HEPA air cleaners and air filters

Recognizing the importance of HEPA and carbon air cleaners for certain applications, we began looking for a superior air cleaning system that we would feel comfortable promoting. When we heard about Austin Air's HEGA technology, we asked them to manufacture air cleaners for us that are superior to competing HEPA/carbon air cleaners. We are proud to introduce the PuriTec Air Cleaners. Click for more information about HEPA and HEGA.

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Inside the Air Cleaner
The diagram below demonstrates how air circulates through the PuriTec Air Cleaner. Shown is the PuriTec Model 400 by Austin Air. With its super-quiet permanent split capacitor motor, the only sound you hear is the sound of passing air. The air enters 360° from the surrounding room. Behind the steel outer grill lies the fibrous PERMAFILT™ Pre-filter, which traps large airborne particles. The air then passes into the filter drum, passing first through packed carbon/zeolite, removing gases and odors. Then 80 square feet of pleated true medical HEPA medium removes sub-micron particulates, the contaminates most injurious to health. Pure clean air is finally expelled by the centrifugal fan in one direction from the louvered top deck. This one directional air flow from the unit avoids contaminant-laden floor areas, and allows the air flow to be directed at will.

Ozone generators or ionizers should not be used. The EPA, American Lung Association, and the medical community agree that ozone is harmful to lung tissue, and that there is no safe level of ozone.
What the EPA says
What the ALA says

HEGA is a very new filtration media. It wasn't until late in 1998 that the technology was released by the British Army for use by the public. Currently there are very few air cleaning systems that use HEGA.

The British Army developed HEGA to protect its troops from chemical weapons. Basically, HEGA improves on the power of activated carbon. While activated carbon is the best media known for removing certain gases from the environment (air or water), it is not as effective in removing certain types of gases like formaldehyde and acetones. This is a concern since many people who have chemical sensitivities are sensitive to formaldehyde, and some of the poisons of Environmental Tobacco Smoke are included in these types of gases.

Stated simply, HEGA "weaves" activated carbon into a clothe material. This "weaved" clothe is light enough to be used in a variety of ways by the military to protect its troops. But it also increases the effectiveness of activated carbon in our Air Cleaners, giving you the assurance that virtually all poisonous gases are removed from your air.

HEPA technology has been around for since the 1930s. It was developed by the Atomic Commission to create environments that are free of particulates, and to protect researchers and scientists.

Currently, HEPA filters are used in most hospital surgery rooms, sensitive manufacturing plants, and scientific labs. It is also now widely used in air cleaning technologies, including, more recently, vacuum cleaners.

True Medical Grade HEPA removes particulates as small as 0.3 microns. That is 300 times smaller than the width of a human hair. Particulates of this size and larger are the ones that are of greatest concern to our lungs.

The problem with the new popularity of HEPA is that many unscrupulous manufacturers and retailers promote products that are "HEPA Like." These product do not filter small enough particles to remove the health risks of particulates.

HEPA is essential a type of paper that is baffled to create layers through which the air passes. This paper like material adsorbs or traps particles while allowing clean air to continue passing through easily enough to allow for efficient air circulation. By adsorbing the particulates, HEPA actually removes the pollutants from the environment instead of simply charging the particulates and allowing them to drop to the floor or a receptacle where they be stirred up and re-enter the air.

HEPA & HEGA Air Cleaners