Operations over 2013 Christmas holiday time

Our US domestic offices will be closed Dec 24, 25 & 31 as well as Jan 1. International offices are closed Dec 23 thru Jan 1. Have a wonderful holiday everyone.

 As the holiday season approaches, we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support. It is business associates like you who make our jobs a pleasure and keep our company successful.

May your holiday season and the New Year be filled with much joy, happiness and success. We look forward to working with you in the coming year and hope our business relationship continues for many years.

Thank you and best wishes for the Holiday Season and a Happy New Year.

Tiercel Technology Corporation

Ozone - statement from Indoor Air Quality Association

Last week the Indoor Air Quality Association (IAQA) posted This video  explaining the effects of ozone on people and their bodies.  Not a bad watch, take a look and let us know your thoughts.

We provide several devices that produce residual ozone for aggressive odor treatment as the IAQA video mentions, but since the late 90's we have also produced ozone-free products that provide good odor removal without the noticeable smell or harmful effects.

It would have been preferable from our view that IAQA not generalize that UV lights create ozone.  Some do, some do not!

Home Inspections educate Indoor Air Quality & Radon Issues

Mike Holmes recently issued a story through one of Canada's newspapers, the National Post highlighting that home inspection companies are now documenting Indoor Air Quality and Radon exposure issues in their inspection services.  Click here for the article

Home Inspectors are becoming a normal part of any existing home purchase.  These people are trusted by the public in establishing fair evaluations of a home's integrity when sold.  Why not use these same people (when properly trained) to conduct an Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) home assessment to see if there is anything present that can be harmful to the homeowner or his/her family?  If these evaluations become standards in evaluating the safety of occupants, it is possible that demand will grow for IAQ products to address the unseen contaminants that can reside in homes.

From the perspective of a provider of residential Indoor Air Quality products, we welcome the attention that Home Inspectors can give to this important aspect of a home's quality and its safety to people.  We also welcome any insight and assistance we can provide to continue to educate the marketplace - we'd hope that they become our present & future customers.  Email or contact us if there are any questions!

Second Wind Air Purifier Product Selection Guide#2

Last post we presented a field guide that our contractors could use with homeowners when deciding which 24V Second Wind Air Purifier to use.  This was done to address the need in our busiest market where we have historically been required to provide many different options.  This time we built on the success of the first guide to feature the units that we use in duct mount applications to again help contractors and homeowners decide which Second Wind device will be the best fit for them.   

For more information about each model in the Selection Guide, our website contains the specification sheets and other information you may have.  The links for each are here:

2000 & 2018 Models Spec Sheet
2124 Model Spec Sheet
24V Series Spec Sheet
All-in-One 9000 Series Spec Sheet

Field Question#3 - How to select a 24V Second Wind Air Purifier Solution

A great question came to us from Larry C. in Jacksonville, FL.  As mentioned in previous posts, we're always happy to post any questions sent in that pertain to Second Wind Air Purifier or Indoor Air Quality and will try to answer them quickly and clearly.  Please click here and send us your questions too!

Q. How can I choose which Second Wind Air Purifier 24 Volt device is best for contractors to advise for use at a customer's home?

A. We do have quite a few 24 volt options to consider, and understanding the best application for each model needs to be clear.  We took Larry's question and designed this flowchart to help guide our customers in the decision making process. Although it's not yet available on our website, please email us if you'd like a PDF sent to you to use as your own in the meantime.  We also included an area for contractors to quote their pricing for one or more models that homeowners can keep while considering their investment.

For more information about each model in the Selection Guide, our website contains the specification sheets and other information you may have.  The links for each are here:

24 Volt Coil Clean Models Spec Sheet
24 Volt Premium 2124 Model Spec Sheet

Field Question#2 - I Think My Second Wind UV Lamp is Broken....

We often receive calls to our customer service department with a comment that the contractor or homeowner thinks that the lamp they are using to service their Second Wind Air Purifier might be broken.  We will ask a few questions before investigating the problem to see if we are looking at an OEM replacement part but following that, we are often pleased to discover that our attentive and caring customer has noticed some apparent solids within the glass on their lamps that led them to believe that something was amiss.  What they notice as you can see in the photos below, is that there are two small balls inside the glass of the lamp that roll around and often make a slight rattling noise when the lamp is shifted in position.  These balls are the pieces of mercury (chemical symbol- Hg) that have solidified in the lamp used to create the fluorescent effect that you may be familiar with in drop ceiling lights or the newer compact fluorescent lights (CFL's).  

