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Cleaning and maintaining your AirBench system regularly is a crucial part of ensuring its long-term efficiency, keeping it working at optimal performance to protect employees.
As the UK’s leading range of downdraught benches, our products are designed to comply with the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations by capturing fumes and dust, containing them using internal filters and returning clean air to the room.
Effective maintenance means cleaning or replacing the filters on a regular basis, checking for air leaks and inspecting the electrical components at appropriate intervals. Whether you have a workplace fume extraction or dust extraction system, maintenance activities are essential for their continued safe use.
Most filters will last six to 12 months normally, but this may be less in heavy use. However, disposable media pads should be changed at least monthly. Carbon filters and fine filters can’t be cleaned; instead, they should be replaced when they’re damaged, full or at their end-of-life. Also, disposable media pads used in certain configurations can’t be cleaned.
For high volume applications, consider our AirBench RP downdraught bench, the newest addition to the AirBench range, featuring high capacity filters with the latest self-cleaning technology.
The most efficient method of cleaning our standard filters is with a vacuum cleaner. The filters in the RP units are cleaned by reverse pulse air using an external air supply. Designed for high volumes of dust, they are suitable only for certain applications. All filters need to be changed eventually, so ask us about the estimated filter life for your application.
In most models, including the FP, EX, FN and FPK types, the filters are immediately beneath the surface. They are generally interchangeable, so you can update your AirBench to an alternative specification if required.
The final filter in the FPT and FPW ranges is housed in a box at the left-hand side and can be accessed through a removable door. The main filters in the RP range are also beneath the surface, but can be taken out through a removable front door.
We recommend the use of PPE when handling used filters, as they may contain hazardous dusts. Ask your waste handling company about how to dispose of them, as some will accept filters in your normal waste, but others will request they’re double bagged, or they might even want to arrange separate collections.
The price of new filters depends on the grade and size of the AirBench, so please contact us for up-to-date details.
Our products have a standard 12-month warranty and any required remedial work during this period will be carried out either on site, or by returning the unit to our works, at our discretion and cost. With our products being of a particularly high quality, we have a very low level of warranty call-outs, equating to less than 1% of our total production.
Checking the airflow, air exchange rate and air quality are vital to determine the effectiveness of the ventilation system. An increased air exchange rate will be required for certain environments: for example, a laboratory typically needs an air change ten times per hour, compared with an office, which usually requires only four changes per hour.
When emergency ventilation is needed, usually in cases where the air contains volatile compounds that are particularly hazardous to employee health, a rate of 20 air changes per hour may be needed.
The performance of your dust or fume extraction system should be monitored with regular inspections. A filter pressure gauge is fitted as standard to the front of each AirBench, indicating the filter’s condition and performance of the unit as a whole.
Some models display a red zone on the filter gauge, indicating the filters may be blocked, or in need of cleaning. Turn off the AirBench in this situation and inspect the filters.
Usually, AirBench units don’t need wheels, as they can be moved using pallet trucks. However, if you need to move your unit around on a regular basis, consider adding heavy duty castors. Standard rubber wheeled industrial swivel castors are used and the two front wheels are lockable, so the unit can’t be moved when the brakes are on.
To keep castors running smoothly, carry out regular cleaning and lubrication, inspecting them thoroughly for wear and tear to extend their lifespan and ensure smooth movement.
If you wish to arrange a service contract, please feel free to contact us for further details. AirBench will service and support our own products, but we don’t currently provide this option for other manufacturers’ products.
AirBench Ltd are the UK’s leading manufacturer of downdraught benches and cross draught extraction systems. We have more than 10,000 extraction systems in service in the UK and overseas. Along with our range of coolant mist filters and air cleaning systems, we are actively helping businesses across many industries solve their workplace dust and fume issues.
If you'd like to try an AirBench product for FREE simply book a demo and we'll bring one to you.
If you’d like to try an AirBench product for FREE simply book a demo and we’ll bring one to you.