Air Tech

The Origins of the HEPA Filter: Nuclear Research

1 Comment

There has been some… grim news recently about a possible war between the US and North Korea over their developing nuclear capabilities. There is a ray of light though, in this grim news. It gives us an excuse to talk about HEPA Filters. It turns out, they were created specifically because of nuclear research and the fall out of nuclear weapons.   Filters Before HEPA Air filters have been around for a long time. The first air filters can be traced all the way back to the 1500s, a primitive respirator to protect the wearer from gases, dust, and fumes. Damp-cloth respirators started to come around in the 18th and 19th century. These used damp wool and valves to filter dust out of the air. The liquid-based approach would end up expanding to water and oil bath systems that essentially washed the air. Most contaminants would end up dissolved or pushed down in the water, while the air could eventually pass through. This technology was used on cars, trucks, tractors, and even some early air conditioning systems. It was pretty much the only known way to clean the air. At the time, there were no electron microscopes and the concept of cells and bacteria was still pretty new. There simply hadn’t been research into all the little things in the air and how effective or ineffective the existing filters were beyond subjective opinions. In the 1940s, there came a very […]

Read More →

Special Events

The (Summarized) History of the American Revolution

Leave a Comment

Today, we’re going to turn our attention away from Air Conditioners, Boilers, Thermostats, and everything else in our industry to look at history and change. We’re going back before the air conditioner and before climate control as we know it today, to a period when your “air conditioner” was the window and a strong breeze. Building Tensions The 13 English Colonies are on the border of outright war with the crown. In 1765, the Stamp Act tried to raise taxes in the colonies and block smuggling to ensure England got it’s cut of everything entering or leaving the country. The Act was repealed shortly afterward, with Parliment refusing to give up control or provide true representation to the colonies. These unpopular laws lead to the Boston Massacre in 1770, seeing colonists gunned down by British soldiers during a protest. This fueled calls for revolution. In 1773 the Tea Act was created to prop up the failing East India Company. There were widespread protests about the implications of the law. Efforts across the country were made to stop the British Tea shipments entirely. One particular shipment of tea was dumped into the Boston harbor in what we now call the Boston Tea Party. At the time, there was no concept of anyone truly resisting the British Empire. Larger nations such as France and Spain had failed to fight back. Decades after the American Revolution, the British would even defeat China, in […]

Read More →