Ducted Smoke Eater: Feature Clean Air not an Air Cleaner

A Ducted Smoke Eater (DSE) is a commercial air purification system designed to remove cigar smoke, odors, and airborne particles by moving contaminated air through ductwork into a centralized filtration system and returning clean air to the lounge. Unlike traditional open-air smoke eaters that sit visibly in a room, ducted systems create a cleaner and more refined cigar lounge atmosphere by quietly moving smoke away from the smoking area itself.

Interest in Ducted Smoke Eaters increased dramatically at the 2026 Premium Cigar Association trade show, where a large percentage of visitors to the LakeAir booth were specifically searching for invisible or low-visibility smoke removal solutions. Until recently, this type of smoke control was typically limited to extremely expensive custom HVAC installations or 100% Dedicated Outdoor Air Systems (DOAS), with commercial systems often starting well above $65,000. Modern DSE systems bring many of the same core concepts into a far more accessible solution designed specifically for cigar lounges, smoking rooms, and commercial hospitality spaces.

Key Takeaway: The Cigar Lounge world wants clean air delivered silently, without visible air-cleaning devices. Ducted Smoke Eaters is the new trend for high-end smoking establishments.

A properly designed Ducted Smoke Eater System removes smoky and smelly air from the cigar lounge

The air is transported from the smoking room by ducting. For optimum system performance, it is important to use high-quality ducting. You can lose 1/3 of your efficiency when using cheap flex duct.

Ducted smoke eater systems are independent closed loops. They should not be integrated into the HVAC System.

The clean air is returned to the smoking lounge through the return section of the system. Adding duct silencers to the return side can greatly reduce system sound levels

Dirty air is treated with HEPA and Odor Control. LakeAir HEPA filters remove 99.97% of all smoke and most of the odor is removed with every cleaning cycle

A Ducted Smoke Eater Has a Duct Adapter

The entire intent of a ducted smoke eater system is to draw dirty air away from a room. The air is moved through round or rectangular pipes (or ducts) out of the room and into an air cleaning device. Duct adapters move the air into round or rectangular configurations.

Because commercial smoke eaters move so much air in the cleaning process, it is impractical to use ducts smaller than 8 inches. LakeAir products offer round and rectangular duct adapters. The sizes we offer go from 8 to 16 inches.

Later in this article, we will go into duct sizing in detail. But for now, let’s hit on a few points to frame the conversation going forward; ducts are sized for a number of things, but the most important are transfer efficiency and system noise.

If a duct is too small, the air has to move very fast. Fast-moving air creates extra friction, and the combination of friction and size reduces airflow. The other concern with fast-moving air is system noise. If you try to push twice as much air through a duct, it will be 3 time louder (about 15 decibels).

Key Takeaway: A ducted smoke eater has a duct adapter.

System Air Volume (The 500 CFM Baseline)

Once you have the right duct sizes in mind, the next step is understanding how much air the system can actually move. In our industry, we measure airflow in CFM, or Cubic Feet per Minute. Simply put, this tells you how many cubic feet of air a machine can move every sixty seconds.

For a commercial cigar lounge or dedicated smoking room, you need a healthy amount of airflow to keep the air crisp and comfortable. As a general rule of thumb, a true ducted smoke removal system should start with at least 500 CFM. Anything less usually will not move the smoke quickly enough to keep the room clear before it begins to settle and linger.

However, there is an important detail many people miss when comparing systems: there is a major difference between “open-air” CFM and “ducted” CFM.

When an air cleaner operates freely in the middle of a room, the fan has very little resistance. Air can move in and out of the machine easily. But once you connect that same unit to ductwork, the fan suddenly has a much harder job. It now has to push and pull air through pipes, bends, filters, grilles, and long duct runs.

That added resistance reduces real-world airflow.

Because of this, a machine that performs well in open-air testing may lose a significant amount of airflow once installed into an actual ducted system. This is why the second major requirement for a proper ducted smoke eater is making sure the blower is specifically engineered for static pressure and duct resistance. The goal is not just achieving 500 CFM at the machine — it is maintaining that airflow all the way through the duct system and back into the lounge.

Key Takeaway: A ducted smoke eater has a minimum 500 CFM capacity with 1.5 WG static pressure.

