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Fresh Air Mask
August 21st, 2012 | Posted in Safety | 
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Fresh Air Mask
Years of breathing smelly stuff is over! I finally invested in my health and bought a fresh air mask (thanks for recommending it Chris and Paula Slater-sculptor). I love it! How it works is this….. very simple….. you stick the hose out in fresh air and a compressor pumps the good stuff, the clean fresh air into your mask. Took a little bit of overcoming the clautrophobia feel and fear of suffocation (only lasted for a second or two). Other than that, all was great 
.
Figured that eating organic and having lots of fresh carrot juice and green drinks and all of that is great but breathing all day long toxic wax or paint thinner etc. is nuts. So glad to have this option to improve towards a healthy working environment.
The Allegro Fullmask Supplied Air Respirator System-One Man is what I purchased and was just under $900 out the door. No tax due to my resale license and free shipping. I bought it from Enviro Safety Products .
(9901) Allegro Fullmask- plastic film hasn't been removed yet.
The mask came with a plastic film over it which impaired viewing and I didn’t know if that was to be removed or to protect the lens so I called. Allegro said to remove it. They actually sell quality protective lens film in packages of 20. People who do welding or work that could scratch up the lens might want the lens protectors.
Fresh Air Mask belt strap seen near fitting.
Belt connects around your waist and sort of takes the pressure off the hose so it’s not pulling on your mask as you walk around. The hose is designed to go over your shoulder and be out of your way while working.
50' of low pressure air hose
A few coils of the air hose can be put in an ice chest with some ice which will help cool the air going to your mask. After a while, with the compressor running and generating heat, the air tends to warm just a bit. It wasn’t bad and way better than working in my garage while breathing the hot air in there from our hot summers.
It helps to put the compressor in a cool shaded spot. For right now, I’m putting mine in another room of the house, on a window sill with window open. This way I don’t have to cut a hole in the screen or leave a door open for the hose to go through. I get the benefits of a little bit of air conditioning going to that room even though I close it off with the door shut. I close all the doors to my home studio and run the hose under the doorway. At the end of the day I open my studio window so as to air it out of all the smelly toxins.
Allegro Safety Full Mask Supplied Air Respirator System-One Man
Warning- Do not turn on the compressor without first attaching the hose and then to the mask or back pressure will result and blow out and damage elements of the compressor.
Removed plastic film and lens is clear for good visibility.
Mask doesn’t touch the front of your face and leave mask lines like my dust mask. This is the main reason I got this full mask versus the half mask. I don’t want to cause wrinkles in my face by using this thing all day and pushing on my skin. There are some slight pressure lines on the sides of my face from the mask after I wear it but minimal.
Distortion free lens with a wide view.
Lens really is very clear with wide viewing angle. I have very detailed work to look at and have my vision impaired from the lens only slightly. I can see the tiny detail and get the job done.
When my husband came in to take my picture, he commented about the toxic smells I had in the room and I just smiled because I wasn’t smelling anything!
Mask fits snuggly but not claustrophobic.
Allegro has a Darth Vador looking hard hat hood type thing that is a brand new concept design. It’s made with welders in mind. I thought about getting it but decided it would be hotter to have my whole head covered. Here in California, we are dealing with 100 plus temps and I need to be as cool and comfortable as possible.
Snaps on mask are easily adjustable
Snaps allow for quick release to get the mask off if you find someone clips your airline or something, ha, ha. Negative- A couple times I got the snaps on too tight and it kind of hurt my scalp/felt like a headache coming on. Mask could be thought of as a bit heavy but I got to where I didn’t even know I had it on. You get used to it.
Air coming through the mask sounds like white noise which is a noise people use for masking troublesome noises in office spaces or for sleeping. It’s very calming to hear the soft air sound.
Closeup of Allegro (9806) 1/4-HP Oil-Less Air Pump
Because the compressor is oil-less it will heat up and there isn’t anything you can do about that but to keep it in a cool place which helps.
Adjust thin locknut to increase psi for more air to mask.
The psi for the pump is adjusted at the factory to turn on at a good range for allowing enough air to the mask but can be adjusted by loosening the locknut and turning the end piece in towards the compressor. This will tighten the spring which closes the relief valve air hole. Less air will then go out the hole creating more pressure in the tank and more air going out through the mask. Then tighten the locknut to set all in place.
I gave myself a bit more air so that I could breathe more freely. Your body will tell you what’s right for you. If you feel like your suffocating a bit, not getting enough air, then make the adjustment like I did. My psi goes just above 4 on the dial.
Hope you will make the investment in your health too, it’s well worth it!
~Tamara
2 Responses to “Fresh Air Mask”
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Wonderful! I tried it, and the air is clean and fresh. ZD
OK that is what I was asking about. I know the difference in the two, mask-resproator. I thought I remembered this post. I am think about going to StyroSpray hard coat as my normal hand layed up epoxy fiberglass is taking way to long. As it turns out the air mask will be the most expensive part of the set up as the plastic sprays using a hopper gun. Thanks