The Ultimate Guide to Comfort First Filtered Supply Diffusers

When it comes to optimizing the indoor air quality of your commercial spaces, not all solutions are created equal. At Comfort First Products, we understand the importance of a controlled, clean-air environment for your workspace. That’s why we’re proud to offer our state-of-the-art Comfort First Filtered Supply Diffuser, designed to revolutionize the way air is circulated and purified in offices and other commercial settings.

Understanding Airflow Challenges in Commercial Spaces

Airflow in commercial buildings, whether an office, a hospital, or a laboratory, can often be unpredictable. One common issue is the presence of cold or hot spots, which can significantly affect comfort and productivity. Traditional air vent systems might distribute air unevenly, causing discomfort among occupants. Moreover, air quality can be compromised by germs, viruses, and allergens, especially in densely populated or high-traffic areas.

Introducing Comfort First Filtered Supply Diffusers

Our Comfort First Filtered Supply Diffuser is designed to address these challenges head-on. Here’s how our innovative product ensures a comfortable and healthier environment:

Consistent and Comfortable Airflow: Our diffuser distributes air evenly, eliminating random cold or hot spots. This means every corner of your space receives consistent airflow, making the environment more comfortable.

High-Efficiency Air Filtration: The health of your building’s occupants is paramount. Our filtered supply diffusers come equipped with the option to use MERV 12 or MERV 14 filters. MERV 12 filters are perfect for office spaces and most buildings, capturing a significant amount of airborne particles without sacrificing airflow. In settings where air purity is crucial, like hospitals or laboratories, our MERV 14 filters offer enhanced safeguarding by capturing finer particles without compromising airflow efficiency.

Easily Adjustable Louvers: Flexibility is critical in managing a perfect indoor climate. Our diffusers feature easily adjustable louvers, allowing you to control the direction and volume of the airflow precisely. Adjusting the settings is straightforward and user-friendly whether you need more air directed upwards or toward the center of the room.

Sleek and Professional Aesthetic: We believe that functionality doesn’t have to sacrifice style. Our filtered supply diffusers boast a sleek design that blends seamlessly into your office or commercial space’s aesthetic, maintaining a professional look while delivering unparalleled air quality control.

Easy Maintenance: Replacing filters and adjusting settings should not be a chore. The Comfort First Filtered Supply Diffuser is designed for ease of maintenance. Replacing the MERV 12 or MERV 14 filters is simple, ensuring you can always keep your air clean and fresh without any hassle.

Why Choose Comfort First?

At Comfort First Products, we are dedicated to enhancing the air quality of commercial environments through innovative solutions. Here’s why many businesses trust our filtered supply diffusers:

Improved Health: By filtering out harmful particles, our diffusers contribute to a healthier workplace. This becomes particularly critical in the present landscape, where there is a heightened emphasis on health and hygiene.

Enhanced Comfort: Our product’s ability to evenly distribute and control airflow ensures that every individual in the space can enjoy comfort, regardless of their location within the building.

Energy Efficiency: Efficient air distribution enables heating and cooling systems to operate more effectively, resulting in lower energy usage and cost savings.

Aesthetic Flexibility: We ensure that our products perform well and look good while doing it. This dual focus on form and function complements any modern commercial space.

Wrapping Up

The Comfort First Filtered Supply Diffuser is not just a piece of equipment; it’s an investment in your workspace’s comfort, health, and productivity. Say goodbye to the challenges of unpredictable airflow and hello to a consistent, clean, and comfortable air environment.

Explore our website or reach out to our team to discover more about our products and their potential to enhance your environment. Allow us to effortlessly assist you in streamlining and optimizing your air management.

Under Pressure – Why Clean Air Filters Matter

Just like the iconic rock band Queen, your HVAC system is always “Under Pressure.” As air moves throughout a building, different factors have an effect on the flow of that air. These factors affect the air flow temperature, speed, and pressure. Issues within your HVAC system can cause the air pressure to change, which could negatively affect you and others attempting to work or live in those spaces. If you have ever walked into a room and immediately noticed something “off” about the way the air felt in the space, then you may have been experiencing high air pressure. High air pressure can lead to temperature fluctuations and general discomfort for people operating in that room. Even if you have already stocked your building with Comfort First’s premier air conditioner deflectors and air vent diffusers, an issue with your HVAC system could be causing static pressure issues.

