As COVID-19 is an ever-increasing problem, making facilities ready to handle potential spikes of the virus is paramount. The safest way to handle the virus is to create isolation rooms where it can be quarantined if it appears. Setra's AIIR Watch can be brought into various spaces to quickly create isolation rooms.
How AIIR Watch Works
The Setra AIIR Watch creates negative pressure in spaces, whether or not they were originally designed to be isolation rooms. The Setra AIIR Watch can be easily brought into these spaces, as it is portable on wheels and compact. Once inside the space, it plugs into any standard electrical outlet and then pulls in the air from the room at 350 CFM, generating significant air changes per hour. The air is pulled into the unit and run through a HEPA filter and UV-C lights, sterilizing the air to 99.99% effectiveness against viruses and bacteria - certified via a National Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL). The sterilized air is then safely exhausted out of the room, which is how the negative pressure is created.
Cleaned air from AIIR Watch can be exhausted in three different ways depending on what is available in the space. The first way is to exhaust the air out of a window with the provided hose and adjustable vent panel. The second option is to vent the sterilizes air up through a ceiling tile into the space above the ceiling. This can also be achieved with the provided exhaust hose and adjustable vent panel. Third, the exhaust can be connected directly to the existing HVAC system exhaust. For this, it is recommended to contact an HVAC professional to properly incorporate the AIIR Watch exhaust into the HVAC system.
Considerations for Isolation Rooms
When creating a negative pressure isolation space using Setra AIIR Watch, there are several factors that could impact the pressure in the space. If forced AC or forced hot air is in use, these competing incoming airflows will need to be adjusted to a flow rate below that of the AIIR Watch (350 CFM) to allow the AIIR Watch to create the negative pressure. Another consideration to keep in mind regarding the flow rate of the Setra AIIR Watch is the length of the exhaust hose being used. If the exhaust tubing is longer than 25ft, the air exhaust flow rate strength of the AIIR Watch will be reduced.
Any unpowered return vents in the room not used by the AIIR Watch should be sealed off since the AIIR Watch acts as the HVAC return for the room. For isolation rooms, even temporary ones, the room must be sealed of all leaks from floor to ceiling, including:
- Doors
- Light fixtures
- Windows
- Ceiling tiles
The Setra Lite Room Pressure monitor is included with the AIIR Watch to enable measurement and constant monitoring of the pressure in the isolation space. With the above guidelines and using both Setra Lite and AIIR Watch, incorporating negative pressure isolation spaces into almost any application is a straightforward process.
