Ever feel like no matter what you do to try to rid your business of smoke, you still come home reeking of cigarettes, coughing non-stop and fully aware that the heavy smoke is driving away your customers? The truth is that smoke is costing you quite a bit. Smoke could be affecting your health or discouraging customers from returning – and ultimately cutting your income substantially!

So what’s the solution to the never-ending smoke problem? The answer is amazingly simple: just make sure that you are using the right smoke eaters!

Now, maybe you’ve tried installing smoke eaters in the past, but find that the effects were short-lived and the amount of maintenance required was a huge hassle. If this is the case, then you are suffering along with many other business owners who were sold the wrong equipment to rid the air of smoke. The truth is that finding an effective smoke removal solution doesn’t have to be rocket science. You just need to consult a specialist to make sure that you are buying the right kind of smoke filter, the right amount of power for your square footage and not overspending to get the machines to fix the problem.

So, before you buy smoke eaters or completely give up on ever solving your smoke removal problem, read through these 4 common mistakes that most people make when shopping for a smoke eater.

Pretending that you don’t have a smoke problem when you really do is probably the most basic mistake to make. Believe me, ignoring all the smoke won’t make it go away – but as for your customers, that is a different story.

A smoky bar or restaurant often drives away patronage and cuts the number of returning customers for your business. Usually a hazy, smoke-filled business quickly develops a reputation as such and the rumor travels quickly. I can't tell you how many times my friends choose a meeting place based on the air quality – “Let’s not go to that place . . . I don’t want my clothing to stink all night long”.

So if you’ve been ignoring that constant, hazy cloud that grows as more smokers fill your business, now is the time to stop! You will be helping your business grow, not to mention insuring your health and your employee’s health!

It IS possible to have clean air and still allow smoking in your business.

Don’t let the gimmicks or “sales lingo” fool you – there really are only two types of smoke eaters on the market. You might find that there are dozens of brands out there, each making a better claim about their products than the last; but every machine can be placed into one of two categories.

1. Electronic Smoke Eaters

These smoke eaters use ionization to supercharge the smoke particles so that they can be gathered on a  collection cell. After the collection cell is completely plastered with smoke residue, you have to clean it by hand, using some powerful chemicals to remove the buildup. Though this type of smoke eater has been on the market for years (often boasting “No Filters to Buy”), they are not a good choice for dealing with smoke.

There are several reasons why electronic or electrostatic smoke eaters are not suited for cleaning up smoke effectively. The first reason is their inability to remove ANY smoke odors from the air. The particles are collected on a grid or cell inside that machine, so that takes care of the visible clouds of smoke – but then there’s also the smell, which is actually considered an invisible gas. The collection cells will do nothing for the odor, which is the primary cause of stinky clothing and hair, not to mention that stale, lingering scent that haunts your building long after the last cigarette is extinguished. Some electronic filters include a carbon filter to handle the odors – at this point, you will be changing filters and washing collection cells on a regular basis (so the “No Filters” argument is out the window).

The second reason why electrostatic filters are suited to smoke is that once the collection cell has hit it’s saturation point (which can happen quickly on a busy weekend), the cleanup involved is messy and time consuming. If the collection grid is not cleaned often, the performance of the machine is drastically reduced, so the clouds of smoke begin to build back up. Plus, if not cleaned often, it is not uncommon for the electronic smoke eater to constantly zap and pop like a giant bug zapper.

What can you expect to pay for an electrostatic smoke eater? The pricing starts around $1500 or $2000, all the way up to $2800 or $3000 per machine.

2. Filter Based Smoke Eaters

Filter-based smoke eaters use passive filters – often consisting of several layers or steps of filters to clean the air. The benefit of using filters is that this simple technology offers high efficiency when removing smoke particles from the air (with a whole lot more surface area per square inch than the electronic collection grids, which means more time between servicing the machine). Carbon filters are used with HEPA filters and pre-filters to ensure that the smoke smell is absorbed at removed from the air at the same time the particles are caught.

This method of cleaning the air isn’t complicated, but the results are dramatic and the maintenance is marginal. When the filters are full, they are discarded and replaced – no scrubbing, washing or chemicals required.

What can you expect to pay for an electrostatic smoke eater?  The cost of filter based smoke eaters is very affordable – even when you factor in the cost of filter changes. For example, the SRS Smoke Removal Systems that I endorse range in price from $897 to $1597 per machine. That’s almost half of the price of the comparably sized electrostatic filters. An annual kit of replacement filters costs $240 per machine – so that’s $0.60 cents per day.

Some filter based machines like the SRS Smoke Removal Systems come with a lifetime warranty in addition to quiet performance (no popping or zapping), easy maintenance, no chemicals and a 90 day money-back guarantee. When you’re shopping for your smoke eater, make sure that you can get an offer this good - because this means that the machines are going to work!

When a recommendation of a certain number or type of smoke eater is made to clean the air in the amount of square footage you have, it’s best to stick to what has been recommended.  If you don't stick to the suggested smoke removal system, then you shouldn't be surprised if the air in the place is just as smoky as before.  It’s no different than having your heating and cooling guy suggest 15 tons of air conditioning is needed for your business and then telling him that you’re only going to get a 7.5 ton system. Can you honestly be surprised when the 7.5 ton system is running full blast and the bar is still stifling hot?

