An important thing to remember, when you are selecting a smoke removal system for cigar smoke, is that cigar smoke is much more concentrated than cigarette smoke. Cigar smoke contains more particles and more chemical fumes and VOCs (Volitile Organic Compounds) than cigarette smoke.

There are two main things to consider when dealing with cigar smoke:

1. Choosing the Right Smoke Removal Technology

While electrostatic air cleaners work very well for cigarette smoke, most electrostatic units lack enough gas phase media to effectively remove the fumes and odors from cigar smoke. I always recomend a media based air cleaning system or at least a system with several pounds of granulated activated carbon and potassium permanganate.

The Everclear Deluxe HEPA Air Cleaner for example, has 44 pounds of gas phase media blend that is specially formulated to deal with heavy tobaco smoke. Some electrostatic units, such as the SE50 and Smokeeter LS systems do boast a decent ammount of granulated activated carbon, which can help reduce odors and exposure to toxic chemical fumes. Make sure to check and see that there are several pounds before selecting a model.

Many smoke eaters will advertise that they have carbon, some are merely a few grams of carbon embedded into a foam pad, this will not be enough to get the job done!

2. Properly Sizing the Smoke Removal System

Airflow is very important; the best unit in the world will not be effective if it is not delivering enough airflow. I would suggest a little overkill when dealing with cigar or pipe smoke. We use a formula to determine how many CFM (cubic feet per minute) are needed based on the volume of air in a particular establishment.

To do this, first figure out the total volume of air:

length X width X height = cubic feet of air

Next, divide the total cubic feet by 60 (as in 60 minutes in an hour)

The answer is how many CFM are require to do one complete air exchange.

For cigar smoke we like to achieve between 14 and 20 air exchanges per hour, depending on how many smokers and the desired results.

Multiply the number of desired air exchanges per hour, this will be the number of CFM you will need from your smoke eaters.

Below I give an example using a 25′ X 25′ room with 10′ ceilings. I want to achieve 16 air exchanges per hour to deal with my average of 4-5 smokers at a time:

25X25X10= 6,250 cubic feet
6250/60 = 104.167 cfm for one air exchange

104.167 X 16 = 1666.667 CFM

So I will need about 1667 CFM to deal with my smoke problem.

Another thing to consider is that I will want to run the smoke eaters on the medium speed, so that the noise level does not bother my customers. All air cleaners have a CFM rating that is based on the highest and loudest fan speed setting.

For this job, I have chosen the Everclear Deluxe, which has a CFM rating of 1150 on high speed and about 825 on medium. Since I will want to run these on medium, I will need two units, which will deliver about 1650 CFM, which is close enough to my estimated 1666 to get the job done. This also leaves me the ability to turn the units up to high speed, if I am busier than I expect, and still be able to handle the load.

Other things to consider are installation options, electrical requirements and control options.

I hope that today’s post helps people understand what is involved in properly sizing a system, if you have any questions, feel free to give me a call and I’ll be glad to help you determine your airflow requirements. 1-877-688-2703

]]> http://www.smokeeaters.org/blog/cigar-smoke-removal/feed/ http://www.smokeeaters.org/blog/trion-se-800-smoke-eater-review/ http://www.smokeeaters.org/blog/trion-se-800-smoke-eater-review/#comments Mon, 12 Jun 2006 19:53:43 +0000 Rod Smoke Eater Reviews http://www.smokeeaters.org/blog/trion-se-800-smoke-eater-review/ If you are looking for a dependable, easy to use and value priced smoke eater for your home, office, bar or restaurant, the

These electronic air cleaners utilize what air quality experts refer to as “Coanda Aerodynamic Principle”. Coanda uses a 360 degree airflow pattern that is the most efficient way to circulate air. The Coanda principle takes advantage of the natural, upward movement of air. Polluted indoor air naturally enters the bottom of the air cleaners and clean air recirculates in all 4 directions. Install the SE400E or SE800E directly overhead in problem areas to capture smoke and particles BEFORE they disperse. This eliminates what is referred to as “dead spots”. These units also provide a nice savings on air conditioning and heating costs as the air is recirculated inside the building, as opposed to being exhausted outside. The coanda airflow patern prevents heavy drafts associated with “pass-thru” air purifiers.

Another cost saving benefit of the SE400E and SE800E is that they are electrostatic precipitators, eliminating costly filter replacement. In this process, charged particles are attached to the oppositely charged collector plates like a magnet. All you have to do is periodically take out the plates, clean them off, let them dry, put them back in and you are set to go.

The best cost savings of these units is the price itself. Right now, you can save at least $500 on the Trion SE800E. For an even bigger value, you can buy 4 of them for less than $1,000 each! That’s $700 off of list price and far below contractor pricing you may find from distributors. Don’t let the low price fool you; these are high performance air purifiers from Trion, an air cleaning division of Fedders Corporation. Fedders, located in New Jersey, is a major worldwide manufacturer of a variety of air quality products; including air conditioners, humidifiers and dehumidifiers.

