Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Safe Air Zone?
A Safe Air Zone is any space where the air has been displaced, diluted and purified and is free of 99.97% of all airborne particulates. We create these zones by utilizing Airbox Air Purifiers to replicate clean room technology into any room you place them in.
Why are air purifiers important?
If you think about it, people typically spend around 90% of their time indoors so Indoor Air Quality (AIQ) can significantly impact an individual’s health and wellbeing. There are many adverse health conditions that can come from poor air quality.
How does an air purifier work?
At its most basic, an air purifier works by taking polluted air from a room and filtering it into clean air. It dilutes and displaces dirty air and purifies the room with clean air.
What does an air purifier filter out of the air?
It depends on the type of filter that is used but air purifiers can remove airborne particulates such as respiratory particles, viruses, bacteria, mold, dust, pollen, odors, pet dander and other contaminants. These particulates are all different sizes, measured in microns, and different filters are more effective at eliminating smaller microns.
How do you know if an air purifier will be effective?
There are two important measurements for air purifiers: CFM, which measures airflow, and MERV, which measures an air filter's ability to capture airborne particulates.
CFM stands for Cubic Feet per Minute and it measures how much air a fan can move both in volume and the rate in which it moves.
MERV stands for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Values and is a scale that goes from 1 to 16 with 16 representing the highest level of filtration. It was designed by ASHRAE – the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers. The higher the MERV rating of your filter, the cleaner the air will be.
What is a HEPA filter?
High efficiency particulate air filters or HEPA filters are the most efficient and effective air filters on the planet. They actually EXCEED the MERV scale and are considered to register MERV of 17-20. This is a level of air purity found in clean rooms and pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities. They can remove 99.99% of all airborne particulates all sizes.
Do all purifiers with HEPA filters perform the same?
AIRBOX uses only Certified HEPA filters. “HEPA” filters found in many consumer and commercial air filtration products are not actually HEPA filters. By Definition a HEPA filter must be certified to be a minimum of 99.95% Efficient. Many consumer room Air Purifiers use “HEPA Like”, “True HEPA” or other names to suggest they have HEPA filters when they do not. Additionally, the HEPA filters used by AIRBOX are the same filters used in advanced industrial cleanrooms to help to protect sensitive manufacturing processes, prevent microbiological contamination in research labs and eliminate infectious airborne contaminants in the healthcare sector.
How do you compare different air purifiers?
As we noted above, airflow and filtration are the two most important factors but other things to consider include power consumption, decibel level, quality of components and where it was manufactured.
Can a Safe Air Zone really help keep my employees and customers safe?
Yes. The CDC and ASHRAE state that engineering controls are the most effective protection in preparing workspaces and other trafficked areas against COVID-19. These controls start with specifically installing HEPA filters and increasing air ventilation. Most viruses can be as small as 0.01 micron and are typically much larger when breathed/coughed into the air. The science shows that putting these engineering controls in place can significantly reduce the risk of infection due to air contamination.
Won’t running my air purification system all the time burn out the fan motor and cost a lot of money?
No, your Airbox is designed to run 24/7 year around and uses the highest quality fan in the world, specific to this application. We are constantly testing in our studio and find that Airbox units consume less than 60 watts of power while operating in the energy efficiency zone. Energy efficient doesn’t mean less effective though, in this zone over 15,000 cubic feet of Pure Air is produced every single hour of operation. At average power rates in the United States, 60 watts costs less than 20 cents per day.
How do I know how many units I need to properly create a Safe Air Zone?
It basically depends on several factors including the size of the space, the number of people who traffic the room and what they are doing in the room. We also take into account the layout of your existing HVAC system air returns. Our trained Safe Air Zone consultants will work with you to design a custom clean air solution for you and your business.
How often do the filters need to be replaced?
It varies based on the size of the room and the application. We can roughly approximate that the HEPA filters last for four years, the antimicrobial and the carbon filters last for six months. For a more accurate response tailored to your usage we suggest speaking with a Safe Air expert directly.
What is covered under the Lifetime Warranty?
The Airbox is such a well-built piece of equipment that all enclosure materials and craftsmanship is covered for the life of the product. The Fan Motor and Electrical components are covered for up to 10 years. Up to this date, we’ve never had a single unit returned!
How does our triple filtration system work?
The primary filter is carbon activated which weeds out larger debris (down to 3 microns) while also naturally absorbing organic compounds that create bad odors.
The secondary filter iis treated with an EPA registered antimicrobial agent which inhibits the growth of microbes and other living organisms that could cause degradation to the filter when captured.
The third and final filter is the gold standard HEPA filter which removes particulates .03 microns and even smaller. Because the majority of particulates are larger, they are eliminated before reaching the HEPA filter. This can expand the lifespan of that important filter to 4 years or even longer.
How many microns are Coronavirus cells in the air?
Most airborne respiratory droplets range from 2.5-10 microns however, the virus itself is typically <0.1 microns. Certified HEPA filters remove all particulates, regardless of composition, with 99.97% or greater efficiency at ≥0.3 Microns. The industry uses this 0.3 Micron standard because 0.3 Micron is the most difficult size particle to capture due to its larger size and the inertia it carries when traveling through the air. Smaller particles are in-fact more easily and efficiently captured.
Do you need protective gear to change the filters?
Can I become an authorized distributor of AIRBOX products?
Yes, we are currently accepting requests for distribution partners in different territories. If you are interested please email us at info@thesafeairzone.com for more information.