May 29, 2020 - With much hesitation, the ECQ is going to be lifted but the COVID-19 threat is still out there, and thousands remain infected – or worse, asymptomatic.
Life has to go on, and we have to start the #NewNormal as we have hunkered down for too long because we have our livelihoods and families to feed. Cautiously, we are going to rebound.
Health and Safety Today
How do we stop something like COVID-19 from spreading in the workplace? With our minds awash with obsessive-compulsive hand washing and social distancing, we are forgetting about one very basic thing: the air. In particular, recirculated air with strangers or our office mates after commuting. COVID-19 is transmitted via airborne droplets, hence the social distancing and face mask requirement. However, we cannot realistically wear a face mask 24/7. With less than 0.1% of our population tested, it is impossible to tell who is a carrier and who isn’t, as even well-meaning citizens get thrown off guard and imperil their own families. An unknowing person can be an asymptomatic spreader, then what happens when he or she gets too close to an elder?
At work and at home, practicing GOOD safety is employing procedures, techniques, and tools that avoid accidents or mishaps. Nothing is 100% but we should strive for excellence because this 2020, second place is unacceptable. For mitigating airborne virus particles, the best methods are to use hospital-grade Filtration Systems, N95 face masks, and practice proper handwashing.
The Air We Breathe
These are measures we can easily control and have proven effective. If our drinking water runs through many stages of filtration to be fit to drink, so should the air we breathe – especially in public spaces like offices or in sanctuaries like your homes.
Why AiRSCRUB?
So why does the nation’s premiere Solar company offer Air Purifiers? It is rather simple. We could not find one locally that met our safety specifications to continue the New Normal. Since we understand the power of the Sun (the enemy of COVID-19), we specified the most reactive spectrum to breakdown viruses or germs, UV light to sanitize Hospital Grade HEPA filters safely inside the filter box, and invested on quality motors to get the required airflow needed to make it a tool (not a toy). Yes, we did find some air purifiers in the market, but they came with no replacement filters – or if they did, they cost more than half of the price of the unit. It was like buying an expensive printer with no replacement ink! Filters normally get changed after 6 months.
AiRSCRUB40
Our engineering team OK-ed two main designs on Project AirScrub. One is the Airscrub40 at P7,000: meant for most residential settings, equipped with activated carbon and catalyst filter, and an antimicrobial HEPA filter. We, of course, added things that make it more effective like the internal UV lamp and an Ionizer to help clear out the air with electrostatically charged particles. Good for rooms in the 11-22sqm range.
AiRSCRUB95
The other is the big papa, the Airscrub 95 at P15,999. With a CADR of 488 cubic meters, it is suitable for 30sqm (basic medical) to 58 sqm of residential spaces. This is a class leader on its own, a chic looking unit but stuffed with industrial-sized capabilities that have found bulk orders for doctor’s offices, dental clinics, and donations to ERs. Washable aluminum-framed Pre-filter takes on the big clogging debris such as dried skin, mosquitoes – yes, it sucked some during our testing, including pet hair and visible dust. Then the cold catalyst filter/activated carbon for VOC’s IE smelly stuff, from fried fish to formaldehyde – but not yet tested yet on durian since it is still banned in our office.
The last filter is the HEPA filter, it can easily scrub .3 micron air, and rated to pull in 488 cubic meters per hour and maintain a 99.95 rating on PM 2.5. For added measure, anti-bacterial coated fabric is placed ahead of the HEPA filter. Optional H13 filter to higher spec .1 micron is available as well.
The Airscub95 surprisingly has lower per cubic meter running costs and since it is so powerful it can help one comply with US CDC’s recommendation of at least 12-15 air changes per hour on recirculated filtered air. This unit is a hit among dental offices and MD’s who are not taking chances and accountancy firms who studied the per cubic or per day running cost of anything.
Now we all know things that spin, and keep them spinning depends on the longevity of its motor and efficiency. We specified DC brushless motor technology, and Nidec of Japan has a proven motor for this application. Since we wanted our system to automatically go to turbo mode if the air quality is bad, and quiet mode when air quality is good, a Japanese particulate sensor and AI is placed in to control the unit or can be over-ridden to operate in MAX setting, in the same way, that a dentist preps his drill or someone about to cook “Tinapa”.
AVAILABLE MID-JUNE 2020
The release of our first batch of AiRSCRUB products will be in mid to late June. We would have gotten it sooner but it uses the same materials of the N95 masks and we want to ship the units with spare filters already onboard.
Contact Information
Ally Fernandez
Solaric
2320 Pasong Tamo Ext. (Chino Roces Extension) Makati City, 1200 Philippines
1200
Voice: 09367292006
