A Blue Ox Air Cleaner installed in an industrial plant for air filtration.

5 Key Questions for Choosing the Right Air Filtration System

Air filtration plays a key role in the safety and comfort of machine operators, technicians, patients, and other individuals nearby.

When air filtration is effective, it prevents contaminants from entering breathing zones and settling on work surfaces and floors - lowering the risk of employee injuries and production loss.

Air filtration systems are utilized across a range of applications to capture and filter hazardous fumes, smoke, gases, dust, and more.

By drawing contaminated air through a series of high-efficiency filters, air filtration systems provide a circular airflow pattern to produce optimally clean air. Not only do air filtration systems guarantee cleaner air, but they also help lower energy and maintenance costs.

Employers are responsible for the conditions and safety measures of their business establishments. Air filtration systems help businesses achieve the high-quality air that keeps employees and patrons comfortable and happy.

When buying air filtration systems, it's important to choose the proper model based on your application and business demands - but before you choose, ask these five questions.

1. What air filtration system is right for my application?

The right filtration solution depends on your specific needs. Whether you operate a commercial or industrial facility, factors like airborne contaminants (weld fumes, tobacco odors, VOCs, wood dust, etc.) and preferred installation method will help determine the optimal system for your space.

Blue Ox air filtration systems are available in several configurations to meet the demands of most applications. Below is a list of the filter technologies used in our systems. For additional assistance, get in touch with our team of specialists.

✓ Carbon Filter (CF) - For general light odors. See the Carbon Absorption Qualities Chart for the effectiveness of charcoal in your application.

✓ Carbon Module (CC) - For applications that generate heavy odors. See the Carbon Absorption Qualities Chart for the effectiveness of carbon in your application.

✓ HEPA (HE) - For applications that require surgical-grade air.

✓ Wrap-Around Filter (WA/WAL/WAR) - Designed to extend pre-filter life in applications where large particulate or large amounts of particulate cause the pre-filter to face load quickly.

2. What's the CFM?

CFM is the amount of air that passes through an air filtration system at a certain point. To determine the required CFM, you'll need to calculate the size of your commercial or industrial workspace - multiply the length x the width x the height of the ceiling.

Installing the proper amount of air cleaners is key to meeting CFM requirements. In larger spaces, more air changes per hour are required.

3. Recommended air changes per hour?

Air changes make up the number of times the air in a workspace is pushed or pulled through an air pattern. Based on application requirements, there may be more or fewer air changes required.

Get in touch with our specialists to determine the recommended amount of air changes per hour for your application.

4. How to properly place air filtration systems?

Achieve maximum effectiveness with proper air cleaner placement! Air filtration systems work best in tandem and must be appropriately placed to develop a circular airflow pattern. Strategically placed air filtration systems will control odors and VOCs, prevent stale pockets of air, restrict bacteria, and more.

5. How many air filtration systems do I need?

Utilizing air filtration systems not only enhances the comfort and safety of machine operators, technicians, and other nearby employees but also helps lower maintenance and energy costs. Each air cleaning system uses a blower to "pull" contaminated air and capture harmful particulate through advanced filter media technology.

Air cleaning systems are most effective when used in tandem to develop circular airflow patterns. Air cleaning systems are made available in multiple configurations and styles but work similarly. With strategic air cleaner placement, you can remove odors and other VOCs, prevent stale air pockets, ward off pests, avoid bacteria, and restrict mold.

An air exchange is the number of times that plant air is pushed or pulled through a circular air pattern - you may require more or fewer air exchanges based on application demands. Installing the proper amount of air cleaners is key to meeting the CFM (cubic feet per minute) requirements - CFM requirements change based on the application and space.

Installing the appropriate amount of air filtration systems will guarantee that the CFM (cubic feet per minute) requirements are met. CFM requirements change based on the size of the workplace and the application.

To determine how many air filtration systems you need, you must first figure out the CFM.

Determine the correct CFM

To figure out the required CFM, you'll first need to calculate the size of your plant, facility, or workspace - multiply the length x the width x the height of the ceiling.

Use this calculation: L x W x H = Area of Grow Room

This example is based on Blue Ox air cleaning systems that exchange the air in a room 8 times per hour.

CFM = Area of Room (L x W x H) x Air Changes per Hour / 60 mins

Example: 40 X 30 X 30 = 36,000 Area of Room

36,000 Area x 8 Blue Ox air changes per hour = 288,000

280,000 / 60 mins. = 4,800 CFM

So how many air cleaners do you need? First, determine what series is right for you.

What Air Cleaner Series Is Right for You?

Blue Ox commercial and industrial air cleaners are broken down into five different filtration options to meet the needs of almost any application! The air cleaners in each series are available in a range of filter configurations and sizes.

Multiple Blue Ox air filtration systems installed to remove odors and other hazardous particulate.

✓ General - For dust or smoke applications without odors