When your ducted fume hood repair involves ductwork, roof penetrations, or HVAC rebalancing, a new Captair ductless fume hood costs less and you end up with better infrastructure. Same protection. Fraction of the energy. No construction.
BETTER THAN FUME HOOD REPAIR
Replace failing ducted hoods without ductwork
Lower total cost when repair involves infrastructure
94% energy reduction vs. ducted
ANSI/ASSP Z9.5-2022 compliant
Real-time safety monitoring
Suitable for powders & liquids
What you need to know in 60 seconds
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
What is this?
|
Captair is Erlab's line of ductless fume hoods - complete replacement units that protect your staff from chemical vapors without any connection to building exhaust systems. When your ducted hood repair quote includes ductwork, roof work, or HVAC modifications, a new Captair hood often costs less and you get a brand new unit with ongoing energy savings instead of patching aging infrastructure. |
|
Who is this for?
|
Facilities directors facing repair quotes that include ductwork or building envelope work. EH&S managers tired of maintenance headaches on aging ducted infrastructure. Sustainability officers under pressure to cut Scope 2 emissions. Anyone who'd rather invest in new equipment than pay to extend the life of outdated technology. |
|
What does it do?
|
Captures chemical vapors through molecular filtration, then returns cleaned air to the lab instead of exhausting it through the roof. Continuous monitoring tracks filter saturation and face velocity. Works with 700+ validated chemicals including solvents, acids, bases, and formaldehyde. |
|
What are the benefits?
|
Often lower total cost than ducted repair involving infrastructure work. Eliminate $4,600-$9,300/year per hood in energy costs. No ductwork installation, roof penetrations, or HVAC rebalancing. Brand new equipment with predictable filter costs instead of aging infrastructure with unpredictable repairs. Aligns with sustainability initiatives and cost-cutting goals. |
|
What problems does it solve?
|
The repair quote sitting on your desk that includes ductwork or roof work. Buildings where new penetrations aren't allowed. HVAC systems at capacity. Energy waste from exhausting conditioned air 24/7. The cycle of unpredictable maintenance on aging ducted infrastructure. |
|
What are your next steps?
|
Figure out if repair is a poor use of funds
Get in touch with your sales rep Create your ducted hood exit plan |
Get feedback from an expert today
Complete this short form and your dedicated rep will get back to you within the day to help you figure out if a ductless install is a better use of funds than ducted fume hood repair.
Ducted fume hood repair is a poor
use of budget 8 out of 10 times
Your ducted fume hood motor failed. Or the ductwork is corroding. Or the fan on the roof needs replacement. The repair quote just landed on your desk.
What does ducted fume hood repair get you?
The exact same hood. The same $4,600-$9,300 annual energy
cost. The same aging ductwork that will fail again. The same roof
penetrations requiring maintenance. The same HVAC load
exhausting conditioned air 24/7.
What a new Captair ductless fume hood gets
you at comparable (or lower) cost…
A brand new fume hood with modern safety features. 94% reduction in
operating energy. No ductwork to maintain or replace. No roof
penetrations to weatherproof. Conditioned air stays in your building.
Predictable filter replacement costs instead of emergency repairs.
Equipment that aligns with your sustainability goals.
When your repair quote includes ductwork modifications, roof work, or HVAC rebalancing, a new Captair ductless hood often
costs less than the total repair project. And you end up with new equipment instead of patched infrastructure.
When ducted repair still makes sense:
Hood handles perchloric acid or hot acid digestions (requires dedicated wash-down ducted systems).
Hood handles unknown or highly variable chemistry that can’t be filtered.
Hood handles radioactive materials.
Repair is a simple component swap with no infrastructure work required.
Institutional policy prohibits ductless (though we can help with EH&S documentation).
For the other 80% of situations – where ducted hood repair involves touching ductwork, roof penetrations, or HVAC systems –
replacing with Captair delivers better value.
How does this help you turn
fume hood repair into a fume hood upgrade,
or meet your KPIs at work?