There is a mathematic formula used in determining how many or what type of smoke eaters you will need. This formula is based on your square footage, ceiling height, smoke levels, ceiling type, and your type of business (i.e. cigar lounge vs. bar). A dependable air quality specialist will ask for all of these factors before making a recommendation (not just your square footage), because his or her reputation is based on solving the problem, not gouging you for an extra $1,000 by recommending more machines than you honestly need.

So, if you find that two Smoke Eaters are recommended for your bar, buy two Smoke Eaters. Otherwise, the money you think you will save by buying just one unit will be used up in lost sales and patronage because you still are “that place with smoky bar”. Not to mention the fact that you will actually end having to buy and change filters twice as often (or heaven forbid, wash electronic collection grids weekly or DAILY!) .

So, how much power is enough?

You need enough CFM or fan power to filter the air 8, 10, 12 or more times per hour.

• Moderate smoke levels: Minimum of 8 Air filtrations per hour.
• Bad smoke levels: 10 air filtrations per hour.
• REALLY Bad smoke levels: 12 or more air filtrations per hour are needed.

Finding the number of air exchanges your place will get out of a machine with a certain CFM is based on the square footage, ceiling height, etc. So when you are recommended smoke filters, make sure that who ever is prescribing them is asking for all of the information, or else you might be sold a "one size fits all" solution. And as we all know, one size never seems to fit all!

Just remember that this you can always find someone who wants to sell you something, but that doesn’t mean that they will be selling you the right thing! The guy who services your HVAC system or stocks your restaurant supplies may have the ability to order smoke air purifiers. Many times, these are one of many different items in a catalog from a supplier. Your HVAC guy opens up his catalog and can get you some general spec.'s that are listed with the units – keep in mind that this is not the same as a specialist who knows exactly what equipment to recommend and why he would prescribe it for your unique situation.

Relying on a contractor, HVAC service man or restaurant supplier chain to keep your business healthy, smoke-free and increasing your income could be a recipe for disaster.

Make sure that you ask for credentials before you buy – a specialist in indoor air quality and smoke removal will be a member of the International Indoor Air Quality Commission (IIAQC). The added advantage to working with a specialist is that the level of competence (and confidence) they have in their work allows them to offer guarantees and warranties that will ensure that their smoke eaters will work – and ultimately benefit you as a consumer.

Guarantees to Look For

Examples of strong guarantees include unconditional money back guarantees. This means that if the machines you order do not work, you can return them without having to pay a restocking fee. Most companies charge restocking fees on returned items to cover any loss or expenses they incur because of a return. These fees are usually something like 10% or 15% of the total sale price. So on a $3,000 sale, the restocking fee can easily be $450; REGARDLESS of whether the item was used or not, damaged or not, removed from its box or not.

I personally look for a 90 day, unconditional money back guarantee. This practice simply protects the consumer from loosing money on equipment that doesn’t work, and it also means that the company has a whole lot of faith in their products.

Warrantees to Look For

A strong warranty is really a long-term commitment from the manufacturer that your smoke eater will run for a long time (the longer the amount of time, the better the warranty). There are some smoke eaters out there that offer lifetime warrantees! Try to find the longest warranty that you can, because this is going to save you money in the long run. A strong warranty means that if there ever is a time when your smoke eater breaks down during the warranted phase, you will be supplied with replacement parts for free. Often labor costs are covered by warrantees as well.

Try to find a lifetime warranty – and then make sure you don’t void that warranty! Manufacturers will have set guidelines to make sure that you are not doing anything that could potentially damage your smoke eater – and if you don’t follow the guidelines, the manufacturer no longer takes responsibility for fixing your broken smoke eater. Usually warrantees are voided if you aren’t replacing filters at the recommended intervals, because the sheer build-up of smoke particles can clog the machine and damage the motor as it strains to push air through dirty filters. So be sure to hunt out a good warranty . . . and make sure you keep it!

You have a lot to gain by cleaning up your air – and a lot that you could possibly loose! If you leave your smoky bar or restaurant “as is”, then you may continue to experience these symptoms of unhealthy air:

• You wake up coughing – with what is called “smokers cough” – even though you don't smoke
• Your clothes and hair constantly smell like smoke – even after a just an hour in your business.
• You take showers at the end of every night, desperately trying to wash the smoke smell off.
• Your voice is growing more and more raspy, just like a long-time smokers voice.
• Your staff always complains about the smoke.
• Your business has a constant haze in the air that you can see at all times.
• Even the smokers in your business complain about the smoky environment.
• You notice that customers leave and never come back.
• People refer to your place as being "too smoky".
• You hear rumors that non-smoking customers won't even come into your business.
• You know you're losing money, but aren't sure what to do about it.

Unless you honestly like the sound of this list, you should find a smoke eater that is going to work to improve your health, your employees’ health and your business. Don't be afraid to ask questions as you are shopping – a trained indoor air quality specialist should be able to give answers to your questions.

In closing, let me encourage you to not give up on solving your smoke removal problem. Using this hub as your guideline while shopping should help you to avoid making the 4 most common mistakes that befall most smoke eater buyers.