Indoor air quality isn't always better than outdoor air quality

Air Quality Isn’t Always Better Indoors

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Air quality isn’t always better indoors. Indoor air quality can be worse than outdoor air quality for many reasons, from seasonal allergies to air pollution. Even if the building is new, it may still have poor indoor air quality due to the materials used in construction or lack of proper ventilation. Poor indoor air quality can cause a range of health problems. It’s important to understand why indoor air quality isn’t always better than outdoor air quality and what steps we can take to improve it.

Is Indoor Air Quality Better Than Outdoor Air Quality?

Many people believe that indoor air quality is always better than outdoor air quality, but this isn’t necessarily true. Indoor air quality can be worse than outdoor air quality. Air quality isn’t always better indoors. This is especially true during certain seasons when outdoor air pollution and seasonal allergies are at their peak. Air pollution can easily make its’ way indoors and stay stagnant in the air. In some cases, the indoor air can contain more pollutants than the outdoor air due to poor ventilation.

Is Low IAQ Risky?

It is important for people to be aware of the potential risks that come with poor indoor air quality. Poor indoor air can lead to a variety of health issues such as respiratory problems, headaches, fatigue and more. Therefore, it is important for people to take steps towards improving their indoor air quality if they want to stay healthy.

Is Indoor Air Quality ALWAYS Worse Than Outdoor Air Quality?

Although it may come as a surprise to many that air quality isn’t always better indoors, it’s also not always the case. There are times that you want to keep outdoor air out of your building. This is especially true during wildfires or if there are other pollutants heavily contaminating the air we breathe. Having a good air filtration system in place can help improve your indoor air quality when outdoor air quality is bad. HEPA filters help filter out smaller particles that can cause damage to our health. Air purifiers are a great way to improve the air in your home or small office space if you don’t have an HVAC system with high quality filters. If you’re looking for commercial air filters for your building, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

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Improving Indoor Air Quality

Indoor Air Quality Problem In Need Of Improving?

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Improving indoor air quality is a problem that needs solving on a global scale. Indoor air quality is a major problem in many homes and buildings. Although there are many solutions to this problem, they can be costly and difficult to maintain. With the increasing pollution levels, it is hard to stay healthy and breathe clean air. A lot of people are not aware that indoor air quality is a major problem in their buildings. The air is not only polluted, but it also contains many different harmful contaminants. It can have a negative impact on the health of people who spend time in these buildings. Poor indoor air quality can lead to health problems, such as asthma, allergies, and more.

Indoor Air Quality Issues

The air in our homes and buildings is usually a lot more polluted than the air outside. This is because we spend a lot of time indoors and this makes it even worse. The pollution levels inside are commonly higher than the pollution levels outside due to the presence of the following indoor pollutants:

  • Pollen and Mold Spores
  • Pet Dander
  • Household Chemicals and Cleaners
  • Tobacco Smoke
  • Cooking Oils
  • Formaldehyde From Building Materials and Furniture
  • Etc.

However, indoor air is not ALWAYS worse than outside air. It depends on the air quality outside as well. Nearby wildfires or smog from nearby highways or even power plants can all contribute to the decrease of air quality.

Solutions To Indoor Air Quality

The good news is that there are many ways that you can solve your indoor air quality problems without spending too much money or time. A simple, most cost effective solution is by opening up your windows and doors as often as possible during the day and night to let in clean, fresh air from outside. This will also help with humidity levels inside your home which can cause mold growth and allergies to worsen over time. Also, because there are many air purifiers available today, it’s easy to find one that works great for you. Air purifiers come with different features such as filters, UV lights, carbon filters, ionizers and antimicrobial treatments to remove bacteria and viruses from the air. Air purifiers work by removing particles from the air that are too small to see. This includes allergens like pollen and pet dander, as well as, mold spores and dust mites. While these could be simple and low cost solutions, quality air filters with a quality HVAC system is still needed for optimal indoor air quality improvements.

Quality HVAC Systems

Most HVAC systems are designed to help clean the air by filtering out particles from the outside environment before they enter your building. It’s important for business buildings, office buildings, all buildings to have a good quality HVAC system in place with upgraded air filters to keep the air clean and safe for the people inside. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many buildings have upgraded their HVAC system to include more outside air. This is to help dilute the contaminated indoor air. Doing this helps increase your indoor air quality. Using a higher MERV rated filter can help filter out smaller particles as well. However, sometimes it isn’t best to use a higher filtration efficiency in some systems because it may cause your system to work harder and put more stress on your machine. You will need to find a solution that provides the best balance. You can contact Advanced Filtration Concepts to help you come up with an air filtration solution that works best for you.

