 grams of activated carbon.

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The second filter is a 12” x 12” x 2” box style pleated material that contains 294 grams of activated alumina with 5% potassium permanganate.

The third filter is a 12” x 12” x 4” box style pleated filter material that contains 374 grams of activated alumina with 5% potassium permanganate. The three filters combined have a total of 744 grams of adsorptive media.

TEST EQUIPMENT :

The three adsorptive media filters were placed in the HPS 500 series unit. (see photos last page). This system uses an EBM four speed blower/motor assembly that can produce well over 500 CFM with all filters installed. For the purpose of this remediation test we ran the unit at the lowest speed of 200 CFM.

The HPS 500 was placed in an 8x8x8 plastic enclosed room that was almost air tight. (see photos last page). The test room is located in a warehouse space and the space is not cooled or heated. The tests were done from June 10th through June 24th. The average temperature in the room was 84 degrees with an average relative humidity of 50 %. This is fairly close to the conditions you would find in a mobile home or recreational vehicle that is closed up with no ventilation or operational heating/cooling system in the same seasonal time period in most parts of the U.S.

A stand was placed in the middle of the test room and a section of carpet was placed on the stand. We used a 37% solution of HCHO (Formaldehyde) (Formalin) solution reagent for the purpose of replicating as closely as possible the type of Formaldehyde used in certain building materials found in the construction of mobile homes and recreational vehicles. The HCHO was purchased from Spectrum and is listed as: CAS 50-00-0.

To accurately measure the levels of Formaldehyde in ppm, we used a Sensidyne Gastec sampling pump, model 800. (see photo last page). To measure the gas levels we used Sensidyne Precision Gas Detector Tubes, Number 171SC for Formaldehyde. Range 0.05 to 4.0 ppm. Lot No. 252019. Tubes have an expiration date of Jan 2010.

PROCEDURE:

To establish a base level (in ppm) of Formaldehyde that would be representative of HCHO levels that may be present in mobile homes, travel trailers and recreational vehicles as indicated in the overview of this report. Our own experience with testing for Formaldehyde in homes and mobile homes has shown levels that range from 5 ppm. Since the Sensidyne tubes have a maximum range of 4.0 ppm we ran a number of tests to determine the amount of Formaldehyde needed in the test chamber to start with a base level of 4.0 ppm.

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TEST A: Date: June 10, 2009; Time: 10:00 AM

A piece of carpet was placed on a stand in the middle of the test chamber and the appropriate amount of Formaldehyde was placed directly on the carpet piece. The chamber was closed up for four (4) hours prior to taking the first reading. The HPS 500 did not run during the four hour saturation process.

Time: 2:00 PM

The first reading was taken (HPS not running): Base level of 4.0 ppm HCHO achieved.

Time: 2:01 PM

HPS 500 was turned on with fan running at lowest speed setting ( 200 CFM).

Date: June 11, 2009; Time 2:00 PM

Second reading taken after HPS 500 ran for 24 hours in test chamber. HCHO reading 0.3 ppm.

Date: June 12, 2009; Time 2: 00 PM

Third reading taken after HPS 500 ran for 48 hours in test chamber. HCHO reading 0.05 ppm.

TEST B: Date: June 15, 2009; Time 9:00 AM

Dispersion Test. The same protocol was used for this test as used for the HPS 500 carbon reduction/removal test. The purpose of this test is to determine if, over time, the levels of Formaldehyde will decrease or remain the same if no active reduction/removal process is used. The same amount of Formaldehyde was introduced by applying it to a piece carpet located on a stand in the center of the test chamber.

Time: 1:00 PM

The first reading was taken: Base level of 4.0 ppm HCHO achieved.

Date: June 16, 2009; Time 1:00 PM

The second reading was taken after 24 hours: HCHO reading 4.0 ppm.

Date: June 17, 2009; Time 1:00 PM

The third reading was taken after 48 hours: HCHO reading 4.0 ppm.

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CONCLUSIONS AND OBSERVATIONS:

While this test was concluded in a test chamber rather than an actual mobile home, trailer or recreational vehicle, the environmental conditions and levels of Formaldehyde used in the test chamber mimic, in many ways, the actual conditions we have found in homes and mobile homes in actual in-situ testing.

We only ran the tests over a 48 hour time frame since we only used a small amount of Formaldehyde. This represents, more or less, an equivalent amount of Formaldehyde that would be representative of an entire unit where much of the construction materials would contain some Formaldehyde and the overall concentration, dispersion and out-gasing would last for a much longer period of time. The dispersion test verified that there is little or no decrease in the HCHO level without any active reduction/removal process. Based on these tests in can be concluded that the HPS 500 with the adsorptive media as tested would maintain the levels of < 0.05 ppm indefinitely.

NEXT PHASE – TESTING IN DHS MOBILE HOME, TRAVEL TRAILER OR RECREATIONAL VEHICHLE.

The next test for the HPS 500 would be in an actual DHS formaldehyde – contaminated mobile home, travel trailer or recreational vehicle as indicated in the original solicitation. With the positive results of the Formaldehyde reduction/removal testing as shown in our test report Pure Air Systems believes the use of the HPS 500 would be a much better and much less expensive than removing and replacing all the wall and floor construction materials.

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HPS 500

Pure Air Systems Test Chamber

Sensidyne Test Tubes

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Carbon Media and Alumina Media With 5% Potassium Permangenate