Discovering Electrostatic Fitration
Electrostatic filtration is one of the most widely used technologies for removing cigar smoke, tobacco smoke, airborne particulate matter, PM2.5, PM10, and other fine particles from commercial indoor environments. Electrostatic air cleaners, also known as electronic air cleaners or electrostatic precipitators (ESP), remove airborne contaminants by electrically charging particles and collecting them on grounded metal collector plates. Unlike disposable mechanical filters, electrostatic filtration systems use washable collection cells designed for repeated service in smoke-intensive environments such as cigar lounges, smoking lounges, casinos, bars, commercial smoking rooms, and industrial air-cleaning applications.
LakeAir has spent decades designing electrostatic air purification systems for cigar lounges and commercial smoke removal applications. Through field observations, airflow analysis, filtration research, and real-world cigar lounge installations, LakeAir has studied how electrostatic filtration performs under heavy tobacco smoke loading. This research includes airflow performance, particle capture efficiency, maintenance intervals, smoke removal effectiveness, and the relationship between filtration efficiency and clean air delivery.
This guide explores how electrostatic filtration works, how electrostatic air cleaners compare to HEPA filtration, how smoke particles are removed from indoor air, and why airflow, maintenance, and filtration efficiency must be considered together when evaluating commercial smoke removal systems. It also introduces Effective Cleaned CFM, a practical comparison method developed by LakeAir to evaluate the real-world air-cleaning performance of different filtration technologies.
Figure 1 illustrates the electrostatic filtration process. Airborne smoke particles enter the system, receive an electrical charge from the ionizer section, migrate toward grounded collector plates, and are removed from the airstream before the cleaned air is returned to the room.
- Smoke-laden air enters the electrostatic filtration system.
- Ionizer wires electrically charge airborne particles.
- Charged particles migrate toward grounded collector plates.
- Collector plates capture and retain smoke particles.
- Cleaned air exits the system and returns to the room.
A Blessing and a Curse
“The great thing about electrostatic filters is you can wash them. The bad thing about electrostatic filters is you HAVE to wash them.”
— Randy Bush, LakeAir
To Wash or Replace?
I have consulted with hundreds of cigar shop entrepreneurs. When it comes to which type of filtration is best for their cigar lounge, I have used this phrase time and again. “The great thing about electrostatic filters is you can wash them. The bad thing about electrostatic filters is you HAVE to wash them.”
Electrostatic filtration offers a unique advantage that few other filtration technologies can match: the collection cells are washable and reusable. Unlike disposable filters that must be replaced when they become loaded, electrostatic collection cells can be removed, cleaned, and returned to service. This reduces recurring filter costs, minimizes waste, and allows electrostatic air cleaners to operate for years using the same collector cells. In commercial cigar lounges, casinos, and other smoke-intensive environments, this can provide a significant operational and economic benefit.
However, washable filtration comes with an important responsibility. Electrostatic collection cells do not maintain the same condition indefinitely between cleanings. As contaminants accumulate within the collection cell, filtration performance gradually changes. The system may continue moving the same volume of air through the unit, but the effectiveness of particle collection can decline over time. Unlike a disposable filter that is visibly replaced at the end of its service life, electrostatic filtration requires regular maintenance to maintain peak performance.
This relationship between washability and maintenance is one of the defining characteristics of electrostatic filtration. The ability to restore a collection cell to near-new condition through washing is a tremendous advantage, but only when maintenance is performed consistently. Understanding how performance changes between wash cycles is therefore essential when evaluating the real-world effectiveness of an electrostatic air cleaner. This concept serves as the foundation for the LakeAir filtration study referenced on this page.
| Week | Electrostatic Efficiency | Cleaned CFM (1,500 CFM Unit) |
|---|---|---|
| Freshly Cleaned | 97.0% | 1,455 |
| Week 1 | 88.0% | 1,320 |
| Week 2 | 80.0% | 1,200 |
| Week 3 | 73.0% | 1,095 |
| Week 4 | 67.0% | 1,005 |
| Week 5 | 62.0% | 930 |
| Week 6 | 57.0% | 855 |
| Week 7 | 53.0% | 795 |
| Week 8 | 50.0% | 750 |
| Post-Wash Recovery | 97.0% | 1,455 |
Table data drawn from LakeAir Electrostatic Air Filtration study
There are a few accepted ways to wash a filter cell listed below. The things to keep in mind are:
- Handle carefully, taking caution not to bend the ion and the collecting plates.
- Be careful not to break the ion wires; these are crucial to the functionality of the cell
- Only use detergents and solutions that are aluminum-safe.
- HOT water is a must; cool or cold water will not fully clean the filter cells
Three Methods to Wash an Electrostatic Filter
- Remove Filter Cell / Soak in a hot water and degreaser solution for 30 minutes/ Rinse / Dry / Reinstall
- Remove Filter Cell / Spray with Coil Cleaner / Power Wash Rinse/ Dry / Reinstall
- Remove Filter Cell/ Wash in Commercial Dishwasher/ Dry / Reinstall
How Often Should I Wash My Electrostatic Filter Cell?
In reality, the more often you wash the filter cell, the better efficiency you will achieve. However, for practical purposes, the sweet spot is about once a month. When we consult the LakeAir Electrostatic Air Filtration section 4.3, we see that at a 5-week wash interval, the filter cell is outperforming a HEPA filter by 16.3%.