15.11.2004

An ecological reflection - Part I

Dust in your home has always been a nuisance and for about 100 years, one tries to get the tiny dust particles under control with vacuum cleaners. At the beginning, there was the feather duster, then the vacuum cleaner that was operated in manorial houses with long hoses, driven by an air pump in the courtyard or in the street, to get rid of annoying dust on valuable, ornately carved furniture. When the smaller electric motors were produced, smaller air pumps were built and taken into the houses to vacuum every corner inside. But one realized quickly that vacuum cleaners also blow very powerfully and the vicious circle began.

But manufacturers have made great efforts, nevertheless. First, simple filters and dust bags came on the market, then more and more special ones. But the situation in our homes hasn’t changed very much. In Germany, about 6 millions of vacuum cleaners are sold every year. Approx. 100 millions of dust bags swallow up the money of consumers and then end up in household waste where they cause approx. 400 million litres or approx. 80 millions of dustbins of dirt from vacuum cleaners. It also turned out that industry could make a lot of money out of it.

                                         Siemens vacuum cleaner around 1950

For the consumers’ good, new avenues were tried out.

Water filters with and without separator have been applied for patent and within 60 years have shown a good development. So, the DELPHIN that is on the market since 1993 also had a separator. The separator has swirled the water, has protected the motor from sucking up water and rejected small droplets and dust particles.

But PROAIR GmbH has realized that a separator that works like a centrifuge can’t be the ideal solution.

The cause of this is that centrifuges like the old butter barrel or the spin drier only separate because no reverse flow streams from outside into the centrifuge.

It’s completely different with separators. Suction air streams through the slots to the suction fan at a very high speed. Nothing can be separated against this incoming air. Particles that are accelerated by centrifugal force can’t fly back into the water against the air current. These particles are clearly carried along, so they get into and through the appliances, that’s why additional filters are required or offered in all water filter appliances.

But water filters and additional filters are no solution since then there is the known filter problem. Filters clog up, get damp, germs form inside and you constantly have to buy new ones.

That’s why PROAIR engineers tried out new avenues to get even the last dust particles out of the air.

The new solution is called L-Lamella^®.

You can also read part two with more information on this topic which will appear on 22^nd November on our news site.