Do you offer a self-supporting arm or duct for the Rhondair?

We often get asked this question and there are very good reasons why we DO NOT offer or recommend these.

The answer is simply no. 

Here’s why: 

1.  Self-supported ducts need to be short which means the fan unit gets in the way.

By nature, self-supporting ducts need to be short which means the fan machine unit is often very close to the chair or patients head – which is both cumbersome and also means the noise emitted is close to the working area.  Here is an example of how the machine is getting in the way of the DA.

The lightweight ducting included with the Rhondair is more flexible in its design and length – which means you can set up the unit in different ways and position it out of the way towards the patient’s feet.  This also opens up flexibility to mount the Rhondair on the wall to keep floor space clear.

2. It needs to be close to the patient’s breathing zone to actually work.

The position of the funnel and shield is critical to effectively capture and reduction of aerosols around the room.  Remember we are trying to capture all of the patients expelled breath – whether that’s through the nose or mouth, not just generated aerosols.  A self-supported hose or duct that does not rest on the patient creates too much variation and is too easy to have in the wrong position.

2.  The shield design creates a draw – for safety, this needs to pull air away from you and your dental staff.

Self-supported systems that are positioned above the working area pull potentially dangerous air upwards and potentially towards your face or your dental assistants face.   We believe that there will soon be accepted education on how to use these systems effectively.

Here is what you want – pulling down and away from you and your staff.  

Here are some examples of what you DO NOT want – pulling droplets upwards against gravity in and around your working area and where your head is often positioned:

3.  Self-supporting hoses and ducts are expensive and hard to clean.   It should be replaced with a new one regularly.  The Rhondair ducting is low cost and easy to replace. 

Self-supporting ducting is expensive to buy, expensive to ship and potentially a health hazard because they are hard to clean – we believe that this is something that should be changed regularly so we’ve included an extra duct with your Rhondair and these are intentionally made affordable on our website in a handy 2 pack.

We recommend spraying 2 sprays of disinfectant down the duct after each use and to replace the duct from time to time.