Conclusion

Air pollution is a global issue that affects everyone. It is not just a developing country problem. Air pollution levels have increased to the point where it has become a public health concern. Improving indoor air quality isn’t only a great way to stay healthy, but it’s necessary. We supply a wide range of commercial air filters, as well as, industrial air filters to help keep you air clean. Please contact us for any questions.

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Is your building healthy

Is Your Building Healthy?

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We can’t ignore the fact that there has been a huge shift in the importance of indoor air quality. With the recent events, knowledge about improving indoor air quality has increased and the topic became hugely popular. Having a clean building with improved air flow and high quality air filters with a higher MERV rating is important for a clean and healthy feel. So, is your building healthy?

Improving Your HVAC System With Better Air Filters

Before the pandemic, air filters with lower MERV ratings, such as MERV 8 air filters, were commonly used because it was more cost effective and it was fine for filtering out dust and larger particles. However, they aren’t very effective in filtering out smaller particles. A good way to improve indoor air quality is by using air filters with higher MERV ratings, at least a MERV 13. You can even use HEPA filters, but that depends on your HVAC system. You would definitely have to check what your HVAC system can handle because using filters with a higher filtration efficiency will increase the load on your system. So check with your HVAC system specialists, like Advanced Filtration Concepts, to figure out what would be best to use in your HVAC.

Add Air Purifiers To Keep Your Air Healthy

If you can’t add higher efficiency rated filters to your HVAC just yet, a great way to improve indoor air quality is by using air purifiers. A good quality air purifier system can help increase your indoor air quality in smaller areas. Upgrading to HEPA filters can filter out finer particles that attach to droplets, helping to decrease the spread of viruses and bacteria. But, not all air purifiers are created equal. Be sure to do your research for which one will work best for the area you need it to cover.

Increase Air Flow & Air Exchange In Your Building

Increasing air flow and increasing air exchange can also help increase your indoor air quality. More recently, the introduction of outside air into your HVAC systems has been a more talked about solution to improving indoor air quality. Bringing in fresh outside air can help dilute your stagnant indoor air, thus giving you a cleaner feel. However, outdoor air isn’t always better. There are many factors that can affect outdoor air quality as well. Eg. wildfires, pollution, wastes, etc. These can all affect outdoor air quality, thus, affecting your indoor air quality as well. But, for the most part, outdoor air can help dilute the contaminated indoor air as learned during the COVID pandemic.

Increasing Indoor Air Quality In Your Building

Taking all these steps mentioned can greatly improve your indoor air quality. You want your building to feel fresh and clean for the people inside. Whether it’s an office building or a building full of living spaces, clean air is important for the people inside. If you need help improving your indoor air quality or if you want to upgrade your existing air filters, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. That’s what we’re here for.

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EFS Reverse Rigid Pocket Air Filter

Reverse Rigid Pocket Air Filter

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Depending on your environment, certain types of air filters are needed. In the recent filter world, there have been major strides in performance, quality, technology, styles, and more. Technology is advancing, filter awareness is increasing, and better air filters are required. There are many specialty filters out there. Unique filters are designed for different applications, but this unique filter is constructed to withstand extreme humidity and high velocities. We’re talking about the EFS reverse rigid pocket air filter.

Reverse Rigid Pocket Filter

Pocket Filters from EFS provide a capable and innovative option for quality air filtration. These filters are designed to withstand high humidity, as well as, accelerated velocities and aggressive turbulence. The EFS Reverse Rigid Pocket Filter (RRPF) can be used as a pre-filter and is excellent to use where space is limited. The pocket filters are available in G4 and F5 efficiencies. Installation and other filter services are available through Advanced Filtration Concepts.

Self-Supporting Filter Pockets

The filter pockets are self-supported, meaning they remain uncompromising in the air stream. The filter pockets won’t fold over and specifically designed to be able to be installed in a reverse position. Also, because the filter does not contain any metal parts, it bears no risk of corrosion or punctures. Other components of the filter include a polyurethane header, depth-loading synthetic filter media, and non-shedding fibers. The filter also include spacers that channel the air entering the pocket. All this gives this filter low pressure drops and minimal energy costs.

Conclusion

The reverse rigid pocket air filter is a progressively structured filter with high dust holding capacity and a high filter life. It can be used as a water coalescing filter and a particulate filter. Because of the synthetic media, it helps prevent bio growth. Also, the plastic frame won’t collapse in high moisture environments. It can be used as a pre-filter to help your final filters last longer. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact us.

