Refurbished fume hoods in stock now at American Instrument Exchange. Click HERE to see our current available inventory.
We spend a lot of time working with fume hoods here at American Instrument Exchange: removing fume hoods, refurbishing fume hoods, selling fume hoods, and securing and packing fume hoods for shipping. Our technicians can replace broken and missing baffles, fabricate side panels and access panels, install or strip fixtures, replace broken sash glasses or re-wire a sash that’s out of alignment.
And while to the untrained eye fume hoods have remained essentially the same over the years, we’ve noticed developments that we appreciate, such as a more widespread adoption of the dual-entry sash and a more durable counterbalance system based on a chain and sprocket pulley construction. One of the more impressive developments is the increased versatility and usefulness of ductless chemical fume hoods.
Ductless fume hoods (also known as filtered fume hoods) are designed to serve the same purpose as traditional ducted models, namely to protect lab personnel by removing hazardous fumes, vapors and particles from the laboratory. Traditional ducted models do this by connecting to a blower motor and duct work that draws air in from the front of the cabinet, through the chamber and up the duct to be expelled from the building. Ductless hoods, on the other hand, rely on a series of carbon and HEPA filters to clean the air before recirculating it back into the room.
Because a refurbished ductless fume hood can be set up without any major installation work, the main advantages of a refurbished ductless fume hood is the low initial set up cost. Often times the is the first consideration a customer might make – it saves money and headache, so of course this is the way to go.
But low installation cost can sometimes mean higher operating costs – much higher. Filter lifespan and the need to replace filters varies depending the chemicals being used in the unit, the evaporation rate of the chemical in question, the amount of use the hood sees each day along with the volume of the chemical. Maximum filter life is generally no longer than two years and some may need to be replaced every few months, depending on usage, and lab personnel must be familiar enough with the equipment to monitor the filter health. At costs of $300 to $800 or more for the new filter plus disposal cost for the old filter, this can quickly turn an inexpensive initial investment into a significant operating cost.
Additionally, some applications or lab settings aren’t well suited to a ductless unit. Will many different chemicals be used in the hood, for example in shared lab space? Will acid digestion or other extreme heating applications be performed in the hood? Will the volume of each chemical used typically exceed 500mL? In all of these cases a ductless model probably isn’t the best option.
Traditional ducted models are themselves less expensive than the ducted models, but the installation can be pricier by many orders of magnitude, especially in buildings that are not configured as lab space. For more detailed information on install costs you should check with a local HVAC firm and/or engineer to get an estimate on the extent of work needed and cost to install a ducted hood in your particular space.
Once installed however, ducted fume hoods tend to be more worry free than ductless models. There are no filters to be monitored or changed, and any necessary maintenance and/or monitoring can be performed by facilities personnel without unduly disrupting work flow in the lab.
If you have questions about whether a refurbished ductless fume hood is right for you or if you are better off with a traditional ducted model, please give us a call or email. We’re happy to answer your questions to the best of our ability or point you in the right direction for more information. We also have plenty of used and refurbished ducted and ductless fume hoods in stock and available. Thanks!
American Instrument Exchange has been a reliable source for used laboratory and scientific equipment for over 50 years, buying and selling equipment since 1969. Our surplus lab equipment is reconditioned for many types of laboratories, including biotech, biomedical, medical research, chemical, pharmaceutical, and university and hospital research laboratories. All lab equipment listed on our website is in stock and ships from our 30,000 square foot warehouse in Massachusetts. Our facilities include a fully equipped shop with highly trained technicians who thoroughly test each instrument before it reaches your laboratory. Please visit our website at https://www.americaninstrument.com/.