Acid & Alkali Resistant CE Approved Heat Resistant Fireproof Chemical Laboratory Fume Cupboard Explosion Proof

Fume Hood Tips

Size. A basic starting point when shopping for and specifying a fume hood is size. What size is the working area required for your application? What size is the available space on the factory floor or the laboratory for a fume hood? Best Technology builds custom fume hoods, so even if your size requirements are unusual, we can build a fume hood to fit your space.

Materials. Some chemistries require specialized materials for containment. Highly corrosive acids at high concentrations, for example, often require a fume hood constructed from polypropylene rather than stainless steel for better corrosion resistance. For hydrofluoric acid, polycarbonate is the preferred material for the sash, to avoid etching of a glass window. Knowing the expected chemistry that will be put in the fume hood is crucial to ensuring years of reliable functioning.

Standards. Does your fume hood need to meet certain industry standards? Does your chemical process need to meet other specialized standards or requirements? Sometimes a "one-size-fits-all" fume hood just won't work. In those cases, look to the applications engineers at Best Technology for a customized fume hood.

Window orientation. Some fume hoods use a horizontal sliding window, which limits the access of the operator to the working area inside the fume hood. Look for a vertically sliding window (sash), so that users have more available working area in the interior of the fume hood. Best Technology offers fume hoods with counterbalanced, vertically sliding windows.

A ducted fume hood relies on the facility's ventilation system for venting exhaust air outdoors using ducts. The fan or blower is typically located on the roof of the building, allowing for quiet operation of the fume hood. To prevent recirculation of contaminated air, the ductwork for a fume hood should be separated from the rest of the facility's ventilation ducts.

A ductless fume hood, also called a recirculating fume hood, uses a blower on the fume hood to pull contaminated air through a HEPA filter, and then recirculates the air back into the room. The type of filter required varies depending on the chemistry, so the operator must ensure use of the proper filter for safety. Filters also must be changed regularly for safety.

A fume hood is a ventilated enclosure used to control exposure to hazardous or odorous chemicals. An exhaust fan draws air into the front opening of the hood, then up and out of the hood through the ductwork. Because the air that is pulled into the hood is not filtered, fume hoods only offer protection to its users and no protection to the products inside the hood.

Hood performance and efficiency depends on an adequate and uniform velocity of air moving through the sash opening. Hood performance is adversely affected by many factors including mechanical malfunction, drafts or open doors and windows, and poor operating procedures of the person using the hood.