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Medical Grade Air Filters

Medical Grade Air Filters

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Quality air filtration products for hospitals and pharmaceuticals isn’t just something that’s nice to have, it’s absolutely necessary. Medical grade air filters are essential to the health and safety of the patients and workers in the medical facility. Without proper filtration, airborne pathogens can negatively affect healthcare professionals, patients, workers, products, and more. To reduce contamination, a proper air filtration system with medical grade filters needs to be put in place.

HEPA Filtration Products

HEPA filters are high efficiency particulate air filters that filter out very small particles at more than 99% efficiency rate. They are commonly used in clean room environments, hospitals, pharmaceuticals, laboratories, and other critical applications. Choosing the highest HEPA filtration for your operating rooms is a priority in catching airborne pathogens that are circling inside the surgical rooms.

High air quality is also essential in the production of medication. It is vital that the air is free of any particulates that may cause contamination. Although air quality is important in all rooms, it’s important to have optimal indoor air quality where the packaging of medication takes place.

UV Lighting

The advent of COVID has made it essential that your building have exceptional air quality. Having quality air filtration products is important, however, utilizing a UV-C lighting system can help increase your indoor air quality even more. If you need more information about UV lighting, AFC delivers effective, high-quality air filtration and combines it with the killing and sanitizing power of UV lighting. This helps to deliver the cleanest and healthiest air quality available today.

Higher MERV Ratings

Choosing air filters with higher MERV ratings, such as MERV 16 pleated filters or MERV 16 vbank filters or box filters will help increase your indoor air quality as well. However, increasing MERV ratings may cause some air machines to work harder. Thus, decreasing efficiency. So, it’s important to know what your machine can handle.

Professional Installation of Medical Grade Air Filters

Increasing indoor air quality for medical facilities is very critical. It’s important to have professionals install medical grade air filters properly. Advanced Filtration Concepts have been in the air filtration industry for over 25 years. They have the knowledge and expertise to provide you with expert solutions and leading filtration products and services.

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How To Keep Indoor Air Quality Healthy During Wildfires

How To Keep Indoor Air Quality Healthy

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During the upcoming wild fire season, it’s important to take the necessary precautions to keep your indoor space healthy. Fire smoke can enter your building, negatively affecting your indoor air quality. This results in health issues for the people inside. When outdoor air becomes unhealthy to breathe, it’s important to insure that the indoor air quality is free of health damaging particulate matter.

Wildfire Affects Air Quality

It’s well known that wildfire smoke has negative effects on your health. These fires burn materials that cause particles and gases to contaminate the air we breathe. These particulates can enter our body and cause major health concerns, both long-term and short-term. When these particles enter your building, it drastically lowers your indoor air quality, however, there are steps you can take to help decrease the pollution to your air inside, keeping your indoor air quality healthy.

How Outdoor Air Enters Your Building

With the wildfire season approaching, it’s important to know where the particles enter your building. Common entrances for particulates are through natural ventilation, mechanical ventilation, and air leakage.

  • Natural Ventilation
    • This entrance introduces lower quality outside air into the building through windows and doors.
  • Mechanical Ventilation
    • This is common when outside air is introduced through HVAC systems incorporating fresh air into the building. This setup became more common during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is because outside air helps dilute the contaminated indoor air. However, during a wildfire, you do not want outside air inside your building because of the health damaging particulates.
    • Also, outside air can enter your facility through vent fans, etc.
  • Air Leakage
    • This is where contaminated air/particulates enter your building through window cracks and door cracks or any small openings.

By knowing how polluted air can enter your building, you can take the necessary actions to help remediate these issues.

How To Increase Indoor Air Quality

Be sure to keep windows and doors closed at all times to keep wildfire smoke and polluted air out of your building. Upgrading your air filters and using air purifiers can help increase the indoor air quality. Activated carbon air filters can help reduce odors cause from smoke and help make your air feel cleaner. As mentioned in a previous post, wildfire smoke can affect gas turbines and power plants. If you have an air handler that needs carbon filtration products, we offer activated carbon vbank filters, activated carbon vbank socks and cubes, and activated carbon air filtration rolls and media. If you require a custom solution, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Advanced Filtration Concepts offers HVAC services that help you achieve the best in clean air.

Airthinx Indoor Air Quality Monitor

If you’re looking for a tool to measure indoor air quality, take a peak at the airthinx indoor air quality monitor. This tool provides real time data on IAQ. It measures the following:

  • Particulates
  • VOC
  • CO2
  • CH2O
  • Air Pressure
  • Humidity

It gives you real time measurements so you can take action to increase the health of your building. Healthy indoor air quality is important, not just during wildfires, but at all times.

