Actuator Technology Center

With the plethora of air filters out there, you may find it difficult to know which is the right one for you. The sales executives of the different air filters and store owners are not helping matter at all. A look at the way the shelf is filled with different air filters attest to this fact. When you are not properly armed with adequate information on what to look for in an air filter, you’re sure to go home with a product that won’t clean the air in your room or home.

There are some things you should look out for when buying air filter. These factors will ensure you get genuine one and save more money in the process.

The type of allergens the air filter claims to remove. Is this the one you want to remove? If it’s not the one, then you have to get another one. Read the accompanied information to know the type of allergens it claims to remove.

Check the filter’s efficiency with respect to HEPA standards. The HEPA filtering standard is the industry’s standard and should be used to know which air filter is certified and approved.

Check the noise level. Many air filters in the market are noisy. You can’t watch your favorite TV programme while it’s on. Ensure that the noise level is minimal.

How hard can the air filter be changed? Read the information on the pack to see if it’s easy or not. Get unbiased information from online forums on which air filters is easy to change.

The electricity consumption of the air filters should be considered. The air filter must not lead to increased electricity bill.

Look out for the price. You don’t have to break into a bank before buying an air filter. Go for affordable one without compromising quality. It’s cheaper online than buying in your nearest store.

The web still remains your best source of getting good and reliable air filters. There are online forums that can help you with the right information to assist you in making the right choice. Surf the net and access lots of buying info on the internet. There are many consumers who are willing to share their experiences with you. To me, this is the right way to get unbiased information on the various air filters out there.

Don’t buy another air filter without taking all the above factors into consideration. It will help you get the right and reliable air filters. And it will also save you lots of your hard earned cash. Failure to adhere strictly to them is better leave to the imagination.

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Reducing air leaks in your plant can save thousands of dollars annually. Compressed air is one of the most costly forms of energy you can use in your plant, of course, it’s one of the most versatile, fast and strong too.

When it’s “quiet time” in the plant, wander around the machinery and listen. You will often hear the gentle (or perhaps not so gentle) hissing of air escaping from the exhaust port of your air valves.

The sound of compressed air “chewing up your dollars” as it wafts to atmosphere can be muted if your air valves have mufflers in the exhaust ports, but nevertheless, it can be heard.

Also, there are commercially available ultra-sonic compressed air leak detectors on the market. If your plant doesn’t have a “quiet time”, which would enable you to actually hear the leaks yourself, investing in an ultrasonic leak detector can bring substantial payback in energy savings.

Usually you’ll have one air valve connected to one air cylinder. Usually that cylinder will be double acting - which means that it will have two air lines running to it, and as the air valve shifts back and forth, air will alternatively flow to the cylinder through one line or the other. When it’s flowing into one line to the cylinder, the other line is allowing the air at the other end of the cylinder to flow through the valve to exhaust.

While an air valve and cylinder are doing work of course there will be air being exhausted continuously from the air valve exhaust ports.

It’s when the machine is down, when it’s doing no useful - and hopefully money generating work for you - that air should not be escaping through the valve exhaust ports. At this point that loss of compressed air is just that; loss - of profits - of money.

Inside, the two ends of the cylinder are separated by a piston. The piston is what drives the rod out and back as the cylinder cycles.

Around that piston will be an air seal that “crunches” between the side of the piston and the inside of the cylinder barrel, effectively stopping air from flowing by (bypassing) the piston.

In time that seal will wear, and air will start bypassing into the other side. This means that this air now has an open path from the supply side down the other air line to the valve, and thence to the exhaust port. And a gentle (or not so gentle) hiss occurs as your compressed air dollars exhaust to atmosphere.

Or….inside your air valve there is, too, a series of seals that normally prevent air from getting from the air supply side into the exhaust side of the valve, and then out the exhaust port. And that air, as it gently (or not so….etc. ) is pouring your compressed air dollars from the plant air supply.

