How to Maximize the Efficiency of Your Laboratory Hood

The laboratory hood, or fume hood, is an essential piece of safety equipment in any laboratory that deals with potentially hazardous gases and vapors. To ensure maximum protection, it’s vital that the hood operates efficiently, maintaining proper airflow and filtration at all times.

When it comes to determining the efficiency of your hood, there are two important pieces to consider:

1. How well does it exhaust contaminated air?

2. Is the hood designed to optimize energy consumption without compromising safety or performance?

Both are important for the safety, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness of your lab.

Why is efficiency important?

Efficiency in a laboratory, including in fume hoods, is important for multiple reasons. An inefficient hood may not remove hazardous materials as effectively, increasing the risk to lab personnel. Inefficient hoods will also likely use high amounts of energy, raising your costs and increasing your environmental impact.

A lab fume hood will generally represent your largest energy expenditure. The most effective hoods will strike a balance between performance and efficiency, protecting people while minimizing environmental impact and operational expenses.

Energy-efficient designs

Labels such as “high performance”, “high efficiency”, or “low velocity” are often used to indicate a more energy-efficient fume hood. To be eligible for this label, the hood must meet the standard defined by the Scientific Equipment and Furniture Association (SEFA) regarding its air volume, velocity, and containment levels. Choosing one of these hoods is often the first step to maximizing efficiency, although you also need to follow best practices in how you use the hood.

Features associated with more efficient designs include sensors and monitors to ensure that airflow velocity is always at the recommended level and can be adjusted as necessary. These features allow the hood to maintain safe levels without expending excess amounts of energy. Another efficiency feature is an automatic sash, which allows it to close when not needed without requiring your attention.

If you have specific needs or requests, it’s worth discussing possible customization with your manufacturer.

Energy-efficient setup

Once you have your high-performance fume hood, it’s important to set it up in a way that can continue to maximize its efficiency. Here are some tips to help you optimize your hood’s efficiency:

1. Avoid placing your fume hood where the airflow is regularly disrupted. Instead, situate your fume hood away from ventilation sources such as windows, doors and air conditioning units, as well as places where people and other traffic may constantly pass by and disturb the air.

2. Ductwork matters. Make sure it is also designed for efficiency, with the minimum number of bends and turns.

3. Ensure your sashes are at the correct operating height.

Usage

Even the most advanced fume hoods require proper usage to function effectively. All users should be properly trained, with clear instructions and regular refreshers, to ensure safe and efficient operation.

To maintain optimal protection, the sash level should be as low as practical during use and fully closed when not in use. Other aspects of your laboratory that impact airflow, such as HVAC systems, should also be monitored and adjusted in relation to your hood to support consistent performance.

Maintenance

Regular maintenance is required to keep your hood functioning optimally. To ensure continued performance, clean the hood regularly, remove any blockages, and seal any leaks. If your hood uses a filter, ensure it is replaced as needed. Routine performance testing is also essential. If the hood isn’t functioning as it should, repairs should made promptly to maintain the safety of your lab.

Conclusion

The best work comes from efficient labs. If you want to keep users safe, perform tasks in a timely manner, reduce your environmental impact, and lower your costs, it’s essential that your laboratory hood is designed for efficiency and operating in the most effective way possible.

Are you ready to begin building out your optimized lab environment? Connect with our experienced dealer partners to get started: Find a USA Kewaunee Dealer