If you need help determining how many units you need or have questions, call the experts at BPA toll free 1-877-688-2703

]]> http://www.smokeeaters.org/blog/trion-se-800-smoke-eater-review/feed/ http://www.smokeeaters.org/blog/smokeeter-ls-review/ http://www.smokeeaters.org/blog/smokeeter-ls-review/#comments Wed, 03 May 2006 23:00:18 +0000 Rod Smoke Eater Reviews http://www.smokeeaters.org/blog/smokeeter-ls-review/ A popular option for bars, restaurants, bingo halls and casinos that have t-bar type drop ceilings is the fully concealed Smokeeter LS system. the Smokeeter LS requires a good three feet of clearance between the t-bar and the true ceiling. I would say that "you may have seen the Smokeeter LS in action," but as they are completely conceled, you wouldn’t see them at all. Applebee’s all over the country use two Smokeeter LS smoke removal systems in each restaurant, so though you may not have seen them, most people have been in an Applebee’s and probably never noticed that these unit were running.

So post your question by clicking the comments link. One of us will review your question and turn it into a blog post or add your comment to an existing blog on the same topic in the "Ask the Experts" section.

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If you’re the owner or proprietor of a bar or restaurant, then you are probably familiar with the age-old nonsmoker vs. smoker controversy… You have both smoking and nonsmoking sections in your bar/restaurant, and your nonsmokers are complaining about the horrible smell emanating from across the dining area… sound familiar?

There are a few ways to handle this problem:

1. You ignore it and potentially lose patrons
2. You issue a non-smoking policy, potentially losing patrons
3. You exhaust the smoke, along with much needed heating and air conditioning
4. You install air cleaning equipment, keeping everyone content, and maintaining a level of consistent patronage.

Choosing the proper air cleaner for your particular situation can often be a difficult task. As there are so many products available that are designed to do essentially the same job, it can be frustrating trying to determine which of the smoke eaters you saw today will offer the best performance for your investment.

There are different methods for effectively cleaning up the air in your bar or restaurant, and the method that will work best for your establishment will be determined by various factors. These factors include:

1. The size of the area
2. The number of smokers
3. The amount of pollutants being generated
4. The length of time the contaminants are present

The key element to effectively removing the contamination from your environment is air exchanges. The better your air exchange rate and airflow pattern, the more satisfied your customers and employees will be. One of the above mentioned variables being the amount of pollutants being generated, you’ll want to determine what it’s going to take to rid your air of the harmful pollutants.

I’ve provided a quick reference chart to give you an idea of what kind of air exchange you’ll want to achieve for popular scenarios in a bar/restaurant setting. My calculations are a tad aggressive, since people’s expectation levels are different, and you always want to be able to turn your air cleaner up to a higher fan setting in extreme circumstances… the bottom line is, you don’t want your air cleaner to be working overtime and only acheiving the bare minimum, because what happens when the contamination levels increase? You end up with a negative opinion of the performance of the air cleaner, and more importantly, your clientele may suffer because of it.

Mild to moderate amounts of smoke (just noticeable) - 6-8 air changes per hour
Moderate to moderately heavy (more noticeable) - 8-10 air changes per hour
Heavy (still breatheable, but annoying) - 10-14 air changes per hour
London Fog (so heavy you could cut it with a knife) - 15+ air changes per hour* (recommended for designated smoking areas, like cigar lounges and the like.) *consult a professional in a case like this

All too frequently, people make the mistake of undersizing their application, based on incorrect room size calculations, misinformation about the air cleaner, or, most commonly, equipment cost. It is no secret that the proper selection of smoke eater or smoke eaters can get costly; however, in the air quality industry, you certainly get what you pay for. All too often, people will base their decision on cost rather than effect, and that is almost always a recipe for disappointment. For example, if you were invited to compete in a drag race, and had to purchase a vehicle, would you buy a go-kart just because it was cheaper? Of course not! The point is, you need the right tools for the job in order to acheive your goal.

Now, I know that there are also circumstances that are simply cost-prohibitive… the equipment you need to do the job properly is significantly more than the budget you’ve set aside for the project… this is a rather common occurrence, due to lack of knowledge of the industry, or the perceived value of the equipment. As with many types of purchases, there are usually options that are available to aid in budgeting the overall cost, such as leasing options, payment plans, etc… Not all companies have these commodities available to their clients, but some do… It’s definitely worth checking out if you need a solution to your problem.

I hope the above information has been helpful, and feel free to comment on anything I may have failed to mention. If you have questions or need assistance, give us a call toll free:

1-877-688-2703

]]> http://www.smokeeaters.org/blog/bars-and-restaurant-smoke-eaters/feed/ http://www.smokeeaters.org/blog/industrial-smoke-eater-applications/ http://www.smokeeaters.org/blog/industrial-smoke-eater-applications/#comments Sat, 25 Mar 2006 22:40:04 +0000 admin Industrial http://www.smokeeaters.org/blog/industrial-smoke-eater-applications/ The

This compact system is rated at approximately 750 CFM and is the best value compared to centrifugal and media based mist collection products in the marketplace today. 

Technical Specifications and Features For The Trion Machine Mount Mist Collector