The summer is officially upon us and the heatwave is here! We’ve been getting a lot of calls for air conditioners this week and I thought I would blog a little to help anyone who is browsing around and wondering what they need. For those of you that do not have central air, there are three main types of air conditioners; portable, window and through the wall (TTW).

Air conditioners are available in a number of different sizes, both physical sizes and capacity ratings. Some air conditioners are available with heat. To the right you will see a chart that is a guideline for determining how many BTUs you will need to effectively cover your area.

You may want to step up to the next size if you have large windows where the afternoon sun is shining in or if you have more than 1 person per 100 square feet. Be careful not to oversize too much or you will be creating another problem which is creating a cool damp (clammy) environment. It’s important that the air have enough of a heat load so that the air conditioner can remove humidity. If you suspect you have a cool damp environment, or would like to supplement your air conditioning system, you may to consider a dehumidifier.

The three factors you need to consider are, installation options, btu capacity and electrical compatibility. Regular household electricity uses the standard 115 volt 3 prong plugs and may also have 230 volt receptacles available. Make sure to verify the plug type before purchasing any air conditioner.

Through the wall air conditioners are available in three chassis sizes and install into a sleeve that is installed into a rough opening going through an exterior wall. PTAC and PTHP air conditioners are console units, like the ones you may see in a hotel room or classroom. These types of systems usually have an optional heater strip. The power of the heater depends on the plug type that you choose. Three other chassis sizes are available for through the wall air conditioners:

A and B chassis air conditioners require a rough opening 27 1/4 inches wide and 17 inches tall. U Chassis air conditioners require a rough opening of 27 inches wide and 16 inches tall. A and B chassis air conditioners require you to purchase the sleeve and the front and rear coverers separately, while the U chassis air conditioners come complete with sleeve and covers. Make sure you correctly measure you wall opening.

If you do not have an opening in your wall you may opt for a window air conditioner. These units also have sizing requirements and will state their minimum and maximum window sizes. Be sure to match the size with the window in which you plan to instal the air conditioner. Window air conditioners range in size from 5,000 BTUs up to 24,000 BTU units. Many also offer a heating option. Window air conditioners are a good option for renters or non-permanent installations. Again, it is important that you measure and inside opening of your window to make sure you are selecting an air conditioner that will fit into your window.

If your window is too small or if there are other reasons why you cannot select either a window air conditioner or a through the wall system, consider a portable air conditioner. Portable air conditioners are console units that sit completely inside of the room and use a small flexible hose to exhaust the hot humid air outside. Many models are available, some with heat. These are very portable and can be moved from room to room with ease.

I hope that this information helps you choose the right air conditioner for your needs. If you need additional assistance, please feel free to call in and speak with on of our air quality specialists 1-877-688-2703 and stay cool this summer!

The past few weeks have been very busy here at BPA headquarters as we have seen an increase in smoke eater projects. We’re continuing to have a lot of success using our equation for sizing smoke eaters and fitting people with the smoke eater technology that fits their needs. Our amazing pricing on the Trion SE800E has been extended until at least the end of June, that is our best value, dollar per CFM.
One of the things I enjoy most about my job is that I get the oportunity to speak with interesting people all over the country. I take pride in explaning how different commercial air cleaners work, how to maintain them, instal them and plan so that the best results are achieved.
While about half of our smoke eater sales are to contractors, HVAC professionals and electrical engineers, the other half are directly to the bar and restaraunt owners or home owners. Dealing with some of the bar and restaurant owners has been quite entertaining. I wanted to list a few of our recent customers that have web sites and let people know that they also have some good smoke removal equipment:

Manchesters Bar & Grill in Raleigh, NC with head chef David Steadman features an upscale bar environment and a large menu with appetizers, pizza, sandwiches, burgers, wings, ribs, steaks, Italian entrees and a good selection of wine and beer. I look forward to the next time I am in Raleigh, I want to try the meat lasagna! Manchester’s has two SmokeMaster X11-Q smoke eaters flush mounted in a drop ceiling.

Dennis Hof’s World Famous Bunny Ranch has a lot more than food on the menu, actually, there is no food on the menu… It’s our first brothel, which you may know from the HBO adult series “Cat House“, which is available on DVD I’m told. Dennis was featured in the documentary movies; American Pimp and NightMoves, and has appeared on the Howard Stern Show and the Tyra Banks Show. He put two Trion SE800E smoke eaters in the lounge and the Bunny Bar. I must say that this was one of the most entertaining sales calls I’ve ever had.

Bask Bar and Grill in New Jersey went with two of the top of the line VisionAir 2 units! This sports bar is a favorite casual hangout for locals, especially New Jersey Devils Fans.
The SmokeMaster C-12 commercial air cleaner is a popular choice for many bars including Mingles Bar & Grill in Moscow, Idaho, the Kadoka City Bar at the gateway to the badlands and Boomer’s Bar& Grill in Austin, Indiana, just to name a few.

I spend a lot of my time working on technical projects for particle monitors, dealing with engineers, cleanroom technicians and scientists, which I also enjoy. I get a kick out of delaing with some of the characters who own and operate the bars and restaurants, it’s a welcome change of pace to my day and gives me some good conversation around the water cooler. : )

If you have a smoke removal project that you would like to discuss, please feel free to give me a call at 1-877-688-2703 or send me an email at rod@breathepureair.com

We’re proud to announce our new line of Vaniman dust collectors!

Vaniman has been the standard in dental lab dust collectors for over 20 years, establishing the benchmark for quality and innovative dust collectors for workstations and micro abrasive blasters. Expanding into the industrial dust collection market, we now offer a complete line of single work station and multiple work station, portable dust collection solutions.