So, which is it that’s leaking; the seal around the piston in the cylinder, or the seal inside the valve that stops the incoming air from getting across to the exhaust port without going up to the cylinder?

Have a look at the cylinder. If the rod is out, air will be entering the air port at the rear of the cylinder. If the cylinder is in - retracted, the air will be coming into the cylinder at the rod end.

Take the air line that is charged, that is, the air line that is supplying air to the cylinder, and crimp it. Many air lines are made of polyethylene or polypropylene, and it’s quite easy to make a bit of a bend in the air line, effectively shutting off air to the cylinder.

Listen at the valve. If the air has stopped escaping the valve’s exhaust port, then it’s the seal in the cylinder that’s at fault.

If, after ensuring that the air to the cylinder is completely stopped, air continues to exhaust from the exhaust port of the valve, then it’s the seal inside the air valve that’s at fault.

Regardless of which is the culprit, the air valve or the cylinder, get it fixed….fast! Compressed air costs a bundle. You don’t want to waste it.

Bill Wade is a former President and Sales Manager of companies that use and
sell compressed air related equipment and supplies. He currently represents a
select group of companies and writes about air at http://www.about-air-compressors.com.

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NATURAL AIR FILTERS

Plants are the original organic air purifiers! In our constant societal quest for newer, faster, and better technologies we seem to often overlook time-tested and common sense solutions to some of our basic needs. In our fast paced society we are more likely to shell out hundreds of dollars on a quick fix to our problems that to step back and examine each situation in a broader context.

The equatorial rainforests of our planet are the living and organic air filtration systems for our Earth’s atmosphere. Without this delicate biological air purification system our global ecological systems would slowly deteriorate over time. You can harness the same natural benefits of biological air filtration on a much smaller scale by introducing plants into your indoor living space.

INDOOR AIR POLLUTION RISKS

With the rise in the amount of time most people now spend within indoor air environments it has become even more important to understand the threats and risks of prolonged exposure to indoor air pollution. Our indoor environments are littered with chemicals, compounds, and poisons that are continuously breaking down at a chemical level and “off-gassing” their irritants and by-products into the air we breathe.

Examples of common indoor pollutants include cigarette smoke, building materials, floor coverings, paints, adhesives and other sources. The situation becomes worse in office buildings with lots of other sources of pollutants. Tools such as printers, fax machines, photocopiers, paper and pressboard furniture emit different types of harmful contaminants. Those include ammonia, benzene, xylene, toluene, trichloroethylene, formaldehyde, etc. Regular exposure these contaminants leads to different types of disorders such as breathing problems, headaches, burning eyes and throat, lethargy and other allergy-like symptoms.

PLANTS CAN HELP

The most natural way to fight indoor air pollution is to use plants. Besides brightening up a room, they have real benefits in improving the indoor air quality. They absorb various toxic emissions from the synthetic materials such as carpeting, paint and furniture. As a result, we can have cleaner and more pure air to breathe inside our homes or offices. NASA scientists have found out that indoor plants can extract volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) from the air. They contain toxic vapors such as ammonia, benzene, xylene, toluene, trichloroethylene, formaldehyde, etc. Plants break down the chemicals after absorbing them into their leaves. They absorb the chemicals through stomata, the microscopic openings in the leaves. Then the toxins reach the root zone where the root microbes of the plants biodegrade the pollutants. The plants use these biodegraded pollutants as food.

However, you need to remember that some houseplants can be poisonous to your health. Therefore, you need to be very careful while choosing plants for your home or office. Read more on which plants are good organic air purifiers.

AIR FILTRATION SYSTEMS CAN SUPPLEMENT PLANTS

Depending on the amount of indoor air space you have the number of plants required to filter your air may be impractical and take up too much of your living space. This is where it may make sense to research and find a decent air purification system that suits your indoor environment and help your plants with some of the air filtration duties. There are many types, styles and models to choose from so we encourage you to do your research and compare them carefully.

About the Author

S.A. Smith is a freelance writer, contributor, and editor of the Air Purifiers Review information portal.

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