by Joel Myerson
Ifacility offers a variety of services, one of which is maintenance on various types of respirators. We can service and check Self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBAs), airline respirators, Powered air purifying respirators (PAPRs), and even half and full-face respirators. For Powered air purifying respirators which are more commonly called by their acronym PAPRs, we offer a level or service that other companies can’t offer, and that end users can’t do on their own.
PAPRs need both visual inspections to make sure all of the components are working properly, don’t have any damage, and aren’t missing any parts. More importantly, the housing of the PAPR blower needs to be tested to make sure that it’s airtight. The only way to test the PAPR blower is to create a vacuum in the blower.
We are the ONLY company in New England and in Upstate New York that has the part to do testing of the ILC Dover Sentinel PAPRs, and of the Bullard PAPRs.
The part that is needed was custom made for us; it was custom made in conjunction with ILC Dover and in conjunction with Bullard. And that part allows us to draw a vacuum in the housing, and test that housing to make sure it holds a vacuum – we then know it’s airtight. If the blower housing isn’t airtight, contaminated air can be drawn into the housing without going through the filters, and be directly drawn into the hood, or into the respirator, right into the user’s breathing zone. The vacuum housing test is the most critical test for a PAPR, and we’re the only company that can perform that test. Other service companies or other providers that claim that they can test PAPRs are only doing visual inspections, and end users need to be aware that a visual inspection alone isn’t enough. If that housing isn’t airtight then the PAPR shouldn’t be used.
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