Arising out of our personal and professional need for high quality portable air filtration during the COVID-19 pandemic, the inspiration and launch of the the newest member of the Airscape family was born.
We noticed an absence of cost effective and high quality portable indoor air filtration products utilizing critical core attributes:
*high number of air exchanges
*quality filtration media: MERV pre-filter and HEPA filtration
*particulate level filtration appropriate for airborne size micro-droplets (i.e. COVID-19, influenza etc.
*quiet operation (suitable for conference rooms during meetings)
*efficient energy utilization (speed controllable, low energy use ECM motor)
We utilize this product in our headquarters and trust it to keep our team safe.
If you’ve been following our blog entries about viruses, micropdroplets, and Covid-19, or just reading the news, you’re coming to the conclusion that air filtration is getting to be very important.
It’s important to cut the “viral load” or amount of viruses that one is exposed to, and micro droplets that can contain Covid can remain aloft for up to 10 hours.
Masking and source capture (see our blog on dental aerosols) are good ideas, but there are many reasons why we still want to filter our air. Masks are not 100% effective (nothing is), and people make mistakes.
Just the facts: Why Filtration?
Masks are not 100% effective
People are not 100% effective at masking
Microdroplets stay in the air for up to 10 hours
Toilets can be a source of pathogens (including Covid 19)
Just the facts: What does my filtration system need to do ?
Capture microdroplets and viruses
Have airflow capable of 12 + air changes per hour (12 ACH)
Filtered air should flow from high to low
Have directed vents to avoid stagnant areas
Be quiet
Efficient
Clean air should be delivered high and returned low to the unit.
How to calculate required airflow
Airflow in cubic feet per minute (CFM) = # Air changes per hour (ACH) x Room Volume / 60
Example: Conference room 10’x20’x12′, with desired 12 ACH. CFM = 12 x (10x20x12) / 60 = 480 CFM
Specifications
2 Sizes: 500 CFM and 900 CFM
Low power use: 128 watts and 164 watts
Footprint of 18″ x 26″ x 72″ high (with casters)
Prefilter MERV11 with carbon impregnation
HEPA H13 (EU standard) 99.95% efficient, with individual test certificate.
HEPA is 24″x24″ x 12″ deep. This means it has a lot of holding capacity.
Electronically commutated motor (ECM), very efficient
Full range speed control with no motor hum (it’s ECM)
Customizable discharge: Front, Side, Top
Availability and Cost
We have a few of our initial batch available
We’re taking reservations for units to be ready in 6 weeks.
Check www.hvacquick.com for updated price and availability.
Talking can launch thousands of droplets so small they can remain suspended in the air for ten hours for one micro particles.
Scientists agree that the coronavirus jumps from person to person most often by hitching a ride inside tiny respiratory droplets. These droplets tend to fall to the ground within a few feet of the person who emits them. They may land on surfaces like doorknobs, where people can touch lingering virus particles and transfer them to their face. But some droplets can remain aloft, and be inhaled by others.
Droplets become microdroplets and are formed by people by breathing talking, sneezing, coughing and toilet flushing. These tiny particles evaporate, stay afloat and do not drop down nor exhaust on their own.
When people breathe, cough and sneeze, they release respiratory droplets and smaller aerosols less than five millionths of a meter in size. Compared with respiratory droplets, the smaller aerosols can remain in the air for longer periods of time. The current data suggest the novel coronavirus is primarily transmitted through contact with larger droplets, but tiny aerosols can also harbor the virus and may pose a threat to people, especially indoors. To establish a sound defense against these aerosols, informed management of airflow and airborne contaminants could be critical.https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2020/06/nist-airflow-model-could-help-reduce-indoor-exposure-aerosols-carrying
Three factors seem to be particularly important for aerosol transmission: proximity to the infected person, air flow and timing.
