Air Purifier for Residential Care
K9 Air Purifier with HEPA filter designed for Care Homes.
K9 is an innovative air purification system, boasting an impressive HEPA 14 filter, cleaning the air of all known pathogens, including coronavirus.
Tuberculosis
Aspergillosis
Measles
Flu
Coronavirus
The K9 air cleaner will clean the air to an ISO level 7, this is the level required for clean room status. An Air purification system of this standard will significantly reduce the risk of residents and staff members contracting airborne viruses like sars cov-2.
In this environment 99.9975% of all airborne viruses, bacteria and other pathogens are removed from the air (in only 5-8 minutes).
This alongside practical PPE reduces the risk of virus transmission from airborne contamination or touch to almost zero.
Residential care homes are the forgotten front line of our medical support network.
Often staff working in these areas are dealing with the most vulnerable patients without access to high grade technical systems and protection.
At the same time, the main hospital network often decants patients to free up capability, so there is a real risk of infections arriving with a new patient.
This is in a similar manner as the risk that exists in accident and emergency departments.
Air Dilution
Air is theoretically changed a number of times an hour to maintain room air as dilute.
This works well when it has been implemented correctly as a low level of any disease in the air is difficult to catch. The inlet should be in one ceiling corner, pushing ‘fresh air’ over the room and patient area with the outlet in the bottom opposing corner. This means the air change occurring is diagonal across the room, and the air change is actual, it really is changing the air 12 times an hour.
Historically though, very few rooms have air ducting installed in the optimal way. The inlet tends to be in one ceiling corner and the outlet is mounted also on the ceiling, meaning the air flow being measured is across the ceiling. In this situation the actual air change rate may far below what the hospital thinks it has achieved.
How do viruses like Coronavirus move around Residential Homes?
Well run residential care, with residents being treated with excellent infection control routines, including shielded isolation, have still seen disease ‘move’ around the care home environment.
Sometimes this has occurred at a rapid and devastating pace. Coronavirus has been a wild fire, spreading unchecked in some homes, despite excellent care and control measures.
The most likely reason for this in well run homes, is the asymptomatic release of droplet nuclei through respiration or through CPAP devices being used for sleep apnea. These sub 5um particles can remain in non ventilated room air for unto 28 days without touching a surface and travel up to 148 metres or more via micro convection currents.
How to create Infection Control in Care Homes
Finding the right solution.
The ideal response would be to fit an Airsentry® system to each room but at the moment this would be too costly. Fitting lower grade units may help but if these are below an assured HEPA14 grade, they may well not offer the protection claimed. Likewise many claims are made for plasma, UV-C etc but all of these systems have a weakness, exposure time. You need air to go through the system for them to work, as you also do with HEPA, and Air Sentry® is the only system available that generates assured whole room air currents whilst being regulatory compliant.
Our solution is one that works, whilst still offering the option of having a system per room, if required. Most residential care homes have corridor areas and we are able to make the corridor equivalent to the airlock used in ICU isolation areas. A single Air Sentry® unit can maintain corridor air as Ultra Clean™. As the corridor is at the same pressure as individual residents rooms, each time a door opens, air exchange occurs via diffusion. The higher particle concentration of the room air flows into the corridor area, as occurs already with the current transmission vector.
This means that a single system can maintain a corridor as Ultra Clean™ but also reduce the biological load in individual residents rooms, without needing to be stationed in each one individually. This helps prevent disease transfer around the care environment, whilst also reducing viral loading or biological loading to staff, many of whom do not have respiratory protection.
The system used can be fixed or mobile, the latter making for greater versatility and improved access for servicing.
The K9 Air Purification System
is available in 3 variations:
K9 mobile
The K9 mobile unit has the benefit of being easily portable, making it versatile for changing work spaces and needs.
K9 Wall
The K9 wall unit can be wall mounted, making it space efficient and discreet in any space.
K9 BMS
The K9 BMS is the most affordable system, either wall or worktop mounted. It is operated via a fan speed controller rather than a remote control panel.
The same powerful filtration capabilities as the other models are included. The difference with the BMS is the onboard monitoring system is absent. Instead, the control of the entire system is controlled by the client’s building management system (BMS). To understand suitability for BMS please discuss with your facilities management team. Air purification testing can be carried out on request as with all the unit types.
Specification | K9 Mobile | K9 Wall | K9 BMS |
|---|---|---|---|
HEPA14 filter | yes | yes | yes |
Easily portable | yes | no | no |
Automatic system monitoring with alarm system | yes | yes | no |
30 Equivalent air changes per hour | yes | yes | yes |
12 month warranty | yes | yes | yes |
230V or 110V capability (110V on request) | yes | yes | yes |
Design life of 25 years | yes | yes | yes |
Filter life 24 months | yes | yes | yes |
Run time capability – 24 hours continuous | yes | yes | yes |
Suitable for offices, education, nursing homes, dentist clinics & GP surgeries. | yes | yes | yes |
*Activated carbon | no | no | no |
* Our alternative healthcare grade system called Air Sentry air purification contains activated carbon. The K9 unit has been specifically designed for use in dental, residential care, commercial and education and does need require activated carbon to create Ultra Clean air in these environments. Air Sentry filtration cartridges with activated carbon can be supplied for K9 on request.
FAQ's asked by
Residential Care Home Managers:
The system is designed to be ultra quiet in normal use, less than a whispered voice.
No. The unit utilises a similar amount to an old fashioned light bulb in normal use.
Since we started in 2000, we have had 3 units fail in 21 years. With a design life of 25 years the system is designed to be a solid investment in air bio security.
When we started designing the system we worked alongside ICU and Oncology staff with the aim of making it incredibly easy. The system is set up with one button and all alarms are automatic. Once set up it is designed to run continuously with minimal user interaction required.
Yes – we can offer agreements for 12, 24, 36 and 60 months which include all costs, including installation if required.
All our of sales support staff have extensive medical technical experience. As part of our service we can attend and certificate the system for you, if requested. We do not charge for this service currently.
Each unit should be serviced annually with a filter change expected every two years.
Ask us for a consultation. We can advise you exactly what is required for your home, without obligation. These can be via video call, phone call or in person.
All Air Sentry systems are made in Wiltshire. We only source from within the UK, with 90% of the parts being supplied locally.