 

How Does Air Flow Through An HVAC System?

In order to understand how your building can be negatively affected by high air pressure, you must first grasp how air is brought in to a space and distributed by an HVAC system. HVAC systems work by in-taking outside air, putting it through an air purification process, and then distributing that air throughout the building at the desired temperature. This entire system is controlled by a thermostat – the HVAC unit self-adjusts the pressure and heat levels to produce the desired effect. The air that reaches the occupants of the building can not only vary in temperature level, but in pressure levels as well.

 

What Is Static Pressure?

Static pressure can be a real drag. In fact, drag is a great way of framing one’s thinking about static pressure. When air is free to move throughout a space without being impeded or experiencing drag, the static pressure will remain at comfortable levels. When air is trying to move through a system where it experiences drag, the static pressure of that air will rise. High static pressure can not only make the air in a space uncomfortable, but it can also place stress on components of your HVAC system that could lead to maintenance issues and even system failure. Having a certified HVAC professional evaluate your system will definitely determine if there is in fact a static pressure issue.

 

How Is Static Pressure Measured?

If you suspect your system has a high or low static pressure issue, or if you just want to do a general wellness-check on your HVAC system, contact a certified technician. A maintenance technician will visit your location and perform a test on your system. He or she determines if there is an air pressure issue by measuring static pressure at several places along your system and by checking the air handler filter pressure sensor. This sensor is a permanent installation in your HVAC system that is designed to protect the system from a catastrophic failure. Low static air pressure issues will typically cause this type of catastrophic failure, but high static pressure issues are much more common and need to be measured by an on-site technician.

 

Problems Bad Static Pressure Can Cause

If your unit is experiencing static pressure issues, it can manifest in your system in a number of ways.

  • Noise: if your system is experiencing high static pressure, you may hear loud sounds coming from the unit and ducting. The higher the static pressure, the more physical pressure and strain is placed on your HVAC unit.
  • Lackluster Airflow: if you can feel distinct hot or cold spots in a space, or the air just being generally uncomfortable, static pressure could be the culprit.
  • Component Failure: as previously mentioned, high static air pressure causes intense strain on your unit. Components may cease to function or drastically lose efficiency.
  • Complete Unit Failure: if not caught in time, high static pressure can cause the catastrophic failure of your entire unit.

 

How To Fix Static Pressure Issues

Regular wellness checks from a qualified HVAC maintenance technician is your best bet to ensure the longevity of your HVAC system. There are steps you can take to prevent static pressure issues and safeguard the health of your unit. The biggest thing that can be done to prevent high static pressure is providing clean filters for your unit. Think back to drag – the easier air can move through a space the better quality that air will maintain. Drag causes air molecules to slow down and work harder to reach you, which means that they may change temperature and no longer match the temperature that the HVAC unit is trying to produce. A dirty filter blocks the flow of air and makes the entire unit work harder to push air through.

The proper filtration system can make all the difference to the health of your HVAC unit. Luckily, Comfort First makes it easy to filter air through our commercial diffusers and vent diverters. We also provide convenient replacement filter sets to keep your air flowing and at optimum static pressure levels. Shop our online store today!

How to Identify Poor Indoor Air Quality

If you own a commercial building, you’ve probably got a lot of things on your plate at any given time. There’s a lot of stuff to take care of and manage, so it wouldn’t be surprising if indoor air quality wasn’t always at the top of your list. However, it’s important not to neglect what’s happening in your HVAC system, because if left unchecked, the indoor air quality of a commercial building can seriously deteriorate. At first, it may just cause minor annoyances, but as the problem gets worse, it can become the cause of dangerous health hazards.

Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to recognize that you have poor air quality. It’s often something you have to go out of your way to check, because unless it’s extremely bad, it’s probably something you’ve been experiencing on a day-to-day basis for weeks or even months. Changes in air quality can be so subtle that you don’t notice them as they come.

Want to figure out how good or bad your indoor air quality might be? Here are some questions to ask yourself.

How Humid Is It?

One of the easiest ways to get a lead on bad air quality is to check the humidity. Humidity levels aren’t a result of bad air quality, but they can be the source of it. Ideally, you’ll want your commercial building’s humidity to be around 35-50%. When your humidity is too low, you’ll end up with excessively dry air. This can cause the typical irritations you’ll find from dryness, such as itchy skin. But dry air can also make it easier to get an upper respiratory infection, which is something that’s just better off avoided.