Larger droplets are heavy and float down quickly — unless there’s a breeze or an air-conditioning blast — and can’t penetrate surgical masks. But droplets less than 5 microns in diameter, called aerosols, can linger in the air for hours. They travel further, last longer and have the potential of more spread than the large droplets,” Dr. Barouch said.https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/29/health/coronavirus-transmission-dose.html“
Researchers from the National Institutes of Health used lasers to illuminate and count how many droplets of saliva were flung into the air by a person talking with and without a face mask. The paper was only recently published officially. When the researcher used a simple cloth face cover, nearly all the droplets were blocked.
This evidence is only relevant if COVID-19 is transmitted by droplets from a person’s mouth. It is. There are many documented super-spreading cases connected with activities – like singing in enclosed spaces – that create a lot of droplets.he light-scattering experiment cannot see “micro-droplets” that are smaller than 5 microns and could contain some viral particles.
Solutions include source capture of airborne viral and bacterial pathogens (including influenza, COVID-19, SARS, MERSA) utilization filtration by increasing number of air exchanges through HEPA and MERV media, mixing with fresh air and exhausting externally.
Bringing in fresh air and stratify it utilizing high efficiency portable fan units to reduce viral and bacterial load in shared air spaces:
We all know that aerosolized particles, particularly COVID-19 hang in the air for long periods of time.
Now, to add to the concerns, researchers have found that toilet flushing can trigger release of pathogens. In particular, COVID-19 carrying microdroplets from pre-symptomatic or symptomatic carriers can occur via fecal shedding .https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0013318 Ick !
How do we fix it ?
You guessed. Good. Bathroom. Ventilation.
Who knew. We did. This has been our job for the last 20 years.
The best way to remove aerosols created by dental procedures is to create a stream of air focused close to the source. Source capture as it’s known is more efficient since we’re pulling a concentrated source of contaminants. Each unit of air that you are paying for “works harder” in this manner.
From this point, there are 2 choices: exhaust the air, or recirculate it. Here’s a list of pros/cons for each system.
PRO
CON
Exhaust
No worries about viral and other contaminants being spread inside
Exhausts conditioned air
Requires Installation
Very Quiet
Can be designed with lots of airflow to provide a purge between patients
Recirculation
Requires expensive HEPA filters
More expensive
No Installation Required
The system shown below exhausts to the outdoors.
Typical Aerosol Exhaust System Installed in Attic or Interstitial Space (click image to expand)
Let’s go through the parts starting from the intake (left to right):
Intake cone: A plastic cone to pull aerosol from around the patient’s mouth
Self supporting flex duct: Typically a 4″ diameter flexible duct that “self supports” – holds its last position
Thimble: This is just a neat way to allow the inside duct to be removed and cleaned without system disassembly
Flexible insulated duct: This duct has a plastic liner and can be easily installed
Filter box: The CFB-6-OS contains a prefilter and a MERV15 filter. Even though we’re exhausting outdoors, it’s good practice to remove most of the particulates. The MERV15 filter is in the range of a N95 face mask.
Inline fan: We really like this powerful fan that is capable of high static pressure (sucking ability) and high flow (CFM or cubic feet per minute). The fan can be adjusted for flow for two modes: a) Patient aerosol removal b) Room purge between patients [VERY USEFUL AND PROBABLY WILL BE CODE MANDATED]
There is an invisible problem in the dental profession which has the potential to be harmful to medical professionals, patients, office staff and family members. Indoor air within dental offices may contain unhealthy and infectious airborne particulate resulting from transmittable bacteria and viruses. Dental offices are high traffic, publicly accessible, commercial spaces and the multiple daily interactions between patients and staff, can introduce bacterial, viral and fungal infections into the air. Ultrasonic instruments, along with the constant cleaning and disinfection of contact surfaces can create bio-aerosols which contaminate the indoor air and degrade the air quality of air in a dental office.
Risk vs. Income — Looks at Dentists ! (courtesy https://www.visualcapitalist.com — click image to expand)
Indoor air quality contamination has been a known concern for many years, especially within hospital and dental manufacturer’s environments. Operating rooms of all hospitals and surgery centers have a cooler and filtered positive air flow within each surgical suite. Manufacturers of surgically implanted hardware (orthopedic) and dental implants have source capture devices on their equipment and “Clean Rooms” as part of the final sterilization process to preserve the surfaces of the implants before packaging. The manufacturers of these products invest heavily in the design of air quality controls to ensure they meet industry, regulatory and governmental standards and to protect their staff and the end user of their final product.
