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What are Room Pressure and Room Status Monitors?

Differential pressure between two rooms prevents dust, particulates, and pathogens from entering or exiting one room and going into the other. Depending on the relationship between rooms, one room will be under positive pressure when referenced against the other. This positive-negative pressure relationship between two spaces is the main idea behind clean rooms and isolation rooms. To ensure the differential pressure relationship is maintained, a measuring device must be used.

Magnehelic® Gages Monitoring Isolation Room Pressure

Room pressure monitors and room status monitors measure, display, and transmit the differential pressure reading between two rooms. In general, room pressure monitors only monitor differential pressure. On the other hand, room status monitors monitor differential pressure and additional parameters such as relative humidity, temperature, air change, or door status. They are both used in critical applications that require critical low differential pressure relationships.  Continue reading “What are Room Pressure and Room Status Monitors?”

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Importance of Sensor Stability in Educational Facilities

Educational facilities, or public and private institutions devoted to teaching students, differ in physical size and level of education programs. These institutions can range from preschool to university levels, all of which need proper heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems and indoor air quality.

While indoor air quality (IAQ) is important for everyone’s health, it is especially important for young children that are still developing their lungs. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Science Advisory Board has completed multiple school studies that show indoor air pollution among the top five environmental risks to public health.  Continue reading “Importance of Sensor Stability in Educational Facilities”

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Importance of Sensor Stability in Healthcare Isolation Rooms

Magnehelic® Gages Monitoring Isolation Room Pressure

The purpose of a healthcare isolation room is to prevent patients with contagious illnesses from spreading to others or to keep immunocompromised patients safe from exposure to airborne pathogens. As such, there exist two types of isolation rooms, either positively or negatively pressurized. 

Positive pressure isolation rooms are designed to keep pathogens and outside air from entering the room, i.e. air inside the room is forced outward and is typically used for immunocompromised patients. Like clean rooms, it is important to maintain proper positive pressure within the protective isolation room to keep the patients safe. Continue reading “Importance of Sensor Stability in Healthcare Isolation Rooms”

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How is Stability Related to ASHRAE 62.1 Standards?

ASHRAE 62.1 Standard for Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality provides recommendations for minimum ventilation rates and other parameters to ensure good indoor air quality (IAQ). Keeping the IAQ at a safe level will help to minimize any adverse health effects caused by air quality factors. 

The 62.1 standard is intended for both new building and building addition projects. It can also be used as a guide for the improvement of IAQ in existing buildings.

In order to properly conform to the ASHRAE 62.1 standard, it is necessary for sensors to be both stable and accurate. Continue reading “How is Stability Related to ASHRAE 62.1 Standards?”

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What is Stability and Why is it Important?

Stability is defined as a change (or lack of change) in accuracy over a period of time.

Drift is commonly used as a specification to illustrate the stability, or change in accuracy over a period of time, commonly shown as X%/year where X = a number; i.e. 0.25%/year. In this scenario, a device with a ±1% accuracy, would be expected to have an accuracy of ±1.25% (1%+0.25%) after a period of one year. Depending on the design, brand, and range of the sensing instrument, the stability can vary widely. Continue reading “What is Stability and Why is it Important?”