I understand that what commonly confuses
laboratory personnel, like you my dear readers, from all over the world, is
choosing the appropriate fume hood for your intended application. That’s why it
has always been part of my life’s quest to educate people in selecting the right
fume hood for their intended application in order for them to achieve maximum SAFETY
and PERFORMANCE. I can’t further stress out how important every
single life is so do your best to share these information to your fellow peers
as well.
Why Do I need a Fume Hood?
This is one question
commonly asked by many. The answer to this is that if you are operating a
laboratory, then it’s a MUST to have the right fume hood to help exhaust out
toxic fumes generated during chemical analysis.
Fume hoods are the primary method of exposure control in the laboratory. Its importance cannot be undermined in keeping everyone safe.
Fume hoods are the primary method of exposure control in the laboratory. Its importance cannot be undermined in keeping everyone safe.
What’s the
difference between a Ductless and a Ducted Hood?
The basic difference
between the two is the presence of a ducting system. Ducted hoods require
expensive ducting system to exhaust air out of the room while the ductless hood
doesn’t need one since it recirculates air back to the laboratory. The ductless
fume hood uses sophisticated carbon filters to filter out toxic chemicals from
the air and recirculate it back to the room.
Which one
is more expensive and costly to run?
A study conducted in
2003 by Mills and Sartor indicated that a conventional ducted fume hood is
costlier to run as compared to a ductless fume hood.
I have a
list of chemicals I am using in the lab. How will I know which one (ductless or
ducted) to use?
Ah ha, that’s a very
good question! The answer depends on the list of chemicals you have. Normally,
sales people will ask you to submit a list of chemicals that you intend to use
inside the hood and they’ll get back to you within 24 to 48 hours for their
advice.
However, there’s one
notable company that developed an App that makes life much easier and the name
is Esco. They created FiltraCheck™, which is downloadable on your iOS mobile
devices. It is the world’s first Chemical Evaluation App that will help
you decide whether your lab can use ductless or not. Simply, it helps you choose
the right fume hood for your laboratory. Please
click photo below to download.
 |
| Click on photo to download the FiltraCheck App(Courtesy of Esco). |
Are fume hood certifications really that important?
Do not discount the assurance you can get from buying internationally certified
fume hoods. These gives you the confidence that what you are working with is
tested for safety, reliability and performance. Choosing the right fume hood
means also looking for certifications such as ASHRAE, EN 14715, SEFA-8, UL 1805
certification and so on.
I have heard from many Ductless Fume Hood Manufacturer that Ductless fume hoods, also known as carbon-filtered enclosures, are self-contained, filtered laboratory enclosures that remove the hazardous fumes, vapors and particles from the laboratory. Unlike traditional fume hoods, installation costs are very low and no ductwork is required. Therefore, many people think it is a slam dunk when they first learn of them.
ReplyDeleteHi Carol,
ReplyDeleteUsing a ductless fume hood has its pros and cons. Of course, initial installation cost is quite low as compared to the traditional ones. Saves on energy cost as well since it doesn't exhaust make-up air. It might be cost-effective to use it for labs that do simple analysis like transferring and mixing of solutions but disadvantageous for those who requires prolonged heating of solutions. Carbon filters are like sponges that eventually gets saturated.
Hence, it is best to consult with the specialists first to identify the correct type of hood.
Very nice blog. Thanks! The fume hood helps in removing toxic, flames and gases while conducting experiments. As it is very helpful in labs so it's also responsibility of fume hood manufacturers they provide us a right and good quality fume hood.
ReplyDelete