Source capture of dental bio-aerosols effectively collects airborne contaminants that are often present in dental offices; including such as oral aerosols, ultra-fine particles, disinfectant odors, mercury vapor, drill aerosols and abrasion powder and provide an added layer of safety by improving air quality in the immediate vicinity of interaction between individuals. This “source capture” feature helps protect doctors, dental technicians and patients alike.
During a regular dental visit, patients and providers are exposed to bio-aerosols which can originate from contaminated patient care items. In dental offices, the oral cavity constitutes the highest reservoir of infectious organisms with over 350 different types of bacteria. During dental treatments, the use of high and low speed instruments drilling into teeth, bones and tissues create hazardous bio-aerosols. Aerosols containing microbes from the saliva, blood, and sub-gingival fluids are dispersed in the air. The dispersal of fine droplets, which may contain pathogens, can stay airborne for hours. These pathogens are easily inhaled and become a potential source of infection for everyone within the dental office. The amount of time these droplets remain suspended in the air, how far they travel, and their level of contamination should be a concern for everyone, and especially when treating highly vulnerable patients – children, pregnant women, older people, and patients with COVID specific co-morbidity factors, hypertension, obesity, COPD.
A typical dental office can see 40-50 patients in a day. These patients are another source of air pollution from the tiny particulates of skin which that are continually exfoliated from the skin. Researchers believe that the majority of Staphylococcus aureus, one of the leading causes of infection, is transported mainly on these shed skin particles, readily disturbed from floors and other surfaces as microscopic specks of dust which thousands of pathogens use as a transmission vehicle.
Despite the SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) and MRSA (Multi-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) epidemics which profoundly affected healthcare mortality and infection rates, concrete actions to prevent the spread of aerobiological viral and bacterial infections have not been taken.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) mandates that every employer, including medical and dental offices, has a general duty to protect employees. OSHA industrial hygiene includes references to ventilation and replacement air for the protection of the workers. There should be adequate ventilation by either natural or mechanical means, in order that the atmosphere does not endanger the health and safety of workers. The replacement air shall be free from contamination with any hazardous dust, vapor, smoke, fumes, mist or gas. The discharge of air from any exhaust system shall be in such a manner so as to prevent the return of contaminants into any workplace.
Microbial air pollution is a health hazard and source capture filtration units can play a role in significantly reducing the transmittable bio-aerosols. In many medical and dental office environments, the most practical and convenient solution is to have source capture systems.
Our CFB HEPA Filters are currently being used by a number of hospitals to create negative pressure isolation rooms for COVID-19 patients. They are typically paired with an inline fan to exhaust the contaminated air from those areas, filter and then discharge it safely outside. Discharging the air without any filtration is considered risky since you are spreading/distributing the virus particles extracted from the patient areas. If you have questions on how to build negative pressure isolation rooms give us a call.
What is a HEPA?
HEPA stands for high-efficiency particulate arrestance. To be classified as a HEPA, the air filter must remove at least 99.97% of particles whose diameter is equal to 0.3 μm. Classification at 0.3 μm is important because this is the weakest point in the filter’s performance – typical HEPA filtration efficiency increases for particle diameters both less than and greater than 0.3 μm.
Image courtesy of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
Virus particles, due to their small size, typically fall in the diffusion regime of HEPA collection efficiency. Specifically, the virus that causes COVID-19 is approximately 0.125 μm in diameter. That diameter is perfectly within the particle-size range that HEPA filters capture with great efficiency: 0.01 μm and bigger (see the NIOSH diagram above).
Want to ready more about HEPA and how they filter particles the size of viruses? We found the Submicron and Nanoparticulate Matter Removal by HEPA-Rated Media Filters by NASA study is a great source of reliable technical info. Page 7 of the paper has an excellent illustration of filter efficiency as a function of particle diameter for sizes 0.01 μm and above.
