Laboratory vacuum and lab air are everyday utilities in research, university, clinical and industrial labs. They drive filtration, aspiration, evaporation, degassing, instrument operation and fume hood controls. Buying the right system up front saves years of maintenance headaches and energy costs. Here’s what to know before you buy.
Central vs. point-of-use lab vacuum
- Central systems serve many benches through a piped network. They’re efficient for large labs and buildings and keep pumps out of the lab space.
- Point-of-use pumps sit at the bench or instrument. They’re useful for specialized applications (deep vacuum, corrosive vapors) or labs without piping.
Many facilities combine the two: central vacuum for general use and dedicated pumps for demanding processes.
Lab vacuum pump technologies
- Claw – dry and efficient; good for central systems with continuous demand
- Lubricated rotary vane – dependable, deeper vacuum capability; requires oil changes and can be affected by solvent vapors
- Open/base-mounted systems – lab open claw and lab open lube vane packages for larger mechanical rooms
Questions to answer before buying
- What applications will the system serve? Filtration and aspiration need different vacuum levels than drying ovens or rotary evaporators.
- How many inlets and how many in use at once? This drives pump capacity.
- Are corrosive or solvent vapors present? They affect pump choice and may require traps or separate pumps.
- What are the duty cycle and uptime needs? Critical labs need redundant pumps.
- What space, power and noise limits apply?
- Is growth expected? Modular systems let you add capacity later.
Lab air systems
Lab air supplies clean, dry compressed air to bench outlets, instruments, fume hoods and pneumatic controls. Typical packages pair laboratory scroll or laboratory rotary screw compressors with dryers and filtration sized to the instruments’ air-quality requirements. For high-purity gas needs, consider on-site nitrogen generators and modular desiccant dryers.
Lab gas delivery
Specialty and bulk lab gases are controlled with switchover manifolds, regulators and alarms. We supply Concoa 527 and 526 series switchovers, 332 regulators, the Altos 2 alarm, gas cabinets and gas control panels.
Saving energy and gas in the lab
- Right-size vacuum and air systems and use variable-speed or lead/lag controls
- Find and fix leaks in vacuum and compressed air piping
- Use automatic switchover manifolds so cylinders are fully used before changeover
- Consider on-site nitrogen generation to cut cylinder deliveries
FAQs
Do lab vacuum systems need to meet NFPA 99?
Laboratory systems that don’t serve patients generally fall outside NFPA 99 medical requirements, but local codes and building standards still apply, and labs inside hospitals may have additional requirements.
Can lab vacuum and medical vacuum share a system?
No. Medical vacuum systems should serve only medical-surgical vacuum (and WAGD where allowed). Labs need a separate system.
Planning a lab air or lab vacuum system in Southern California? See our vacuum systems and air systems, or call 714-897-7530.
