Additionally, some HEPA-Ready vacuums or dust extraction equipment will often boast of a higher CFM (Cubic Feet per Minute) suction rate – claiming that because of the higher CFM the vacuum is more efficient and better quality. This yet again, doesn’t mean what it claims. Let me explain why;
Firstly, the CFM has nothing to do with filtration, it simply refers to the suction power. Second, those higher CFM ratings are based on HEPA-Ready equipment that DOES NOT have a certified HEPA filter. Using a filter that is not HEPA certified, will obviously allow more air through – as well as toxic particles that HEPA certified filters protect you from – allowing for a higher suction rate. The second you add a properly certified HEPA filter, that high CFM rating will drop about 30% because the HEPA filter doesn’t allow as much to pass through.
What this means is, not only have you spent money on a “HEPA-Ready” dust extractor system that doesn’t protect you from the toxic particles, but also, that you now have to invest more of your hard earned money into fitting it with a properly certified HEPA Filter – which will cause that unrealistic CFM rating that you paid for, to drop by 30%.