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About Ductless Fume Hoods
Fume hoods and fume storage cabinets isolate and remove vapors, gases and dusts of toxic, flammable, corrosive or otherwise dangerous materials. They are among the most important safety equipment systems in the workplace.
Why Ductless Technology?
Ductless fume hoods and cabinets sequester hazardous chemicals in an activated carbon filter rather than exhausting them to the atmosphere.
- Ductless technology has advantages of simpler installation, less environmental impact and more flexibility of use in the facility space.
- Ductless enclosures also may be fitted with HEPA filters or other combinations - See Manufacturers Filter Types for more details.
Important Considerations
Because activated carbon filters have finite capacities, recirculating or ductless enclosures are not direct replacements for traditional externally ducted equipment. Ductless technology is best suited to applications producing relatively low volumes of hazardous vapors.
- Chemical spills and solvent soaked cloths may produce large amounts of hazardous vapors that consume filter capacity unnecessarily. It's best to avoid this by good housekeeping practices.
- Be alert to any medical complaints in the workplace, such as headaches or tiredness and consider ductless equipment filters as suspect, to be safe.
Service Interval Recommendations
Control of substances hazardous to health (COSHH) regulations, generally adopted worldwide specify:
"The minimum requirement is for inspection at intervals, "not exceeding 14 months", to verify that the equipment is performing to its design specification. Confirmation of this fact enables the original COSHH assessment to be confirmed and thus a further period of COSHH compliance."
Many manufacturers and equipment service organizations consider best practices to include changing carbon filters at each inspection.
Choosing Your Filter
Filtco offers activated carbon filters optimized for adsorbtion of a variety of hazardous materials. (See About Tab)
- Analyze the processes or procedures for which you will use your ductless enclosure before selecting a filter type.
- The alternatives for manufacturers and models currently supported by Filtco are listed for each model.
- Your application may suggest a choice of a filter not offered by the OEM. Be assured that all Filtco filters offer excellent absorption characteristics, and when used for correct applications and with good laboratory practices, will provide long and effective service.
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