| Your Role | Your Problem | How Captair solves it |
|---|---|---|
Facilities Director
|
Aging ductwork, roof penetrations that leak, every repair turning into a discovery process with corroded transitions and failing dampers. Unpredictable maintenance costs eating your budget. | Eliminate the infrastructure entirely. Captair hoods require no ductwork, no roof penetrations, no HVAC connections. Install anywhere with standard power. No more discovery processes. No more roof work. Maintenance becomes predictable filter replacements. |
|
EH&S Manager
|
Auditors asking for face velocity records, maintenance logs, alarm histories, containment testing results. Scrambling to document that your hoods actually work. | Generates documentation automatically. Integrated monitoring tracks face velocity continuously. MoleCode sensors detect filter saturation. eGuard logs everything. Pull up six months of data in 30 seconds. Walk into audits with documentation, not explanations. |
|
Sustainability Officer
|
Ducted hoods exhausting conditioned air 24/7. Massive HVAC energy penalty. Pressure to reduce Scope 2 emissions with measurable, reportable results. | Keeps conditioned air inside. A single ducted hood costs $4,600-$9,300/year in exhaust energy. Captair hoods recirculate filtered air - operating costs drop to filter replacements and minimal fan power. Savings show up on utility bills immediately. Emissions reduction shows up in your Scope 2 reporting. |
|
Capital Planner
|
Unpredictable expenses, future forecasting with too much budget set aside for unknowns. | Reduce operating costs and increase predictability. When repair quotes include infrastructure work, Captair often costs less upfront. Ongoing costs are predictable filter replacements instead of emergency repairs. Replace hoods opportunistically as they fail. |
|
Designers and Architects
|
Lab designs constrained by ductwork routing. Mechanical rooms sized for exhaust systems. Projects delayed by HVAC coordination. Existing hoods in renovation projects treated as liabilities. | Design labs without ductwork constraints. Place fume hoods in interior rooms, historic buildings, or upper floors where exhaust isn't feasible. In renovations, failing ducted hoods get replaced with ductless units that don't require infrastructure. Smaller mechanical footprint, faster project timelines. |
The buildings where Captair ductless
fume hoods are the only answer
Some facilities can’t add or maintain exhaust ductwork. Captair solves problems that ducted equipment can’t.
Historic buildings
Landmark status means no new roof penetrations. No exterior modifications. No visible ductwork. Your fume hoods need to work without changing the building envelope. Captair installs anywhere with standard power. Nothing changes on the exterior. The building stays compliant with preservation requirements.
Historic buildings
Landmark status means no new roof penetrations. No exterior modifications. No visible ductwork. Your fume hoods need to work without changing the building envelope. Captair installs anywhere with standard power. Nothing changes on the exterior. The building stays compliant with preservation requirements.
Leased laboratory space
The landlord won’t approve roof penetrations. Your lease prohibits building modifications. There are legal consequences if you alter HVAC systems. Captair requires no building modifications. When your lease ends, the equipment can move easily with you – so you save costs on the other end too.
Leased laboratory space
The landlord won’t approve roof penetrations. Your lease prohibits building modifications. There are legal consequences if you alter HVAC systems. Captair requires no building modifications. When your lease ends, the equipment can move easily with you – so you save costs on the other end too.
Hospitals and clinical facilities
Adding or repairing ductwork in an operating hospital means shutdowns, infection control protocols, and patient safety reviews. The project timeline stretches to months. The disruption affects revenue. Captair installs in hours, not months. The lab stays operational. No corridors get sealed off. No ceilings get opened. No HVAC systems get rebalanced.
Hospitals and clinical facilities
Adding or repairing ductwork in an operating hospital means shutdowns, infection control protocols, and patient safety reviews. The project timeline stretches to months. The disruption affects revenue. Captair installs in hours, not months. The lab stays operational. No corridors get sealed off. No ceilings get opened. No HVAC systems get rebalanced.
Downtown university buildings
Your chemistry building is 60 years old. The HVAC system is at capacity. Repairing or adding exhaust means upgrading the entire building air handling system. Captair eliminates exhaust demand entirely. The HVAC system gets relief instead of additional load. You’ve solved the capacity problem without infrastructure upgrades.
Downtown university buildings
Your chemistry building is 60 years old. The HVAC system is at capacity. Repairing or adding exhaust means upgrading the entire building air handling system. Captair eliminates exhaust demand entirely. The HVAC system gets relief instead of additional load. You’ve solved the capacity problem without infrastructure upgrades.
Fume hood repair that pays you back
Ducted fume hoods exhaust conditioned air continuously. That exhaust creates a massive energy penalty that shows up on every utility bill.
Documented operating costs for ducted hoods:
- $3.70-$7.40 per CFM per year (peer-reviewed range from multiple studies).
- A 6-foot hood at 800 CFM: $2,960-$5,920 per year.
- A 6-foot hood at 1,000 CFM: $3,700-$7,400 per year.
- Per-hood totals typically $4,600-$9,300 annually including all HVAC loads.
What those costs look like across a facility:
- 10 ducted hoods: $46,000-$93,000 annual energy cost.
- 25 ducted hoods: $115,000-$232,500 annual energy cost.
- 50 ducted hoods: $230,000-$465,000 annual energy cost.
Captair ductless fume hood operating costs:
- Fan power: ~$100-200 per hood per year.
- Filter replacement: Varies by chemistry and usage, typically $600-$2,400 annually.
- Total: $700-$2,600 per hood per year.