These components do not indicate a lamp is broken, it is merely the cooled mercury in a solid or liquid form.  When lamps are cold, some of the mercury in the lamp is in liquid form, but while the lamp is operating or the lamp is hot, most of the mercury is in a gaseous or vapor form.  

Although there is only a very small amount of mercury, there are procedures to follow to dispose of old lamps.  This National Geographic article provides some insight on how much mercury is there and LampRecycle provides good guidance for the appropriate disposal methods

We will continue to post any questions sent in that pertain to Second Wind Air Purifier or Indoor Air Quality that you may have. Please click here and send us your questions too!

Evaluation & Optimization of UV/Photocatalytic Air Purification Devices

Contact Us for your copy of the public document with reports on each aspect of the study.
We've got some great information to share about how our products perform in competitive testing against Volatile Organic Compounds and Bioaerosols

Second Wind UV Air Purifier Model 2000 Whole House PCO HVAC Review - Video Dailymotion

Check out the review posted about our model 2000 air purifier.  A satisfied customer talks about the benefits the unit brought to her home.

Second Wind UV Air Purifier Model 2000 Whole House PCO HVAC Review - Video Dailymotion

Display Stand for Duct Mount units

Here's a couple photos of our new display stand for our duct mounted purifiers.  These can be set up anywhere in a store or tradeshow booth.  It is CRITICAL to note that if the units are going to be powered up to attract attention that you must use Non-UVC lamps, sometimes called 'Dummy Lamps' so passersby are not harmed by the germicidal light.

Model 2124 on display stand

Model 2000 on display stand

Either model can be easily put on the stand.  The stand can serve when training as a demonstration of how easy it will be for contractors to install in customers homes, as the vertical panel simulates a duct wall.  Instructions for use are provided with each unit.  Stores can use units from stock, but please contact us at 800-387-4565 if you need a 'Dummy Lamp' or two for your in-store display.

Field Question#1 - What are those 'strings' on your lamps?

A great question came to us from John G. in Clearwater, FL.  We're going to post any questions sent in that pertain to Second Wind Air Purifier or Indoor Air Quality in the next few blogs.  Please click here and send us your questions too!

Q. What are the strings for that run along the length of Second Wind Air Purifier UV lamps?

exposed end of lamp showing
connection of strings to filament

A. The strings are coated pieces of wiring that are connected to the filament ends.  The coated wires travel to the other end of the lamp where they terminate at the four-pin ceramic mounts.  The 4-pin end is where power is supplied via the custom ballast, sending current to both ends of the lamp.

If one or both of these 'strings' is severed, the lamp will not function and will need to be replaced immediately.  

MERS could be SARS v2.0

Back in April 2012, a SARS-like coronavirus was detected.  It has taken some time to develop, and in fact it is spreading slower than the original SARS outbreak of 2003 that devastated tourism in Toronto Ontario, Canada.  It has been designated by the World Health Organization (WHO) as Novel Coronavirus.  Since that time, an acronym has developed and it will likely be recognized as MERS - Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome.  As of June 3, 2013 there have been 54 confirmed cases of MERS, and among those cases there have been 34 deaths reported.

The MERS coronavirus has yet to surface in the United States, but experts say it's "only a plane ride away." 

"It would be easy for this to be imported to this country," said Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "CDC works 24/7 to track infections around the world because we are all connected by the air we breathe."

The history of the virus has already been posted on Wikipedia and can be found here. There are concerns posed about 'superspreaders' accelerators of virus distribution as was found in Typhoid Mary & SARS.  These carriers are ideal hosts that are highly infectious people who seem to be a perfect host and increase the spread of a particular strain.