Meanwhile, if your building’s air is too humid, it’s going to be ripe for all kinds of nasty and unpleasant growth. Moisture-heavy air is where mold and mildew thrive, and you can bet you’ll be getting some if you don’t keep an eye on your humidity levels. Humid air also attracts bugs and pests more than dry air does. But make no mistake — mold is the biggest enemy to air quality. Mold is insidiously hard to get rid of, and its spores will make their way into people’s lungs like it’s nothing.

If your air is too dry or too humid, it doesn’t necessarily guarantee that your air quality is bad. But it can be a good starting point to start looking for other problems. If, for example, it’s sitting at high humidity, it would be prudent for you to do an exhaustive mold checkup.

Are Sicknesses or Allergies Flaring Up?

Another good starting point for diagnosing air quality is to consider how the people inside your building are doing. Do allergies seem to be exceedingly common? Are people coughing a lot? Does it seem like a new cold or flu passes through the building every two weeks?

It’s really easy to look at this kind of behavior and just assume that there’s a bug going around. And indeed, that may be true — the common cold tends to flare up during certain seasons, but it’s very possible that if you have bad air quality, you’re making it far easier for pathogens to get around.

If your air is really bad, it could be a phenomenon exclusive to your current building. So it’s also useful to note the behavior of people in your other circles. Is there a cold that’s “going around” at everyone’s work? Or does everyone seem to be fine and dandy except for the poor suckers in your building? If it’s the former, it’s time to investigate your indoor air quality.

Is the Air Being Distributed Equally?

This is one that we know all about at Comfort First Products. Basically, you’ll want to investigate the air flow in your building. While small apartments and homes typically don’t have major problems in air distribution, it’s much different in commercial buildings and offices, which have massive HVAC systems that often cover several floors and thousands of square feet. Unless the building’s vents have impeccable design, it’s more than likely that air distribution is uneven in certain spots.

Why is this important? First off, it could be indicative of HVAC problems — if air isn’t reaching certain areas, there could be blockage in your system or it could be working at weakened power. Obstructions in your vents can decrease air quality, while a weakened system may not be doing a very good job at filtering out gunk from outside.

But even if your HVAC is in perfect condition, uneven airflow is still possible due to vent design, and that’s why, at Comfort First, we offer a variety of air diffuser and vent deflector products. When you install one of our air diffusers or vent deflectors where the air usually comes out, you can redirect the air to distribute more freely. You can either have it flow into four different directions, or redirect it to take a trajectory of your choosing.

Uneven airflow isn’t ideal because it can make certain regions of your office more susceptible to bad air. An area with excessive airflow may become disproportionately humid, causing mold, and the opposite can be true too, with certain parts of the office being too dry. It can also cause temperature fluctuations, which is a cause of discomfort.

Is There Dust Building Up?

If you have a regular cleaning crew, it’s possible that dust isn’t an issue in your building, but if you don’t, it’s something you need to be proactive about. Most people are good at preventing dust buildup on their desks and common areas, but pay attention to the windows, blinds, and unused areas of your building. If there’s a lot of dust forming, it doesn’t bode well for the air quality in your building.

Dust is one of the biggest culprits of poor indoor air quality. It dissipates into the air until it’s visible and before you know it, everyone is unknowingly breathing it in, potentially with a good dose of coughing and wheezing. If you start to see a lot of dust, get to work fixing it ASAP.

Does It Smell?

One of the biggest giveaways of poor air quality is a bad scent, but this, surprisingly, can be pretty hard to identify. Smells can be subtle, and when we spend enough time in their presence, it’s easy to become desensitized. Even some of the nastiest smells can feel “invisible” after a while, so it wouldn’t be surprising if you have a funky smell and don’t even realize it.

One of the best ways to get a good reading on the smell of your commercial building is to step outside and then back inside multiple times. Pay careful attention to what you’re smelling — does the building smell like a “normal” indoor space, or is there definitely something funky in the air? If you can safely say that it’s the latter, it’s time to look for indoor air quality solutions!

