Even when doctor office HVAC systems perform properly, there can be a need for strategically-placed air purifiers. As we've learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, over 99% of contagious transmission occurred indoors. In these instances, adding an extra measure of protection can help clean contaminated air in confined places.
The idea of adding a stand-alone air purification device is not new to the healthcare field, however. As far back as 2003, the CDC recommended using supplemental portable HEPA filters in certain high-risk areas of hospitals.
While HEPA-filtered air purifiers are sufficient to trap pathogens and clean the air to 99.97%, those that also feature far-UVC technology can destroy the trapped pathogens, making indoor air even safer for patients and staff.
So, let's dive in and talk about why you should consider our HEPAFORCE® GermBuster Room Air Purifier with UV-FORCE®, featuring both HEPA filtration and far-UVC disinfection, for your medical office.
When viruses, spores, and bacteria are frolicking about, air purifiers are just the ticket for reducing viral load to make the air safe to breathe. Exam rooms and waiting rooms each have their particular hazards. In exam rooms, which can feel as tight as ten clowns in a phone booth, medical personnel work in close proximity to the patient. In waiting rooms, where many people occupy the space, infectious pathogens spread in droplets so tiny they stay airborne and circulate for hours. In both cases, staff workers are actually at the greatest risk of exposure due to the many hours they're at work.
Enter the GermBuster Room Air Purifier with UV-FORCE, which, if run at maximum speed, would disinfect all the air in a 10x10x8-foot exam room a whopping 24 times per hour. Or several hundred times per hour in a phone booth (but that would be ridiculous).
Seriously, even in a waiting room 20x20x8 feet, it can do six air changes per hour, continuously reducing pathogen load. There's a MERV 7 pre-filter protecting the HEPA filter, which traps 99.97% of the hardest-to-catch 0.3 μm particles. The percentage is even higher with both larger and smaller particles.
After air passes through the filters, it's the far-UVC light embedded in the GermBuster Room Air Purifier with UV-FORCE that destroys cell walls of the tiniest pathogens, damaging viral, bacterial, and spore cells beyond repair. The photon energy from the far-UVC technology is greater than the energy holding the elements of the molecule together. As a result, coronavirus, influenza, measles, tuberculosis, and other pathogens are rendered harmless.
Beyond being very effective at purifying the air that passes through it, drawing it in low, and discharging cleaned air near the top, the GermBuster Room Air Purifier with UV-FORCE is good at hiding in corners and not being noticed. While its minimalist design helps it blend into the environment, the small dimensions don't hurt either: it's just 16"x16" by 32" high and weighs only 68 pounds. It's mounted on four swivel casters and is easy to move around. The unit is equipped with a standard 8 foot, 120-volt power cord, and its controls are simple on/off, with an LED-lit switch.
| At the heart of the GermBuster Room Air Purifier with UV-FORCE is an ECM fan motor that uses 40% less electricity than motors used in competitive units. |
ECMs, which stands for Electronically Commutated Motor, are brushless direct-current motors that are inherently more efficient than the alternating-current motors found in some air purifiers, HVAC air handlers, heat pumps, furnaces, and other kinds of equipment. But they're more than brushless DC motors. They also have microchip controls that make them "smart" so they can respond to varying conditions. This means there are times when they use far less than full power to provide the required cubic feet per minute (CFM) of airflow.
Switching to the topic of maintenance, let's identify any tiring or loathsome tasks that might be required to keep your little R2D2 humming. First of all, the CFM is clearly not a maintenance item because there are no motor brushes to replace. Of course, filters must be replaced, but replacement is reduced when the available MERV 7 poly pre-filter catches larger particles. This preserves the canister-style HEPA filter, which can be replaced on an annual basis. So, other than replacing the far-UVC lamp occasionally, we're done. (How often? See below.)
The GermBuster Room Air Purifier with UV-FORCE has a sturdy healthcare-appropriate stainless-steel housing that is easy to clean. Its far-UVC lamp has a long 3,000-hour life. Further, it is mercury-free, so unlike other UVC lamps, it is easy to discard when replacement becomes necessary. And it won't catch you by surprise since there is a resettable lamp hours meter you can use to track usage. As described above, the fan motor, being brushless, is designed to last an extraordinarily long time with no maintenance whatsoever.
If you're looking for a simple, stand-alone, medical-grade air purifier, you can buy a GermBuster Room Air Purifier with UV-FORCE®, a portable unit that employs far-UVC light disinfection and HEPA filtration to provide continuous air purification. It's ideal for doctors, dentists, and anyone in healthcare concerned about improving indoor air quality to keep patients and staff safe.
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