Air Filters and the End of Society as We Know It
Every now and then you’re likely to stumble across a military threat assessment, a conspiracy theory blog or even a summer blockbuster that paints a grim picture of life after any of our national grid networks fail. Hypotheses range from a full return to the stone ages to a world in which Skynet computers are hunting down the human race like animals. Whichever way it actually turns out, it’s clear that a full on grid failure would not be a pleasant experience. Luckily, Universal Air Filter is here to help prevent that from ever happening.
The Power Grid
Put simply, if the power grid goes down, modern society as we know it would come to an end. Because the majority of our society’s systems are controlled by powered devices and interconnected networks, we would say goodbye to mass food production, transportation, product creation, voice and data communications, heating and cooling (with the notable exception of the blazing sun and frigid cold), fuel production and just about everything else that makes modern life bearable and survivable.
The Communications Grid
It’s true that you wouldn’t be able to call your mother or play Pokemon Go if the communications grid failed, but worse than that, the entire command and control structure of our country would be disabled. The early days of a communications outage would likely be the worst since coordinated communication between first responders and local and federal government agencies is typically critical in the first hours and days following a national disaster.
The Water and Wastewater Grid
71% of the Earth is covered in water, but the lack of clean, treated water that normally passes through the water grid would make it difficult to grow food, stay clean, hydrate, and generally survive.
So How Does Universal Air Filter Fit Into All of This?
Putting aside the possibility that our computers may one day rise up to conquer us, the number one reason for equipment failure is overheating. And one of the most common reasons that systems overheat is because of dirty filters. When filters aren’t changed at regular service intervals, dust can build up over time which in turn makes the fan work harder. When the fan works harder, components can overheat which can lead to a full system shut down. Air Filters keep equipment and electronic applications clean, minimizing overheating and maximizing system performance.
So What Can You Do To Help Prevent the Apocalypse?
While there is no “one size fits all” filtration solution, it’s best to keep your equipment protected using solutions to meet the dust filtration and EMI shielding demands of high end electronics. For outdoor applications, you’ll want to be more aggressive with your filtration in order to reduce water, wind-driven rain, salt fog and other harsh contaminants that typically accompany fresh and direct-air cooling systems. For high availability electronics applications specifically, custom air filter assemblies with tailored media configurations allow filters to produce low pressure drop and high dust loading capabilities. As an additional safeguard, fire retardant filter media is available in cleanable open cell foam or disposable non-woven polyester.
OK, Maybe We’ve Been Reading Too Much Sci-Fi
While it’s unsettling to think about the full scale breakdown of any or all of our interconnected grids, it’s unlikely we’ll ever experience it. And if by some chance, one of the grids does fail, it’s unlikely that air filters will be the primary culprit. Most critical networks have built-in redundancies and most systems trigger alarms when network components are operating at compromised efficiency. Alarms trigger, technicians are deployed and the world keeps on spinning.
That said, most people would agree that the best way to avoid disaster is to prepare for it. And the best way to prepare for systems disaster due to filtration is to make sure that you A) have the right filters for your application, B) have plenty of filters readily available when it comes time to replace them, and C) have a regular system maintenance strategy that includes changing your filters regularly.
While UAF might not be able to prevent the total collapse of critical network grids, we can certainly help you ensure that your filters aren’t the root cause. Contact us today.