Tag: hepa shop vacuum

Overview: Heavy Duty Dry Vac

Published on by jasonkirbyLeave a comment
EXAIR Reversible Drum Vac (left) and Heavy Duty Dry Vac (right) Two Industrial Vacuums – wet AND dry – for less than the purchase AND operating cost of a dual Venturi vacuum.

EXAIR produces a variety of industrial pneumatic drum vacuums designed to effectively manage spills and debris in diverse environments. These vacuums are characterized by their safety, quiet operation, and the absence of moving parts or electric motors, which enhances their longevity and reliability. With a proven track record of durability, the Industrial Housekeeping Products line includes systems tailored for both dry and wet materials, as well as a versatile option that accommodates both types. In this blog, I will focus on our Heavy Duty Dry Vac System.

A prevalent problem associated with dry materials is the premature failure of electrical motors due to dust accumulation. In many electrically powered vacuums, this dust can lead to the deterioration of motor bearings, often resulting in a loud screeching sound. In contrast, EXAIR’s Heavy Duty Dry Vac System features no moving parts, eliminating wear and maintenance needs, and operates solely on compressed air. It includes a static-resistant hose to prevent electric shocks when handling dry, dusty materials. Constructed from hardened alloy steel, the Heavy Duty Dry Vac offers exceptional abrasion resistance and generates a powerful vacuum of -60” H2O (-15 kPa) at 80 PSIG (5.5 bar), making it suitable for use with sandblasting materials, garnet, and steel shot. Additionally, its efficient and durable bag filter effectively contains dust within the drum while allowing air to escape.

We offer three drum sizes—30-gallon, 55-gallon, and 110-gallon—tailored to your specific application and material volume needs. Each drum is equipped with a Heavy Duty Vacuum that operates on just 68 SCFM (1,924 SLPM) of compressed air at 80 psig (5.5 bar). To suit various requirements, we provide different packages for each drum. The standard package includes essential components such as the drum lid with necessary hardware, a side latching lever lock, a shutoff valve, a filter bag, 10 feet of static-resistant vacuum hose, a hose hanger, 20 feet of compressed air hose, a pressure gauge, and an aluminum chip wand. For those seeking more features, the Deluxe package adds a drum dolly, heavy-duty aluminum tools, and a tool holder. Finally, the Premium package encompasses all items in the Deluxe package along with a steel drum.

If you have questions about our Heavy Duty Dry Vac, or anything regarding EXAIR and our products, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Jason Kirby
Application Engineer
Email: jasonkirby@exair.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_jk

Maximize Efficiency and Safety: Why Your Facility Needs an EXAIR Drum Vac

Published on by Neal RakerLeave a comment

In the demanding world of industrial maintenance, the “bucket and shovel” method or unreliable electric shop vacs simply don’t cut it. Whether you are managing floor spills, emptying coolant sumps, or recovering expensive fluids from deep pits, you need a solution that is as tough as your environment.

At EXAIR LLC, we’ve spent decades perfecting the Reversible Drum Vac™ (RDV) and High Lift Reversible Drum Vac™ to solve these exact headaches. Here is why our systems are the go-to choice for facility managers and maintenance teams worldwide.

1. Unmatched Reliability with No Moving Parts

Unlike electric vacuums that suffer from motor burnout or impeller clogs, our drum vacs are powered entirely by compressed air. This means:

  • Zero Maintenance: With no moving parts to wear out, these systems run nearly indefinitely.
  • Electrical Safety: Eliminating electricity removes the risk of shock in wet environments.
  • Quiet Operation: Our systems operate at significantly lower noise levels than traditional industrial vacuums.

2. Two-Way Action for Maximum Versatility

The “Reversible” in our name is a game-changer. With a simple turn of a knob, the same stainless-steel pump that filled your drum in under two minutes can reverse the airflow to empty it just as quickly.

  • Application Spotlight: Laboratory operators have used our Mini Reversible Drum Vac to pump waste from under-lab tanks and then easily discharge it into reclamation vessels.

3. Power When You Need It: The High Lift Advantage

For more “vertical” challenges, the High Lift Reversible Drum Vac provides the extra suction needed to move thick liquids (up to 1400 cPs) or lift fluids up to 15 feet.

  • Application Spotlight: A ferry operator uses the High Lift RDV to clean out engine room bilges, while a construction firm uses it to recover heavy slurry from concrete cutting—tasks that would kill a standard vacuum.

4. Built-In Safety & Speed

Our systems are engineered for industrial speed without sacrificing safety:

  • Auto-Shutoff: An internal float stops the vacuuming process once the drum is full, preventing messy overflows.
  • Rapid Filling: The High Lift model can fill a 55-gallon drum in just 85 seconds.

From cleaning up condiment spills in food processing to recovering hydraulic oil leaks in precast concrete plants, EXAIR drum vacs are the ultimate industrial housekeeping tool.

Ready to upgrade? You can explore our Model 6196 Reversible Drum Vac System for standard needs or the Model 6195 High Lift System for your most demanding pits and sumps.

Still Not Sure?

Feel free to connect with any of our Application Engineering Staff to answer your questions and address your concerns about giving one of these units a try. We are quite sure you will not be disappointed in our products’ performance.

Neal Raker, Application Engineering Manager
EXAIR LLC

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Accessories for Your Compressed Air Products

Published on by Al WooffittLeave a comment

Here at EXAIR we are very proud of our Intelligent Compressed Air Products. We have spent a lot of time discussing their many benefits, including their efficiency, the fact that many have no moving parts, little to no maintenance, meeting or exceeding OSHA safety standards for noise or dead end pressure. One thing we don’t talk as much about is the accessories that go along with and complement our products. Several of these accessory items are the reason why our compressed air products can boast about having little to no maintenance, or reduced noise levels. In this blog I want to cover some of these unsung heroes.