The Vaniman Voyager dust collector features high suction while maintaining quiet operation (55dbA). The optional Accumulator prefilter is a small cyclone dust collector which can capture up to 99% of precious metals and other larger debris, extending the filter life of the three stage bag filters. Available with a variety of attachments for single or dual benchtop work stations, making it the perfect choice for all small grinding and polishing applications.

The Vaniman Stone Vac Dust Collector is available in three different models, including one with a brushless motor design. The accumulator prefilter cyclone, HEPA and carbon post filters are also available options. The Vaniman Stone Vac is perfect for die stone use, micro-abrasive blasters, porcelain, gold, silver and all other fine dry particles. The Vaniman Stone Vac features a bagless design and a unique cartridge filter cleaning system which shakes the cartridge filter causing debris to fall into it’s large dust collection tray. Offering exception value, the Stone Vac outperforms all other dust collectors in it’s price range.

Gregg Miller from Vaniman visited our offices a couple of weeks ago to demo the new units for our staff. We were all excited to see the new products and learn more about them. Needless to say, we were impressed with the performance. What was really surprising was how quiet these dust collectors are. Usually, high static dust collectors are as loud as a shop vac, the Vaniman units ran smooth and quiet, something I’m sure operators will appreciate.

We’re approaching the end of April and I’ve just received some very good news. Our blowout sale on Trion SE800 smoke eaters is being extended another two months. While most of our competition is raising their pricing on the Trion SE 800 from $1699.00 to $1,785.00, we will be extending our “below wholesale pricing” on these smoke eaters to as low as $1,000 (with the purchase of four units) or $1,200 (each). We originally annouced this pricing back in October of 2005 and planned to keep the prices low until the end of the year (2005), we were able to make the deal to keep this pricing until the end of April when we would be returning to the list price. Today Craig had a meeting with the guys at Trion and informed us that we will be holding the pricing until the end of June, 2006.

For those of you that are not familiar with the Trion SE800, this is an electrostatic smoke eater that can either mount on a solid ceiling or be flush mounted in a drop ceiling, taking up te sapce of a standard 2″ X 4″ drop ceiling tile. The Trion SE 800 smoke eater does not have any costly filters to replace as it uses washable electronic cells. Learn more about the technology in my blog about smoke eater technologies.

In other good news, starting May 1, 2006 and running through the end of June, we will be offering a rebate (up to $100) to customers who purchase any of the AQE smoke eaters, these include both electronic smoke eaters; the SmokeMaster C-12, the SmokeMaster X-11Q and the media based standard and deluxe version of the MiracleAir CM12 and the Everclear Deluxe.

Looks like the next couple months will be the best time to get those smoke eaters you’ve been holding off on! I doubt prices will ever be lower and with these deals, I know we’ll be busy sizing smoke eater systems for bars and restaurants. If you would like to determine how many smoke eaters you would need for your application, read my blog post about Sizing Smoke Removal Systems or simply give us a call 1-877-688-2703 and we’ll be glad to assist.

The beginning of April has brought some fine weather to Charleston, South Carolina. Today is the first 80 degree day we’ve had since the third week of September, 2005. While we are all loving it here at BPA headquarters, it is also a reminder that an extremely hot summer is right around the corner! I’m originally from St. Joseph, Michigan which is known for it’s harsh winters and mild summers. I remember my first summer here in Charleston, it felt like I was standing in an oven, I rarely left the comfort of air conditioning that first year.

All of this has reminded me that the brutal heat is just around the corner, which brings me to the point of this blog post… relief from the heat. Misting fans are fans that include a high pressure pump and several nozzles which put a fine mist or fog into the air, this cooling mist can actually lower the air temperature by 25-30 degrees using a process known as evaporative cooling. The high pressure and fine misting nozzles create a mist so fine that it doesn’t get people or materials wet, unlike cheaply designed low pressure misting systems.

Last year we expanded on our line of high pressure misting fans by adding several new models, we now have dozens of misting fans, misting tents, inflatable misting pavilions and portable misting fans and trailer systems, which include electric generators and/or water storage tanks.

The Coolzone and Work Zone line of misting fans are just like the ones you see on the sidelines of NFL and college football games. A master unit has a pump capable of running one or more satellite fans. Satellite misting fans have a much lower cost than master unit because they do not have a pump, they do however require that you hook them into a master misting fan. These are great choice for people cooling or for process cooling (cooling dies or other heated materials).

Misting tents and inflatable pavilions are great for outdoor festivals, company picnics and concerts. Misting tents can be customized for maximum brand exposure and attract a crowd on hot days by offering relief from the heat. What better way to attract people to your brand than to offer them a cool place to “chill” on a hot summer day? I’ve seen these misting tents in action and I can tell you, there is no better way to draw a crowd on a hot day!

Last year I worked on a project for a tree nursery here in South Carolina. They purchased a master unit and a couple of satellite misting fans, mounted them on a trailer along with a water tank and a portable electric generator. They pull the trailer around their farm to cool the workers as they plant and harvest trees. We thought this was such a good idea that we shared it with the factory, and they came up with a packaged version of this, which is now available for 2006 as the Misting Trailer. The misting trailer can be customized for any need and is a perfect way to provide a large area of cooling fog.

While I am looking forward to some great summer days, cookouts and the annual visit from my sister, her husband and their two beautiful kids, I’m seriously considering adding a wall mount misting fan to my back deck, I’ve seen these used in several restaurant outdoor patios. It’s been several years since I first experienced the heat of summer down here and while I’ve adapted a little, I am still not very tolerant of the sweltering heat.