Annual savings per ductless hood: $3,900-$6,700
A new Captair hood typically pays for itself in 2-4 years through energy savings alone. After payback, the savings continue indefinitely.
This isn’t marketing math. These figures come from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Harvard’s Office for Sustainability, the American Chemical Society’s Chemical Health & Safety journal, and multiple university “Shut the Sash” programs that document fume hood energy consumption.
ANSI/ASSP Z9.5-2022 compliant.
The standard EH&S requires
Every Captair ductless fume hood meets ANSI/ASSP Z9.5-2022 – the current U.S. standard for laboratory ventilation that explicitly addresses ductless and recirculating systems.
What Z9.5-2022 covers:
- Requirements for ductless fume hoods and filtered enclosures.
- Face velocity monitoring and alarm requirements.
- Filter selection and breakthrough detection.
- Commissioning and ongoing verification protocols.
Why this matters for approvals.
When your EH&S team evaluates ductless equipment, they’re checking against Z9.5. When auditors review your ventilation program, they reference Z9.5. When you need to demonstrate that your ductless hood meets current standards, Z9.5 is the document that matters. We provide complete Z9.5 compliance documentation with every installation – face velocity verification, containment testing, filter validation, and monitoring protocols.
Erlab Safety Program. What’s
included with your Captair hood
More Than A Manufacturer – Your Vapor Control Partner
eValiQuest
Know Before You Buy
We analyze your chemistry before you spend a dime. Every chemical on your list gets evaluated against our validated filtration database of 700+ chemicals. We calculate filter capacity, project filter life, and determine appropriate monitoring.
If filtration won’t work safely for your chemicals, we tell you directly. No games.
eValiPass
Professional Installation Included
Our certified technicians install, test, and validate your Captair hood at no additional charge. We perform ASHRAE 110 containment testing, configure monitoring systems, and train your staff. You get documentation. No surprises, no extra invoices.
eValiGuard
Lifetime Protection
Your chemistry evolves. Your filtration should too. ValiGuard provides:
- Annual filter assessments as usage changes.
- Updated chemical validation when you add reagents.
- Software updates and monitoring upgrades.
- Complete reconfiguration if applications change.
- All at no additional cost.
The ducted hood exit strategy
How facilities phase out exhaust infrastructure over time
You probably can’t replace every ducted hood this quarter. That’s fine. Captair ductless fume hoods enable a
systematic exit strategy that works with your budget cycles and operational constraints.
Phase 1.
Identify replacement candidates
Which hoods handle known, repetitive chemistry? Which hoods are approaching end-of-life? Which buildings have the biggest infrastructure problems?
Start with hoods where the chemistry clearly fits filtration and the maintenance burden is highest.
Phase 2.
Replace opportunistically
When a hood needs repair – especially repair involving ductwork or building envelope work – evaluate ductless replacement instead. When a lab renovates, include ductless in the project scope. When budget becomes available, target the highest-value replacements.
Each replacement delivers immediate energy savings while avoiding infrastructure costs.
Phase 3.
Decommission exhaust infrastructure
As ducted hoods get replaced, your exhaust infrastructure becomes progressively redundant. Eventually, entire branches of ductwork can be abandoned. Roof penetrations can be sealed permanently. HVAC capacity gets freed for other uses.
Phase 4.
Realize cumulative savings
Energy savings accumulate with each replacement. Maintenance burden decreases as ductwork gets abandoned. Operational predictability increases as filter costs replace repair surprises.
A 10-year exit strategy replacing 2-3 hoods per year transforms your facility’s ventilation economics without requiring a single large capital project.
Frequently Asked Questions
For Facilities Directors
My ductwork is 30 years old and every repair turns into a nightmare. Can ductless actually solve that?
Yes. Captair hoods require no ductwork at all - they filter and recirculate air within the lab. When you replace a ducted hood with Captair, you can seal the old ductwork and abandon it in place. No roof work. No asbestos testing on old duct insulation. No HVAC rebalancing. Your maintenance staff stops climbing on the roof to service exhaust fans. Your repair budget becomes predictable.
What about hoods connected to shared exhaust systems?
Each replacement is independent. Other hoods on the same exhaust system continue operating normally. As you replace more hoods with ductless units, the exhaust system load decreases, potentially extending the life of remaining ducted infrastructure.
How does installation work?
Captair hoods require only standard electrical power - no ductwork connections. Installation typically takes 2-4 hours per hood. Your lab is operational the same day.
For EH&S Managers
Auditors always ask for documentation. How does this help?
Captair hoods generate documentation automatically. Integrated monitoring tracks face velocity continuously. MoleCode sensors detect filter saturation before breakthrough. The eGuard platform logs everything and sends alerts to your phone. When the inspector asks how you know your hoods are working, you pull up six months of data in 30 seconds. ANSI/ASSP Z9.5-2022 compliance means your ductless hood meets the current laboratory ventilation standard. ASHRAE 110 containment testing confirms operator protection. You walk into audits with documentation, not explanations.