A few weeks ago our sister company AirScape Fans (airscapefans.com) was ramping up whole house fan production for the summer season. Now they are very busy making HEPA filtration units for hospitals, and yes, observing Covid safety protocols. Masks [check], distancing [check], good ventilation [check], doors open for extra air dilution [check], hand sanitizer [check], outdoor breaks in the sun [check]. They (as did we!) spent a lot of time writing procedures on how to stay safe.
Winter is here and with it so are higher energy bills. Are you looking for ways to cut energy costs and save money? Is there a room or area of the house that you rarely use? Do you like certain rooms to be kept warmer or colder than the rest? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then it might be time for you to zone control your home with Suncourt ZoneMaster™ Fully Adjustable Motorized Dampers.
ZoneMaster Adjustable Motorized Airflow Control Damper
WHAT DOES A MOTORIZED DAMPER DO? Motorized Dampers are mounted in duct-work to control the amount of airflow in the duct in order to zone control your home. Zone control refers to regulating the temperature in one single room or space. In other words, zone controlling your home allows you to send heated or cooled air to an area of the house when you need it, when you want it.
WHY DO I WANT TO ZONE CONTROL MY HOME? Increased comfort, control and lower utility bills. Would you control your entire house with 1 light switch? No! So why would you control the temperature for your entire home with one thermostat?
GIVE ME AN EXAMPLE OF HOW I WOULD SAVE MONEY: Why heat a guest room that you only occasionally use to 70°F all winter long, or cool it to 76°F all summer? Keep it instead at 55°F in the winter and 85°F in the summer. Same story for a bedroom. Like to sleep in a 64°F bedroom and keep the rest of the house at 70°F? During the cooling season you may want the room for the baby a little bit warmer than the rest of the house. The possibilities are endless.
HOW MUCH MONEY COULD I SAVE? Zone controlling a home can save homeowners up to 30% on a typical heating and cooling bill, according to the US Department of Energy. It is estimated that heating and cooling makes up 40% of the monthly energy bill.
WHAT MAKES SUNCOURT MOTORIZED DAMPERS DIFFERENT THAN THE REST? Suncourt’s patent pending adjustable damper has 0°- 90° adjustment capabilities for BOTH powered and unpowered positions providing full control of airflow to any specific room. A safe, UL listed 24 VAC 15 VA stud mount transformer is included with each damper sold by Suncourt for ease of installation. Suncourt dampers are proudly made in the USA.
Do you feel like your home doesn’t retain heat well, or is just plain cold and drafty? Are your energy costs during the winter months out of control? It could be because all your heat is escaping through your attic.
Improper sealing and insulation of the attic space in a home can lead to a great deal of your warm air escaping. It is known that heat rises, so this makes sense. Heat rises to the highest point in a confined space, the same as it would in a hot air balloon to make it rise.
As warm air escapes out the top of the house, the negative pressure created by this action sucks cold exterior air in through lower areas of the house, often times the basement and crawl space areas. This occurrence is known as the stack effect (also called the chimney effect) and can be the primary culprit in loss of warm air in many houses that haven’t had energy-saving upgrades.
Properly sealing the attic can help your home retain much of its heat. In addition, your home should have controlled ventilation to keep the air fresh and reduce pollution in your home. This can be attained through HRVs or ERVs or other ventilators.
HRVs and ERVs are essentially mechanical ventilators, but with a heat exchanger. This allows them to transfer heat between air streams, allowing for proper ventilation without sacrificing efficiency. They can take some of the load off your heating and cooling systems because of how they pre-warm and pre-cool air before it enters your home. HRVs can remove stuffy air from rooms with limited airflow and ERVs reduce humidity in the summer and help retain moisture in the air in the winter.
How HRVs and ERVs work.
Keeping a good temperature in your house, while properly ventilating is a delicate balance, but this is why there are so many products on the market to help you achieve the correct ratio, while also saving on energy.
