HEPA AIR SCRUBBER
VS
NEGATIVE AIR MACHINE
A HEPA Air Scrubber is used for dust control, to achieve clearance or improve indoor air quality by moving the air and filtering / trapping the particles settled on surfaces or airborne. Air scrubbers can be used for many different applications. They can also be used for odor control with carbon filter attachments.
The Negative Air Machine is essentially a HEPA Air Scrubber set up to establish negative air pressure within a contained area. This could be a single work area containment, room or an entire house or building.
The Negative Air Machine will run while physical work (restoration, remodeling, demolishing, mold removal etc..) is performed and dust or odors are generated.
The Negative Air Machine will have ducting (flexible hose) attached to the exhaust side and will move the air (while filtering) out of the contained work area, this way the work area will stay under negative air pressure and dust particles and odors will not travel to adjacent rooms, hallways, areas..
At the end of the physical work, when the remodeling /restoration is completed the
Negative Air Machine can be switched to the Air Scrubber mode and used to achieve clearance, the Air Scrubber will filter/trap the residual particles in the air and surfaces.
Alpine Air Rental California State Licensed Technician will assist you while setting up the machines and answer your project specific questions.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT
" NEGATIVE AIR MACHINES "
Q: Why is negative air pressure important for remodeling, restoration, mold abatement and renovation projects?
A: A negative pressure environment will help to contain the dust, particles, mold and odors within the workspace containment. Air always flows from areas of higher pressure to areas of lower pressure. Creating and maintaining negative air pressure creates inward airflow direction through any leaks or openings in the containment barrier. This prevents airborne particles from escaping into and contaminating other parts of the building.
Q: How do I create a negative pressure environment using HEPA Filtered Portable Air Scrubbers?
A: In order to create a negative pressure environment, more air must leave the space than enter it. Firstly, the project area must be walled off with permanent or temporary construction barriers. Secondly, the Abatement Portable Air Scrubber(s) must be placed inside the construction area. Ductwork should be run from the system to somewhere outside of the project area, preferably to the outside of the building. Since the air is HEPA filtered, it is not mandatory to exhaust air to the outdoors.
Q: What is a HEPA filter?
A: A filter is a device that traps and blocks small particles from going back into the air. A HEPA filter traps and blocks very small particles from getting back into the air. A certified HEPA filter is required and tested to trap particles as small as .3 microns with 99.97 % efficiency. One micron is 1/1,000,000 of a meter. A 0.3-micron particle is 300 times smaller than a human hair and 30 to 50 times smaller than the human eye can see.
Q: Where else is a HEPA filter used?
A: In medical research centers, Atomic research centers, nuclear power plants, hospitals, pharmaceutical manufacturing, remediation contracting.
Q: Which particulates can HEPA filtered Portable Air Scrubbers capture?
A: HEPA filtered Portable Air Scrubbers are designed to capture a wide range of particles, 99.97% of particles that are 0.3 microns and larger.
Q: Why is HEPA filtration required during mold abatement, disaster restoration and renovation projects?
A: HEPA filters are the only type of filter recognized by USEPA, CDC and other government agencies, and by environmental health professionals as effective for capturing these invisible particles and spores.
Q: How often do Abatement HEPA filters need to be changed?
A: Typical average filter life with continuous operation:
Primary filter: 1 day
Secondary filters: 3-7 days
HEPA filter: 800 hours
However, actual life can vary based on the size and concentration of airborne contaminants, temperature, humidity conditions and duration of use.
Q: Will Air Scrubbers remove odors such as smoke, mildew?
A: Yes, when equipped with carbon filters. These filters provide odor adsorption
against a wide array of commonly encountered odor.
HOW TO DETERMINE
NUMBER OF NEGATIVE AIR MACHINES
FOR A CERTAIN SIZE ROOM OR BUILDING
"CFM"
CFM (Cubic Feet per Minute) a measurement of air flow.
1. Determine the total square footage of the home, times the height of the ceiling to get the total cubic footage of the home or building. ( L * W * H )
Example: A 2,500 sq. ft home with a 10 foot ceiling will have a total cubic foot measurement of 25,000 cubic feet.
2. Take the total cubic foot measurement of the home and divide it by the c.f.m. ability of the Neg-Air machine.
Example: 25,000 cubic home divided by a 2,000 c.f.m. Neg-Air = 12.5. It will take 1 (one) 2,000 c.f.m. Neg-Air machine 12.5 minutes to change the air in the area 1 time.
* It is the Industry Standard to change the air in a room 6 times per hour !
3. Divide 60 minutes (1 hour) by the 12.5 minutes it takes to change the air in a room one time.
Example: 60/12.5 = 4.8. This is the number of times this 2000 c.f.m. Neg-Air machine will change the air in this size building in one hour. In this case more c.f.m. will be needed to meet the standard of 6 times per hour.