Thankfully, as an informed global community, there are many helpful links that are providing information to us, as well as international news outlets.  The medical community has also been monitoring the development of this virus, something I believe we can all give thanks for, as 'chance favors the prepared mind'

A great article and video by ABC News - click here 

The CDC article on this topic - click here

It has been expected that many of the lessons learned from the 2003 SARS outbreak will be applied to treating this new virus.  The outbreak peaked in April and May that year, but in early July it was declared that the outbreak had been contained.  An estimated 774 people died of the disease and 7322 infected people eventually recovered, including the Singaporean doctor whose case prompted the worldwide alert on March 15.

When it comes to controlling global outbreaks such as these we must continue to let evidence speak louder than politics.
David L. Heymann, former executive director of communicable diseases at the World Health Organization

We will continue to report on this worldwide concern, especially with helpful information about taking care of your air and preventive measures you can consider for the health of you and your family.  Back in 2003 it was clarified that there has never been a bacteria or virus identified that cannot be killed by UVC light.  Adequate dosage is what is required, so we have confidence that Second Wind Air Purifier products will provide some assistance in addressing this new concern.

Standard & Classes Needed for UV Products

As the supply base of ultraviolet products continues to grow, the buying public is starting to get wary of the manufacturers' claims.  People are trying to gain an understanding of what makes 'Product X' better than 'Product Y'?  There is a ton of glamorous content on the internet and in the literature that many manufacturer's provide, but there is not a grade established to define which one's are the best, the same as others, or the worst.


From some research I have done, we know that a standard was proposed back in 2004-but its adoption proves to be difficult, as testing procedures are a stumbling block.  Click here for the link to the PDF document from 2004.

ASHRAE has had a committee working on a standard as well.  The technical committee is designated as TC2.9 .  Its focus is:
 "TC 2.9 is concerned with all aspects of equipment and systems that utilize ultraviolet radiation to destroy or de-activate chemical and / or biological air and surface contaminants in HVAC systems and indoor spaces, including but not limited to effectiveness, safety, maintenance, and economics."


It is with some hope that the TC2.9 committee will be able to introduce a working standard for ultraviolet devices that will define best applications for different devices, and which may serve in multiple classes - and provide an accepted rating within each volume.  As we've mentioned in previous blogs, there is not a Swiss Army UV device - some are suited for surface cleaning, some are suited for in-duct purification, etc.  The committee actually is showing 11 different classes that a UV device can be listed under.

Residential Products Page Updated

Take a look at our latest webpage update to Residential Air Purification products.  The product guide download sheets have also been modified showing our new look!  Please take one....a look that is *s*, and let us know if there's anything we can do to help you out! http://www.secondwindairpurifier.com/residential.htm

Spring Cleaning: Your Indoor Air Quality Maintenance

Pollen and allergy counts are at severe levels in the US presently as spring approaches.  This means that many allergy sufferers will be stocking up on medications and the all-too-familiar sound of nasal congestion in many of us will be heard across phone calls, during board room meetings and throughout our homes.

Change/Clean Filter regularly

After a Long Cold Winter (first CD I ever bought), we suggest that rejuvenating your household HVAC filtration systems is an essential part of preparing your home for the warm weather. These serve to trap & hold the one pound+ of dead skin each of us lose from our body each year along with the hair from pets- Gross  It is key to keep maintenance/replacement of the filters on a regular schedule for the best removal of particulate from the air in your homes. Most homes have existing systems, but if you don't have a filtration system already, we advise that you consider the investment, as it protects your HVAC system as well as improve the quality of your indoor air.

Germicidal UV light (UVC, not UVA) damages/destroys
bioaerosols at their genetic foundation

Many contaminants in your homes air stream are smaller than a filter system can treat-after all filters are systems with pores of various diameters that are present to allow air to move through them.  This means that organisms unable to be seen by your eyes are passing through into the livable air.  When exposed to UVC grade light, those contaminants can be rendered unable to reproduce or possibly kill them outright depending on their resistance to germicidal ultraviolet light.  Why Germicidal UV light?

Contact us if you have any questions about Indoor Air Quality.  We be pleased to help provide a solution for your home.  Have a great IAQ week, stay healthy!

The Second Wind Air Purifier Difference

The biggest feature that separates Second Wind Air Purifier Residential Products from our competitors is our FDA Class II Medical Device listing.