From left to right, a few value-added accessories for your Vortex Tube: Hot Muffler, Cold Muffler, Automatic Drain Filter Separator, Oil Removal Filter, and Solenoid Valve/Thermostat Kit.

Some of the most popular accessories we offer are our compressed air Filters and Regulators. We suggest using these with all our products (or even with ones that aren’t ours).

The Filter Separator is designed to remove moisture, dirt, and rust from your compressed air system. The 5-micron filter element ensures that contaminants don’t clog or harm your compressed air equipment.

An Oil Removal Filter (which should always be installed after our Filter Separator) provides even more precise filtration by getting rid of oil and solid particles with a 0.03-micron element.

Our Pressure Regulators let you choose the operating pressure. At EXAIR, we always advise running at the lowest pressure necessary to complete the task. Pressure Regulators help you achieve that, reducing unnecessary air usage and fine-tuning the performance of EXAIR products for your specific application.

We have some accessories designed specifically for certain products. For our Line Vacs, there’s the Line Vac Hose. You can also find Thermostats and Solenoid Valves that work great with our Cabinet Coolers, and if you’re using Vortex Tubes, we suggest checking out our Mufflers.

When it comes to our Air Knives, we offer a variety of fantastic options:

If you’re looking for a simple and dependable way to mount your Air Knife, our Universal Air Knife Mounting System is just what you need.

If your project needs something longer than our stock Air Knives, or if you want to manage different sections of the air flow separately, our Coupling Bracket Kits are ideal.

And if you want to simplify the plumbing for your Air Knife, don’t miss our Air Knife Plumbing Kits. They’re suitable for all Air Knives that are longer than 24 inches.

If you’re looking for plumbing options, we’ve got a range of compressed air hoses and fittings that will simplify things for you.

Our Coiled Hoses work great with our Safety Air Guns, giving you more freedom of movement while you work.

Our Compressed Air Hoses are often used alongside our Industrial Housekeeping products to provide the necessary reach for the drum and dolly.

Finally, if you’re looking for a way to mount or position your Air Nozzles, check out our Magnetic Bases, Stay Set Hoses, and Swivel Fittings that can help create a complete setup.

No matter what your application requires or the product you need, we’ve got a variety of complementary accessory products that will simplify installation and adjustments. If you have any questions about these or any other EXAIR products, don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

Al Wooffitt
Application Engineer

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Filtration Efficiency and the Meaning of HEPA Filtration

Published on by John BallLeave a comment

To become more aware of our Heavy Duty HEPA Vac Systems, I am going to dive into the media and filtration efficiency.  The model 901357 HEPA filter has an efficiency level of 99.97% at 0.3 micron.  What does this mean?

In the simplest of terms, filtration is a method of separation.  With air filters, we are separating particles from air.  Particles, due to their mass and size, behave in certain ways as they pass through a fibrous media.  The three main methods for capturing particles are done by:

  1.  Inertial Impaction – Generally with particles over 2 microns in size.  Large particles that are captured because they cannot pass through the openings of the media.  An example, a fly being captured by a spider web. 
  2. Direct Interception – Generally with particles between 0.2 micron and 2 microns in size.  These medium-sized particles follow the air stream around filter fibers and openings.  Because of the tortuous path, the winding turns and the inertial mass of the particle causes it to contact a fiber and get captured.  An example, a sports car going too fast on a curvy road.  The momentum can push you off the edge of the road and into the trees.    
  3. Diffusion – Generally particles less than 0.2 micron in size.  Small particles with very little mass that are bounced around by the air molecules.  The smaller size and weight, the more movement the particle has.  This will increase the chance of hitting a fiber and getting captured.  An example, walking home drunk and being attacked by bees.  You will randomly run everywhere and end up in the neighbor’s bushes.
Diagram 1: Total filtration curve with individual mechanism by particle size

In Diagram 1 above, you notice how each filtration mechanism is used to capture the particles by size.  When you combine the efficiencies of each mechanism, you will get the total efficiency of a filter.  The particle sizes in Diagram 1 are limited above the vapor range.  This inverted “Bell” curve is a typical characteristic for fibrous filters.   If you look closely, you will notice that the MPPS, (Most Penetrating Particle Size) is between 0.2 and 0.3 micron.  That means that if you go larger than 0.3 micron or smaller than 0.2 micron, the filter is more efficient.  That is correct.  With the examples above, a particle in the range of 0.2 to 0.3 micron has enough mass to resist the “bounce” force from other molecules and is light enough to minimize inertia forces, allowing it to pass by and around the fibers of the filter.

Now let’s apply these variables to our HEPA filter.  With the 901357 HEPA media, the efficiency is 99.97% at 0.3 micron.  Knowing the characteristics of a filter, we can apply the inverted curve analysis like in Diagram 1.  As you can see in Diagram 2, the 901357 HEPA efficiency curve will show the efficiency of capturing particles at different sizes.   

Of course, there are different grades of filtration, and they are classified by ISO and European standards.  The chart above shows the different types and grades.  The EXAIR HEPA filter would fall into the H13 class.  HEPA stands for High Efficiency Particulate Air filter, and ULPA stands for Ultra Low Penetrating Air filter.  You can tell by the number of 9s after the decimal to determine the downstream cleanliness.  These standards use the MPPS to test the efficiency and qualify the filtration rating.  For any application that has very fine particles and/or requires very clean exhaust air, the Heavy Duty HEPA Vac System should be recommended. If you have any questions, you can contact an Application Engineer at EXAIR.

John Ball
Application Engineer
Email: johnball@exair.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_jb

Photo: Reference standard EN 1822 or ISO 29463