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How To: Choose The Right Fume Cupboard
Before buying a fume hood it is important to understand its uses correctly.
A fume cupboard or a fume hood or a fume cabinet is a type of local ventilation device that is designed to limit exposure to hazardous or toxic fumes, vapours or dust. It is not a storage cabinet.
There are two main types: Ducted and Ductless Fume Cupboards.
The underlying principle is that air is drawn in from the front (open) side of the cabinet, and either expelled outside the environment or filtered and fed back into the room.
Fume hoods are used for:
- Personnel Protection
- Equipment Protection
- Environment Protection
A fume hood is just one part of a whole system that includes a base cabinet (for benchtop hoods), a work surface, ductwork, and an exhaust blower.
Your initial decisions while purchasing a fume hood should be based on four criteria: “space, function, location, and air supply.” This will allow you to make the best choice suitable to your requirements.
Helpful Tips For Choosing A Laboratory Fume Cupboard
- Know what processes will be run and how much room is available in the lab for the hood
- Get a chemical assessment done before viewing the selection of hoods compatible with various solvents, chemicals, and acids
- Fume hoods should be placed away from doorways and air conditioners to safely remove toxins, dust, and particulates from the air
- Automatic sash sensors help to save electricity as they will close the sash when no movement is detected for a set amount of time
- Circuit protection boards protect the unit in the event of sudden current fluctuations
- When working with solvents, bench top units can capture hazardous chemical vapours better than a hood
- Keep these basic considerations in mind while choosing the most suitable and energy-efficient fume hoods and the process should be a much easier and cost effective one.