The key benefit for you, faithful reader is the opportunity that a homeowner can justify the value of installing a Second Wind Air Purifier with their health insurance provider.  If you follow the process that we outline on our website and in cooperation with your doctor, you may apply to your provider for possible compensation for the investment in your Second Wind Air Purifier device.  Please Click here for the application guidelines we provide.

Here's some of the answers to FAQ's we regularly receive regarding the process
Q - Can anyone receive the compensation from their health insurance provider?
A - In order to quality for the benefit of this qualification, an applicant's physician must confirm that the applicant(s) has a condition that would benefit from the presence of the device.  

Q - Does my doctor have anything to worry about if I ask him/her to assist in the application?
A - A doctor can morally and ethically work with you on this application.  If they concur that your condition would benefit from a Second Wind device, they can provide a prescription for the device to you as our guidelines direct

Q - What can be covered under a successful petition to the health insurance provider?
A - Unit original cost, installation costs, and necessary maintenance costs can all be included.  Costs of application, doctor's notes, travel and indirect costs are not part of expenses recognized. 

Q - Is partial or full compensation from my health insurance provider guaranteed?
A - No.  Second Wind is not able to guarantee any reimbursements from the health insurance provider.  It is at the insurer's discretion which applications and how much can be paid out.

Second Wind Air Purifier products are the only residential ultraviolet air purifiers holding this classification in the industry.  We believe that this is extremely beneficial for for homeowners and their families, especially to those who suffer from respiratory problems like asthma and allergies.  Most often, those individuals require considerable costs in medical expenses for drugs, inhalers, etc.  Our company has received testimonials over the last 20+ years that some customers have been able to cut down on the amount of prescription medication they have had to use, and saved $$$.  When you couple that with limiting the amount of drugs ingested or inhaled, their quality of life has been improved.

If there are any new questions to those above, please email us or comment here.  We appreciate the opportunity to speak with you!

New Indoor Air Quality Product: 9200 Series

Filter Box Sizes: 16x25; 20x20; 20x25
UV/PCO Kit 1625K mates to 16x25 filter box
the 2025K mates to 20x20 or 20x25

   The most recent addition to our active models was the 9200 Series, an All-in-One system that combines particulate filtration and purification on a lower price scale than our premium 9000 Series, which was covered in our January 28, 2013 blog post.
   This unit is supplied with a MERV 11 rated filter and an air purification kit, sized to match the filter box desired.
   Replacement parts are available from Second Wind, or installers or homeowners can purchase replacement filters from any vendor they want, as the UV lamp from the kit is designed to face away from the filter pleats, so they cannot be damaged.

  As a refresher, the Center for Disease Control identifies 3 factors that contribute to respiratory problems like asthma, allergies and general respiratory health of this planet's citizens.  The pie chart below shows the percentage of each of the contributing factors.

HEPA filter size limit is shown above as red line

Particulates are addressed by the filtration systems installed in a forced air HVAC system, like a furnace of air handler.  Keeping filters serviced is important to the efficiency and proper operation of the furnace or air handler..  Check out this HVAC contractor's website & blogs that enforce that statement.

Jerry Kelly Heating & Air Conditioning
- his blog from 2012 re: how often to change filter

Purification of the BioAerosols & Volatile Organic Compounds is provided by the ultraviolet light and Photo-Catalytic Oxidation technology in our All-in-One 9200 Series.

If you have any questions, please post them here, or privately email us to discuss.

Pre-Season Special Offer from Second Wind Air Purifier

Don't need to add much to this, except that it's a great deal
for Second Wind Customers!

Under the Knife

Happy Tuesday!

I am currently recovering from carpal tunnel surgery on both of my wrists and will not be posting a blog until next week.  Sorry for the lack of material these last few weeks, we'll be getting more information out for you soon!

Tom

9000 Series All-in-One Air Purifier

9000 Series w/ 2012 paint upgrade

The 9000 Series of Second Wind Air Purifier systems was the feature of our January 2013 issue of Second Glance newsletter.  In support of that article, I felt it would be good to highlight the article here and provide a little more information support and guidance when evaluating our product against our competitors.

As an industry leader in Indoor Air Quality, Second Wind's engineering and marketing group decided that an all-in-one solution was needed to address all the factors that the Center for Disease Control identifies that contribute to respiratory problems and general poor health.