Conclusion

Wildfires are terrible and we try our best to prevent them, but sometimes, they just happen. They cause destruction to anything in it’s path, as well as, contaminate the air for miles and miles around it. Using quality air filtration products and taking steps to seal off ventilation and leakages can help keep your indoor air quality healthy. If you have any questions on how to better equip your building with the necessary filtration products, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

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HEPA Air Filters for Pharmaceuticals

Pharmaceutical Air Filtration Products

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Laboratories, clean rooms, and manufacturing for pharmaceuticals all have one thing in common, they require clean air. These are areas where unfiltered particles floating in the air can be detrimental to research and manufacturing. One contaminant can ruin the manufacturing process of life saving medicine or corrupt a vital research project. It is imperative to assure that there are no particles floating in the air that can cause contamination. These areas must be pure. Engineered Filtration Systems manufactures HEPA filters that can help you keep all test areas and manufacturing processes pure and free of contaminants floating in the air. Our high efficiency air filters for pharmaceuticals keep energy costs down while keeping indoor air quality up.

HEPA Air Filters

HEPA filters are used in places that require high efficiency particulate air filtration. Our HVP HEPAs have up to a 99.99% filtration efficiency at 0.3 microns. The Vbank style of the HVP HEPA filter results in a low pressure drop and helps increase energy conservation compared to traditional style HEPA filters. Typical applications for the EFS HV HEPA include clean room environments, hospitals, data centers, semiconductor and electronics manufacturers, medical and pharmaceutical facilities, laboratories and precise testing facilities, and other critical applications.

Air Filters For Pharmaceuticals

High air quality is essential for the production of medication. It is vital that the air is free of any particulates that can contaminate the production process. It is critical to keep the manufacturing production line free and clear of anything that can get into the packaging that can spread to the end user or have a negative effect on the medication. These are critical areas the require the best in air filtration.

Conclusion

Air quality is important in all rooms and it is critical to have optimal indoor air quality where the packaging of medicine takes place. We are dedicated to providing the best in clean air by offering quality air filtration products. If you’re looking for commercial air filtration services, Advanced Filtration Concepts are experts in the commercial and industrial HVAC industry. If you have any questions or would like to learn more about how we can help, please do not hesitate to contact us.

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Moisture Tolerant Pre Filter

Moisture Tolerant Pre Filter

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When it comes to air filters, location plays a major role in determining what type of filtration products are needed. It determines whether or not you should invest in pre-filters. It also determines what type of efficiency your filters need to have. For example, when you are in a high moisture environment, it is important to have a pre-filter that is moisture tolerant or water coalescing.

What Is A Coalescing Air Filter?

Coalescing Air Filters are specifically designed to remove water droplets and other liquid from the system’s air flow. Wet and high-moisture environments can be detrimental to your air filters. So, by adding a coalescer pre-filter, you increase the efficiency and durability of your final filter. This, in turn, decreases cost and downtime.

Why Use Moisture Tolerant Pre Filters?

A wet filter will reduce air flow and affect the efficiency of your air filtration system because water will block up your filters and not allow air to pass through. Also, this will drive up costs and increase downtime. Using a pre-filter will block water droplets from entering your air flow and keep your final air filters running efficiently. It will also filter out larger particles, allowing your final filters to filter out the smaller particles.

EFS Plastic Frame Pre Filter

At Engineered Filtration Systems, we offer moisture tolerant pre-filters that are encased in a rigid, plastic frame. The filter can be used in air conditioning and air ventilation systems. It has an extremely low pressure drop with a high dust holding capacity. Also, the coalescer filter has a MERV 8 efficiency rating. Therefore, it makes it the perfect pre filter for wet and high dust conditions. Key Features Of MRM8 Pleated Filters:

  • Low Start Pressure Drop
  • Water Coalescing
  • High Dust Holding Capacity
  • Moisture Tolerant
  • All Plastic Frame
  • 12″x24″x4″
  • 24″x24″x4″
  • MERV 8 G4 Air Filter

Conclusion For Moisture Tolerant Pre Filter

When you are in a high moisture environment, it is crucial to add a moisture tolerant pre-filter for maximum air filter efficiency. These pre-filters will keep water from entering your air stream and reduce unwanted blockage in your final air filters. Also, having an all plastic frame on your air filter will keep your filter from water damage. At Engineered Filtration Systems, we manufacture the highest quality air filters at the lowest costs to you. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us. If you’re looking for delivery and installation, Advanced Filtration Concepts are experts in commercial and industrial air filtration.