Improve Your Air Quality With Indoor Vent Deflectors and Air Diffusers

At Comfort First Products, we offer a variety of indoor air quality solutions. Our vent deflectors and air diffusers go a long way towards creating more equal air flow in your building, and they’re equipped with high-quality filters which will help to trap harmful particulates. Want to make sure no one in your building is breathing in nasty air? Browse our selection of products today!

Don’t Buy Into These Myths About Indoor Air Quality

At Comfort First, we sell all kinds of products that are meant to improve the indoor air quality of your building and promote healthy indoor air quality. However, the importance of our products can easily be lost on someone who doesn’t have a solid understanding of why it’s important to maintain good air quality.

Unfortunately, this problem is exacerbated by various myths and misconceptions that have long been floating around. It’s time to put these to rest. Don’t buy into the following myths regarding indoor air quality!

Myth: Indoor Air is Healthier Than Outdoor Air

From a certain point of view, this one could make sense on paper if you don’t think too hard about it. After all, the outdoor air in many cities is tainted by smog and who-knows-what, and a lot of people have the expectation that indoor HVAC systems naturally filter the bad stuff out.

While HVAC systems do, in fact, filter harmful particulates in the air, the truth is the indoor air is almost always lower quality than outdoor air. The bottom line is that the air we breathe indoors comes from the air outside, so even if it gets filtered, we’re still breathing in the same air over and over as it circulates.

And that’s not taking into account HVAC quality. If you haven’t changed your air filters in a long time, or invested in products such as air deflectors and vent diffusers, you could be lowering the air quality in your home or commercial building.

And, finally, buildings have their own problems that you don’t always encounter outdoors. Mold, dust, pet dander, and pathogens all love to thrive indoors, and you can bet they will be circulated through your air system. With all these things considered, it’s easy to see why it’s so important to be proactive about maintaining your HVAC system.

Myth: Indoor Air Quality Isn’t a Big Deal

If this point were true, we wouldn’t be taking the time to write about it! Though, if that argument isn’t quite compelling enough for you, let’s break it down a little more.

Bad indoor air quality can manifest itself in various forms, ranging from mildly annoying to a legitimate health hazard. People who have breathing problems suffer greatly from bad indoor air quality, as dust and pollutants can trigger asthma attacks. People who experience seasonal allergies can have regular reactions indoors if the HVAC system isn’t up to par. Meanwhile, harmful chemicals like mold can build up in your air vent system, creating a nasty odor, headaches, and respiratory problems.

If it’s your home, being negligent about air quality is one thing, but it’s on another level if you’re the owner of a large commercial building or office space. Sure, you might be willing to cough every once in a while and deal with allergies, but do you want to be responsible for exposing countless other employees to that? People have different tolerances to air quality, so it’s best to prevent any major problems by investing in well-made indoor air quality products.

Myth: Newer Buildings Always Have Better Air Quality

We tend to have a subconscious habit of regarding newer things as better, or higher quality. But we advise you to not be deceived. Did you know that newer and “cleaner” buildings actually often have worse indoor air quality?

First off, newer buildings are much more airtight than what came before. This has its advantages, such as being less susceptible to outdoor temperatures, but it also means that it’s harder for air to escape, thus resulting in poor indoor air quality as the same air is circulated over and over.

Also, the construction aspect of new properties doesn’t do favors for your air quality. Paint fumes and formaldehydes have a tendency of getting into the air, and the building will actually need some time to totally rid itself of the pollutants.

If you’re a commercial building owner, it’s important to remember that your air quality might not be good just because your building “feels” nice, so make sure to get it checked as soon as possible!

Myth: You Have No Control Over The Airflow in Your Building

Many people believe that they’re under the whim of their building design when it comes to airflow. In other words, they resign themselves to the ventilation design of the building, when in reality, there are many things that can be done to have some degree of control over your building’s airflow.

Consider a vent deflector. You’ve probably seen these all over various commercial buildings. Vent deflectors create an angle or slope right underneath an air vent, which guides the air flow in a certain direction. This is useful, because sometimes if you do nothing, the air being circulated by your HVAC might end up congregating in a corner, or blowing disproportionately hard on a certain region of the office.

By making wise use of vent deflectors and air diffusers, you can create even airflow throughout your building, something which ultimately can benefit the indoor air quality! It also ensures that, if you have any problems with your air quality, that they’re not being forced upon one specific region of the office, resulting in employees who routinely experience worse air quality than their coworkers.

