Why You Should Replace Your Hot-Wire Anemometer

Hot-wire anemometers are widely used throughout hospitals. Although their initial accuracy remains undisputed, a hot-wire anemometer's accuracy is not stable over time. Hot-wire anemometers must be cleaned at regular intervals to remain an accurate and effective solution for monitoring room pressure. Without regular cleaning and calibration, the accuracy of a hot-wire anemometer decreases significantly over time.

Is your hot-wire anemometer clean? Are your patients safe?

A hot-wire anemometer can be prone to breakage during service and is susceptible to contamination from dirt and dust. Contaminated sensors result in unreliable room pressure readings, leading to wasted energy as room pressures are increased to obtain a reading that meets standards, regardless of whether or not it accurately reflects the actual pressure in the room. It is imperative that hot-wire anemometers be cleaned and re-calibrated often for patient health and to save energy, but it is costly in both time and money to do so. As such, many hot-wire anemometers are not properly maintained.

These drawbacks put patients at risk.

The primary function of a hot-wire anemometer is to measure room pressurization and ensure compliance with hospital requirements. However, a dirty anemometer won't accurately sense the room pressure. Inaccurate readings lead to excessive and unnecessary room pressure adjustments to offset the reading. If a dirty sensor is not addressed, rooms could potentially fail to meet regulated pressure requirements, which can be sited for lack of compliance during inspections. Furthermore, improper room pressurization can put patients and staff at risk of exposure to dangerous contaminants entering the space.

So, what can you do?

Instead of wasting time, money, and energy maintaining hot-wire anemometers and over-pressurizing rooms, look towards solutions other than a hot-wire anemometer. To combat the drawbacks of hot-wire anemometers, Setra has designed the Hot-Wire Replacement Kit.

Setra uses dead-ended pressure transducers, meaning no air flows through the pressure tubing, eliminating many of the drawbacks associated with a hot-wire anemometer. Our proprietary variable capacitance transducers are designed to be low or no maintenance contaminant-free sensing technology. As air is a significant carrier of contaminants in a hospital, a dead-ended sensor that doesn't rely on air flowing through it for a pressure reading cannot be contaminated.

The Setra FLEX Hot-Wire Replacement Kit includes everything required for upgrading obsolete, high maintenance room monitor technology. The Kit requires no construction to install, as it attaches to the existing sensor housing and wall box. Within a short about of time, the Setra FLEX Hot-Wire Replacement Kit is installed. Taking the time to change out a hot-wire anemometer for a variable capacitance transducer significantly reduces the waste of time and money while creating a safer environment for patients.