Monday, November 5, 2012

Issues To Note While Choosing Extraction Systems

By Marcy Becker


Extraction systems play a very important role in an industrial environment. They not only ensure that employees work in an environment with favorable conditions but they can also help reduce overheads for the company. The best example is the possibility of negotiating better rates from the liability and health insurance provider. Compliance with regulations is also possible with one of these systems in place. The only problem is that you cannot just buy any system you find in the market. To achieve your goals of installing fume extraction systems, you must consider a number of issues.

Among other considerations, deciding the kind of extractor needed is the main thing. Although there is a lot of variety in the market, the systems can be divided into three main categories. You can choose an engineered system, a personal-air powered respirator or a source capture device. It is also possible to get a combination of some of these options if you want more effectiveness.

From the name, you can tell that an engineered system will have to be constructed at your premises. This involves installation of ducts and fans which remove fumes from the area. These systems are effective in cleaning the air in a room but they do little to protect the person working at the fume source. A source capture device would help with this. You can therefore opt to combine the two.

When protection only the person working at the fume source, a personal air-powered respirator will be the best. This one is incorporated into the technician's headgear. Although it offers great protection to the technician, the rest of the room is not protected. It might therefore be useful only in especially conditions especially where the technician is working alone.

Apart from the type of system, the next important thing you need to consider is the kind of filter in the system. The best filter for your job will be determined by the kind of job you do. For instance, if you are in the welding business, you are not likely to find a system with a filter made for the submicron particles present in the fumes. You might therefore have to purchase special filters.

Another factor to consider is the airflow. These systems are normally rated by the amount of air in cubic feet circulated every minute. The situation is complicated a bit by the fact that manufacturers measure and advertise the effectiveness of their machines differently. You must therefore get the opinion of an expert to understand which system is best for you.

Another consideration is whether to opt for self cleaning or disposable filters. With the disposable ones, you have to discard them after they reach their capacity. With the self cleaning filters on the other hand, you will be able to clean and reuse them even after they reach their capacity.

Although the factors might be independent, they are all united by cost. For instance, the choice between disposable and self cleaning filters might be determined by cost. The same case applies to choosing the category because an option like engineered extraction systems might be too expensive. It is therefore important to evaluate your budget.




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