Which chemicals can be filtered?
We've validated over 700 chemicals including common solvents, acids at room temperature, bases, formaldehyde, and specialty compounds. eValiQuest evaluates your specific chemical list and determines compatibility.
Which chemicals can't be filtered?
Perchloric acid, hot acid digestions (high-temperature acid work), unknown or highly variable chemistry, and radioactive materials all require ducted exhaust. We'll tell you directly during eValiQuest if your chemistry doesn't fit.
How do I know when filters need replacement?
MoleCode sensors continuously monitor filter saturation. The system alerts you before breakthrough - through the hood display, the eGuard app, and email notifications. You'll never be surprised by filter failure.
Will my EH&S team approve ductless?
We provide complete documentation packages for EH&S review, including chemical validation, filter specifications, monitoring protocols, and containment test data. Many institutions have approved Captair installations; we can share reference contacts in similar facilities.
What standards does this meet?
ANSI/ASSP Z9.5-2022 (laboratory ventilation programs, including ductless systems), ASHRAE 110 (containment testing), and NFPA 45:2024 (which explicitly covers ductless fume hoods in sections 7.15 and 7.16).
For Sustainability Officers
We're under pressure to cut Scope 2 emissions. How much energy does this actually save?
Every ducted fume hood in your facility exhausts conditioned air 24/7. That's energy you paid for - heating it in winter, cooling it in summer - going straight through the roof. A single 6-foot ducted hood operating at 800 CFM costs $4,600-$9,300 annually in energy (documented at $3.70-$7.40 per CFM per year across multiple university studies). Ten hoods means $46,000-$93,000 per year in exhaust energy alone. Replace those hoods with Captair, and the energy cost drops to filter replacements and minimal fan power. The savings show up immediately on utility bills. The emissions reduction shows up in your Scope 2 reporting. This isn't theoretical - it's measurable, reportable, and auditable.
What's the payback period?
Typically 2-4 years through energy savings alone. After payback, savings continue indefinitely. The calculation is simple: annual ducted operating cost minus annual ductless operating cost equals annual savings.
What about filter costs?
Filter replacement costs vary by chemistry and usage - typically $600-$2,400 annually per hood. This is predictable budgeted expense versus unpredictable repair costs, and it's far less than the energy cost of ducted operation.
For Capital Planners
How does the cost compare?
When your ducted hood repair quote includes ductwork modifications, roof work, or HVAC rebalancing, a new Captair hood often costs less than the total repair project. You're comparing repair-plus-infrastructure costs against new-equipment costs - and new equipment frequently wins, especially when you factor in ongoing energy savings.
Can we phase this in over time instead of one big project?
Yes. That's the point. Replace hoods opportunistically - when repairs come due, when labs renovate, when budgets allow - instead of requiring a single large capital project. A 10-year exit strategy replacing 2-3 hoods per year transforms your facility's ventilation economics without requiring a single large capital expenditure.
Is financing available?
Yes. We offer short-term financing, long-term financing, SLED lease programs (state, local government, education), deferred payment, and cash flow recovery options.
Installation & operations
How long does installation take?
Typically 2-4 hours per hood. Your lab is operational the same day.
What electrical requirements are there?
Standard electrical outlets (115V or 230V depending on configuration). No new circuits or building electrical work required in most installations.
Who maintains the system after installation?
Your staff handles routine operation. Filter replacements are designed for quick changeover - typically 10-15 minutes following documented procedures. ValiGuard provides ongoing technical support and annual reviews.
What documentation do I get?
ValiPass includes ASHRAE 110 containment testing, ANSI/ASSP Z9.5 compliance documentation, chemical validation certificates, installation records, and training documentation. eGuard provides continuous electronic logs of all operating parameters.
When ductless isn’t the answer
We won’t recommend ductless equipment that compromises safety.
Keep ducted exhaust for
Perchloric acid work (requires dedicated wash-down systems). Hot acid digestions (high-temperature acid work). Unknown or highly variable chemistry. Radioactive materials. Any chemistry we can’t validate through eValiQuest.
Keep ducted exhaust when
Institutional policy prohibits ductless (though we can help with approval documentation). The application involves significant heat generation.
If your situation falls into these categories, we’ll tell you directly and suggest appropriate alternatives.
Ready to stop exhausting money
through your roof?
Whether you’re facing an immediate repair decision, planning a facilities renovation, or building a long-term strategy to reduce energy costs, let’s evaluate whether Captair ductless fume hoods make sense for your facility.
No obligations. No pressure. Just honest assessment of which hoods in your facility are
candidates for ductless replacement – and which ones need to stay ducted.