Myth: Air Filters Should Be Replaced on An Annual Basis

Close, but no cigar. While it’s absolutely true that your air filters should be regularly replaced, doing it once a year is not nearly “regular” enough. Air filters, especially the ones that are found in commercial buildings, filter out a whole lot of contaminants, and if you leave them sitting there for months and months at a time, you can bet that they’re going to build up with pollutants, resulting in less efficient air flow, and more particles “breaking through” the barrier, which ultimately reduces air quality.

We would suggest replacing your filters every two to three months. Fortunately, if you’re the type of person that has a hard time remembering mundane maintenance jobs like this, you can subscribe to our air filter subscription program, where we will routinely send you new filters! This will ensure that you have a solid reminder every few months to change your filters, and your indoor air quality will be all the better for it.

Air Diffusers, Vent Deflectors, Air Filters, and More

The best thing you can do to promote good indoor air quality is to invest in products that will facilitate healthy and productive airflow.

We call ourselves “Comfort First Products” for a reason — it’s because our HVAC components have a profound impact on the indoor air quality of your commercial building, resulting in a comfier, healthier, and safer environment for you and your employees. Browse our selection today!

Why Indoor Air Quality Is Often Worse Than Outdoor Air Quality

If you are a facility manager or owner of a commercial or industrial building, you can take action to improve indoor air quality (IAQ). In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been receiving an increasing number of inquiries on how IAQ can be improved.

This has resulted in the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) taking action and completing more than 600 indoor air quality investigations in the office buildings under the Health Hazard Evaluation Program.

Not only do owners and facility managers need to make an effort toward improving air quality, but the staff and occupants of the building need to get involved as well. IAQ, whether commercial or industrial, is a community effort.

That’s why in this blog post, Comfort First Products is going to share the factors that contribute to IAQ, what owners and facility managers can do to improve IAQ, and how staff and occupants can get involved to help improve IAQ.

Why Indoor Air Quality Matters

Indoor air quality can impact health, well-being, and performance. Did you know that humans on average spend 93 percent of their time indoors? 87 percent of that time is in a building, and the other six percent is in an automobile. What’s more, the EPA shared another study that showed that “concentrations of some pollutants are often two to five times higher than typical outdoor concentrations.”

This means that building, facility, and business managers have an obligation to ensure that the IAQ of their building or facility is being addressed regularly to keep the environment clean and healthy for themselves, staff, occupants, employees, and more.

What Factors Contribute To Indoor Air Quality?

The reason indoor air quality is often worse than outdoor air quality is the ability to filter pollutants, chemicals, and allergens from the air before they come into contact with staff or occupants. In fact, IAQ is not an easily defined problem like a broken desk drawer or a leaky faucet; it’s a complex issue that includes many factors. Also, heat, dust, and moisture all play a role in indoor air quality. Some of those factors are listed below:

  • Types and levels of pollutants, allergens, or chemicals in the environment
  • Sources of pollutants
  • HVAC design, maintenance, and ventilation
  • Dust, moisture, and humidity of the indoor environment
  • Staff and occupants susceptibilities to pollutants, chemicals, and allergens
  • Age of the building

All of these factors and more must be accounted for before a successful and effective IAQ strategy is enacted. Here are three steps you need to take to manage the IAQ of your building or office:

  1. Remove or isolate pollutant sources to better mitigate negative effects indoor.
  2. Dilute pollutants and remove them from indoor via ventilation.
  3. Utilize effective air filtration to scrub the air of pollutants.

How Owners and Facility Managers Can Improve Indoor Air Quality

As an owner or facility manager, it’s important you take indoor air quality seriously. It directly affects the health of all the staff and occupants in the building. In some case, IAQ will involve more than one person. For example, an owner of a building may work with a maintenance crew and specific staff members to better manager IAQ. Furthermore, a facility manager may work with the landlord, building tenant, and a local HVAC company to improve the HVAC system and the IAQ.

