Good question… we are seeing more areas go “smoke free” as a result of poor indoor air quality in bars and restaurants. I wonder if it would have come to this if every place that allowed smoking, used adaquate air purification to remove the contaminates… but at this point, it’s merely speculation. I think that another problem is that most smoke eater applications that I see are undersized and not doing as good a job as they could, if they were sized properly. We always size equipment based on an air echange per hour rate, to make sure that we are capturing the smoke before it has a chance to linger. 12-14 air exchanges per hour is a good place to start for most restaurants and bars. Calculating the air exchange rate is easy, length X width X height = cubic footage. Divide the cubic fottage by 60, the result is the CFM required for one air exchange per hour. Multiply that by the number of air exchanges desired to caculate total CFM required for the job.

What we are seeing as a result of smoking bans, is a boom in smoke shops, smoking clubs, cigar clubs, etc. There are loopholes that allow private clubs to allow smoking. Also, we are seeing an increase in people outfitting home bars and rec rooms with smoke eaters, and many are using commercial equipment. Homeowners tend to maintain their smoke eaters by themselves.

Another area you may want to look for business is in commercial offices and public commercial buildings. As air quality becomes more of an issue, we are seeing an increase in businesses wanting to improve their indoor air quality. This is a harder sell, but many companies see the benefit of improving air quality as sick days decrease and productivity and employee moral improve.

Thanks,
Joe

The LS systems were designed to be conceled above an acoustical drop ceiling, when istalled above the ceiling, the units are very quiet, even though they are running on the highest speed. For the type of installation you have I would have recommended a unit with multiple speeds that is designed for ambient air cleaning. The Smokeeter SE 50 would have been a good choice.

Don’t worry, all is not lost, there are actually two different speed controller choices you can use to run your Smokeeter LS systems. We have either a 3-speed switch or a variable speed dial, you can hook th controller up and run at a lower speed for less noise. I’ll send you an email with pricing or you can call me on our toll free line 1-877-688-2703

You can use the LS system anywhere you have the room to install it
and run the return and supply ducts. I have put the Smokeeter LS into
many residential smoking rooms and home bars.

A few things to consider:

1. Make sure that there is easy access to the unit as it will need
to be cleaned once or twice per month. The LS unit and the carbon pleum
will each have access doors. Before installing, make sure there is
plenty of room to open the access doors and remove the electronic cell
and the carbon trays.

2. Hang the unit from the rafters or overhead beams, this will
reduce noise in the room below, if you leave the unit resting on the
joists, vibration can cause excess noise.

3. You can use standard return and supply vents, which you should
install in the ceiling of the room below. I suggest having a total of
about 2 square feet of return vent. Position the return vent(s) over
the areas of heaviest smoke. Position at least 3 square feet of supply
vents around the perimeter of the room. Make sure that your supply
vents are not close to the return vents.

If you are using more than one return, make sure that the length of duct is pretty close to being equal. 

I hope this information helps. The Smokeeter LS conceled smoke eater
system is one of the very best smoke removal systems on the market.
Adding the optional carbon plenum adds to the effectiveness and aids in
odors reduction and the removal of the chemical fumes found in
secondhand smoke.

If you need additional assistance, please feel free to give me a call at 843-795-5560

As with all electronic smoke eaters, the Smokeeter LS system
uses an electronic collector cell and aluminum mesh prefilters, there
are no replacement filters to purchase, unless you opt for the carbon
plenum. The carbon plenum provides much better odor control and
contains six carbon trays that are about $40 each (at time of this
writing). Carbon trays can last 6-12 months depending on how much
contamination is present and how long the units are run.

Outside of the carbon trays, all of the other filters are washable. There are several ways to clean electronic smoke eater filters, my personal favorite is as follows:

1. Turn off the Smokeeter LS and remove the aluminum prefilter and electronic filter cell
2. Spray all of the filters down with Simple Green or another aluminum safe degreaser and let stand for 3-5 minutes
3. Spray filters down with hot water or run through a commercial diswahser
4. Look for stubborn stains and repeat steps 2 and 3 if needed
5. Let filters drip dry
6. Put filters back into the Smokeeter LS

This should be done 1-2 times per month, as needed.

While cleaning the filters, inspect them to make sure that there is
no large debris caught between the filter plates. Also inspect the
ionizing wires to make sure that none are broken or missing.

Good question!

There are two main things to consider, duct run length, and airflow paterns.

I always like to set the system up so that the length of the returns are very close to being equal, this is done so that the same amount of air is drawn from each area. If you have one intake 2 feet from the Smokeeter LS and another 20 feet away, almost all of the air will be drawn through the closer return vent. You should also do this with the clean air supply vents to prevent one vent from creating annoying drafts.

Another tip for vent placement is to consider where the source of the contamination is located. For example, if you have a bar restaurant, and most of the smoking is around the bar area, I would suggest putting the returns (or intakes) right around the bar, spaced evenly through the area so that you have even coverage. Then simply place the supply vents around the perimieter of the are. This will create a low pressure area around the bar and a high pressure area aroud the perimeter, which will force the smoke back toward the inake vents of te Smokeeter LS. Variations of this technique can be used to help seperate smoking areas from non smoking areas. If smoke is present throughout the entire area, simply set the return an suply vents up in an even and alternating checkerbaord pattern.

I hope this information helps, if you have any other questions, please feel free to ask.