The CDC is a fantastic resource for Indoor Air Quality information

This could be living and breeding
 in your filter pleats

This unit matches up against many of the traditional filter box manufacturers like Honeywell, Lennox and Carrier to name a few. Some of these companies are now building devices that tie-in UV purification with their filter systems, which furthers our point of the importance of having an ultraviolet system installed as well as a filtration system.  The key design difference for Second Wind was to have a filter that could bear the intensity of Second Wind's high output ultraviolet lamps directly shining on the pleats of the filter media.  This allows our UV & PCO technology to kill, decompose or break down the contaminants that mite (pun intended) come to rest on the filter media.  Not all filters can stand up to the UV light.  A quick look below shows what can happen to non-UV treated filter when exposed to the UV light source.

Filter media degraded under UV light -
a white powder residue bled thru HVAC system
and entered the living environment

As you can see, the UV light eroded the filter media right down to the skeleton of the filter’s pleats (see the white area in the center….ewwww!).  The smell in the home was terrible and noticeable within minutes after installation. It was obviously installed by someone that thought all filters were the same, especially if they fit the filter guides.  When this was brought to our attention, it became clear that a knock-off filter had been used.  On Second Wind Air Purifier 9000 Series systems, you must get your replacement filters from us.



In basic cost comparisons, the Second Wind device is still much more affordable.  Once you look at replacement part costs and system capabilities, our five-year costing is considerably lower than the aforementioned competitors (all info collected from internet vendors, pricing may differ).

As always, if there are any questions, post them here or email us privately and we will respond directly.  Please note that during 01/30 - 02/08 this blog will be suspended while your faithful author is recovering from carpal tunnel surgery.  Thanks for your patience 

Dave's not here, man

Happy Thursday, Indoor Air Quality true believers!
I'm on the road working this week, and have not been able to put an update together this week.  Suffice it to say, we've had a great week visiting with customers and planning for further Indoor Air Quality Domination.  I will be back next week with another update and product focus for you all.  Tom (not Dave)

Product Feature: Coil Clean Models

One of the most popular portions of our product line is the Coil Clean Division.  The HVAC industry has often referred to these systems as 'Stick Lights' based on their simple design of an illuminated lamp that faces  the air conditioning coil to bathe it in purifying germicidal light to prevent growth of mold, mildew and other contaminants on the coil surfaces and deep within their fins.  These devices help A/C systems last longer, run cleaner, and reduce maintenance of the evaporator coil.

These systems have traditionally been sold in the high humidity locations in the US that, when combined with high temperatures require almost constant operation of air conditioning systems.  These units are designed for easy installation into air handlers of any manufacturer and orientation.  Recently, these Coil Clean models have also been migrating to be used in supply plenums of full ducted systems, where the 24V ballast can be easily connected to the accessory terminals on the control panel for power.  To support this demand and to offer choice, Second Wind Air Purifier has created variations of the standard design to offer homeowners options to address their different wants and needs.

New for 2013 was to provide all of our Coil Clean models equipped with rare earth magnets for easy installation.  With lamp lengths of 12 and 14 inches, Singlet Oxygen lamps and Photo-Catalytic Oxidation (PCO) odor control brackets customers can choose which of the seven different Coil Cleaning and Air Purifying systems are best for their personal needs.  The chart and photos can help you see which unit is best for you.

Coil maintenance is essential to keep your air handler properly operating and most efficient.  Even a microscopic layer of mold on evaporator coils can dramatically affect the performance of the system.  A poorly operating air handler costs more to operate, and will require more expensive maintenance later as the system is over-taxed.  The build up on these coils can come from dirt, dust, dander, shedded skin (did you know that each person loses one pound of skin each year? Gross!) and mold, among other contaminants.  Properly maintaining your filter media and changing your UVC lamp(s) on a regular basis will keep your unit running at its most efficient state.  Check with your HVAC service technician, you may even save on the use of chemicals for coil cleaning by installing a Second Wind Air Purifier.

I found this link when preparing this blog and it is testimonials from those that have serviced their own coils.  This information is here only to help educate the reader on why the coil should be cleaned, my political affiliations are not represented by the linked site.  Why Clean Evaporator Coil?

Please comment here or email for any support information at  any time!