Here are nine ways owners and facility managers can work to improve IAQ:

  1. Foster a relationship with building maintenance and/or landlord so that taking steps to improve indoor air quality and environment issues is an option.
  2. Position furniture, plants, equipment, and more to enhance the environment, IAQ, temperature control, and pollutant removal functions.
  3. Coordinate and cooperate with building maintenance when HVAC maintenance or updates are needed, Including regular filter replacements.
  4. Establish a clear, effective smoking policy.
  5. Define and avoid processes or products that can negatively affect IAQ.
  6. Include IAQ into all indoor environment purchasing decisions.
  7. Communicate with landlords, building owners, or managers to ensure pest control is only used when necessary, and, if possible, non-chemical treatments are the chosen method.
  8. Identify and communicate with building managers before any renovation or remodeling occurs to mitigate environmental pollutants.
  9. Introduce and encourage your building management team to use the EPA/NIOSH guidance document.

How Staff and Occupants Can Get Involved In Improving IAQ

When it comes to IAQ, it’s a group effort. The staff and occupants of a building can influence IAQ, and they can take action to help improve it. Here are the six ways staff and occupants can help with enhancing IAQ:

  1. Filter the office air.
  2. Keep air vents and/or grilles unblocked and clean.
  3. Comply with the smoking policy for the building or office.
  4. Report water leaks immediately, maintain office plants routinely and clean up liquid spills as soon as possible.
  5. Collect and dispose of garbage and trash promptly.
  6. Be mindful of proper food storage.
  7. If you suspect an IAQ issue, notify the owner, building manager, or facility manager promptly.

Comfort First Products: Your Solution To Indoor Air Quality

At Comfort First Products, our mission is to provide our customers with a variety of products that improve office comfort, health, and wellbeing. Whether you are a facility manager, business owner, landlord, or otherwise, the indoor air quality of your building is crucial to the health and safety of yourself, the staff, the occupants, and more. It’s time you shop our indoor air quality and comfort products online now.

Do You Need a Vent Deflector?

Vent deflectors, also known as air diffusers, are a great product to help you keep your home and office a consistent temperature. Whether you get blasted by hot air in the winter and cold air in the summer, a vent deflector may be exactly what you need to keep yourself comfortable year-round.

What is a vent deflector?

A vent deflector is just a fancy word for a device that fits over air vents. The purpose of the deflector is to change the direction of the air flow. Now, you may be asking yourself, “Why would I want to change the direction of the air?” If you do, continue to ask yourself questions, such as: Are there hot or cold spots in my home or office? Am I tired of not staying a consistent temperature? If you’ve answered, “yes” to any of those questions, it may be time to purchase a vent deflector. By installing one in your home or office, you’ll be able to avoid cold or hot drafts, and you may even be able to increase air quality.

What kind of materials are used to make a vent deflector?

There are many different types of vent deflectors available. Some are made with the sole purpose of a commercial building, and others were created for use in a home; however, they’re usually created with plastic of light metals which weigh less than 3 pounds.

Shop Comfort First Products, online now!

Choose to deflect air and keep your home or office a comfortable temperature when you shop online today with Comfort First Products. We have affordable vent diffusers available. Shop for one you love and if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to give us a call at 800-804-3366.

There’s an Easier Way To Stay a Comfortable Temperature

Are you wanting to effectively cool and warm your office when seasons change? There’s no doubt about it; every office manager wants their workplace to be held at the most comfortable and consistent temperature possible. One of the easiest and mindless ways to do so is by making sure your office is equipped with a high quality air diffuser.

What happens to air when you install an air diffuser?

When an air diffuser is installed in your office, you’ll soon start to experience the wonderful benefits of it. Not only will you feel drafts inside of your office come to a halt, but the quality of air your breathe will improve tremendously. With more control over the direction of the airflow, you’ll be able to successfully keep cool or warm air pointed in the direction you wish. If you know your office has a tendency for cold or hot spots, you can easily avoid them with an air diffuser.

What are the benefits of installing an air diffuser?

Air diffusers are an amazing way to improve your life at work. By spending a few bucks on one of our products, you’ll be able to experience some wonderful benefits, including:

  • Easy installation
  • Happier and healthier individuals in your workplace
  • Higher quality of air
  • Controlled airflow

Shop for an air diffuser online today with Comfort First Products!

At Comfort First Products, your comfort is our number one priority. Feel free to peruse our incredible selection of air diffusers to find the perfect one for your office. If you have any questions, feel free to give us a call at 800-804-3366.