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Supply & Demand for commercial and industrial air filters blog post banner showing a large shipping container

Shipping Delays For Commercial Air Filters

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Shipping delays for commercial air filters are increasing. Supply and demand for commercial air filters has changed quite drastically over the past year. Demand for air filters is high because of the focus on improving indoor air quality. COVID-19 and increasing workplace safety has increased awareness for HEPA filters and air filters with higher MERV ratings. However, supply of commercial air filters are being affected by the surplus of products being shipped. There is a shortage of drivers and shipping is backed up.

Longer Lead Times Because Of Shipping Delays

The increase of demand for air filters and the impact COVID-19 has taken on shipping has caused lead times for air filters to take a lot longer than expected. You may be experiencing delays for your next scheduled outage. The pandemic has brought on a shortage of drivers to deliver products. On top of that, cargo ships are floating in the water, waiting to dock and unload. There are also COVID restrictions at the port, slowing down the process of unloading the ships and loading the trucks. Because of this, lead times have been pushed back further for receiving your air filters. There is huge demand, but supply is taking longer to deliver.

Order Commercial Air Filter Stock For Change Outs

Because of the longer lead times, it may be beneficial to order stock for future change outs. This will help you stay on schedule and won’t cause you anymore delays or extra downtime that isn’t necessary. Although keeping filters in stock may take up some space, keeping filters in stock versus not having filters ship on time might be a good tradeoff to fight downtime. So, ordering stock for future change outs is a good way to be sure that you have filters ready to go. Companies like Advanced Filtration Concepts are large stocking distributors, but it’s important to check with them ahead of time. Signing up for turnkey services is another solution for you to not stress about downtime and worry about stock. AFC will take care of that for you.

Conclusion For Shipping Delays On Commercial Air Filters

We don’t know when the shipping issues will be resolved, but we do assume that it will be a problem throughout the holidays. More and more shopping is being done online, making it more difficult for shipping to “catch up.” It’s important to stay prepared and come up with a solution that works for you. If you have any questions about filtration or lead times or to place an order on commercial air filters, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

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EFS Prefilters for wildfire season

Wildfires Affect Gas Turbines

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Do wildfires affect your gas turbines? Well, let’s think about that for a second. There’s a reason why your inlets require gas turbine inlet air filters. Your equipment requires clean air. The particulates from wildfires can clog up your filters, causing your equipment to work harder. This requires more energy and will cost you more down the line. Particles from wildfires can also cause damage to your equipment so, it’s important to use quality filters. Wildfires happen. They are a part of nature and wildfires affect gas turbines. So what can you do to prepare for this? Let’s take a look…

Use Pre-Filters for Wildfire Pollution

Using pre-filters for your Gas Turbine Air Inlets can help protect your gas turbines against some of the particles caused by fires. It can help capture the larger ash particles before making it to your final filters. This can help your final filters from clogging up too fast. So, if you can eliminate the larger particles with pre-filters, which are lower in cost, why not take that beneficial step and protect your assets? Wildfires are invasive and cause a lot of damage, not just directly, but also with the pollution caused by burning material. It’s important to take the necessary steps against air pollution from wildfires.

GT Outer Wraps & Inner Wraps for Wildfires

Other pre-filtration solutions that are available are inner and outer filter wraps. The inner wraps are designed for LM6000 applications while the outer wraps work great for cartridge and canister filters. These pre-filter wraps are easy to install and can help protect your gt filters against air pollution cause by wildfires. Wildfires can impact your gas turbine air filters. Using inner filter wraps and outer filter wraps for wildfires are a good solution to filter out those larger particles and help keep your air filters working efficiently for longer. They help decrease downtime and future costs associated with having to replace final filters in an emergency situation. Advanced Filtration Concepts can also install filter socks for your vbank filters to help your filters last longer.

Replace Inlet Air Filters Regularly for Wildfires

Although pre-filters can prolong the life of final filters, they obviously don’t capture everything. Especially smaller particles. So, it’s important to replace your gt inlet air filters regularly. Always keep in mind that lead times may vary. Especially during natural disasters. So, it’s important to schedule your next filter outage in a timely manner and allow some room for delays, if there are any. Replacing your filters is crucial for the efficiency of your equipment.

Wildfires Affect Gas Turbines

Wildfires can negatively impact Gas Turbines. It can cause unwanted downtime, sooner filter replacements, increased costs, and decreased production. Filter socks, inner wraps, and outer wraps for gt air filters are a great solution to help combat air pollution caused by wildfires. Preparing your gas turbine air inlet and adding prefilters where possible is important. For any questions about inner filter wraps and outer filter wraps for wildfires, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

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