The personnel that continuously work in your laboratory need to have the proper safety conditions, in order to protect them from any hazardous tasks. Fume Hoods are especially designed to limit the exposure to toxic fumes, vapors or dusts when it comes to a laboratory workflow. A bench top fume hood guarantees safe laboratory conditions at all times. These devices are built for maximum chemical resistance with clear sashes that can slide horizontally or vertically into place and support high working visibility.

There are other safety features about a regular fume hood. They are often a large piece of enclosed equipment that creates working area. They are leak-proof, which means that their enclosures will not corrode even with heavy routine use and corrosive spills. The chemical fume hoods circulate and filter air to eliminate possible vapors produced. These bench top fume hoods are located in a flat and stable surface that allows you to work on them without any problem.

Fume Hood types

Fume-hoods draw air out of the rooms they are installed in. There needs to be an adequate volume of air available or the fume-hood will not be able to draw a sufficient volume of air to function properly. If the fume hood is located in a small room or there are a large number of fume-hoods an additional supply of air, other than the normal room ventilation, may be required. This additional air is known as the make-up air. If the make-up air supply is not adequate or the make-up air is switched off then the fume-hoods may not be able to achieve the required face velocity. This can cause fumes to escape in to the laboratory.

You should know that there are two main fume hood types, such as ducted and recirculating (ductless) fume hoods. There is to know, the principle for both is the same, air is drawn in from the front side of the cabinet and either expelled outside the building or made safe through filtration and fed back into the room. These devices are usually placed against the walls and filled with infills above in order to cover up the exhaust duct. Bench top fume hoods are only one part of the laboratory’s ventilation system, because the recirculation of lab air to the rest of the facility is not allowed.

Fume Hood function

Any kind of fume hood is conceived to protect the workers of a laboratory when performing hazardous experiments and procedures. These devices protect the user from inhaling toxic gases, also protect the product or experiment and they protect the environment. There are some secondary options these benchtop fume hoods include; for example: explosion protection, spill containment and other necessary functions for the work that is taking place within the device.

Another important aspect is the fume hood’s maintenance. This process can involve daily, periodic and annual inspections that includes:

– Daily fume hood inspection: The fume hood area is visually inspected for storage of material and other visible blockages.

– Periodic fume hood function inspection: Capture or face velocity is typically measured with a velometer or anemometer. Hoods for most common chemicals have a minimum average face velocity of 100 feet (30 m) per minute at sash opening of 18 inches (460 mm). In addition, other local exhaust devices are smoke tested to determine if the contaminants they are designed to remove are being adequately captured by the hood.

– Annual maintenance: Exhaust fan maintenance, (i.e. lubrication, belt tension, fan blade deterioration and rpm), is performed in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendation, or as adjusted for appropriate hood function.

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