A ducted smoke eater uses a high-efficiency particle filter. There are several particle filters. Each has its list of abilities. While HEPA, Electrostatic filter cells, and MERV 15 Media filters each qualify a unit as a DSE, they do not perform equally. We are looking at smoke eater qualifications, so let’s be clear. A True HEPA filter removes more smoke particles from the air in comparison with the electrostatic filter cell and the MERV 15 media. the comparison belows shows the difference

Specification

PM 10
PM 2.5
PM 0.4 -.03
IMC ETS

True HEPA

Electrostatic Cell

MERV 15

PM 10 coarse particulate matter, which refers to inhalable airborne particles measuring 10 micrometers or less in diameter.
PM2-5 particulate matter that are easily inhaled and can travel into the lungs and blood stream
The 0.3–0.4 micron range is the weak spot where particles are too small to hit the fibers directly but too large to wander into them
IMC ETS are the standards a smoking lounge has to meet to be qualified for exception in IMC 403.2. This exception allows substitution of Air Purification for Outdoor Air.

Key takway: A DSE uses high efficiency particle filtration, with True HEPA being the best choice.

Is it a D S E ~ Ducted Smoke Eater?

Before you buy a product claiming to be a ducted smoke eater, use the infographic to the left to help you determine if the product is indeed a Ducted Smoke Eater.

Does the product have a way to connect to a duct? If there is no connection feature, the product is NOT a ducted smoke eater.

Does the product have an airflow capacity of at least 500 CFM? The minimum air flow capacity for a ducted smoke eater is 500 CFM.

Do the Products blower provide at least 500 CFM with a system static pressure of 1.5 WG (inches of water column? If NOT, the product is not a ducted smoke eater.

Does the unit use a particulate filter the is either eith MERV 15/16, Electrostatic Perciptator, or HEPA? if it doen’t, its NOT a DSE.

Key Takeaway: A ducted smoke eater has these 3 characteristics; has a duct adapter, Maintains 500 CFM Airflow Capacity @ 1.5 WG Static Pressure, Uses ultra-fine particle filtration.

Static pressure is simply the resistance air encounters as it moves through a ducted smoke removal system. Every foot of ducting, every bend, every filter, and every grille adds resistance the blower must overcome.

An easy way to think about it is with a drinking straw. If you blow through a short, wide straw, air moves easily. But if you try blowing through a long coffee stirrer with bends in it, the resistance increases dramatically. That resistance is static pressure.

In an open-air smoke eater, air moves freely in and out of the machine with very little resistance. But once you add:

The Ductwork Geometry: Every foot of straight pipe, every 90-degree elbow, and every reducer increases friction. This increases static pressure and decreases air flow.
The Carbon and HEPA Filtration: True HEPA filters and heavy-duty activated carbon blocks are incredibly dense. Pulling smoky air through tight media requires significant force.
The Grilles and Louvers: The intake grilles in your ceiling and the supply registers that return clean air create a final layer of restriction.

Key Takeaway: Static pressure is the resistance air encounters while moving through ductwork, filters, grilles, and bends.

It’s all in the Blowers

Not all blowers are manufactured equally. The quality of a unit’s blower will determine how well it will function as a ducted smoke eater.

This is where many lounge owners make a costly mistake. They buy a standard commercial air cleaner rated at “1,000 CFM” and assume it will perform perfectly when ducted.

However, if that machine uses a standard forward-curved fan designed only for open-air circulation, it cannot handle resistance. The moment it encounters even 0.5 inches of static pressure, its real-world performance can instantly drop from 1,000 CFM down to a useless 300 CFM. Your circulation goes from 20 to 8 Air Changes per Hour. The smoke will simply stall in the room.

To run a successful Ducted Smoke Eater system, you must look for hardware equipped with a backward-curved motorized impeller or a specialized high-static blower. These fans are engineered to maintain their rated airflow (like our 500 CFM baseline) even when fighting against 1.0 to 1.5 inches of static pressure created by heavy filtration grids and rigid ducting.

When reviewing system specifications, never just look at the raw CFM number. Always ask: “What is the CFM output at 1.0 inch of static pressure?” If the manufacturer cannot give you that number, the machine is an open-air filter wearing a duct adapter costume—not a true Ducted Smoke Eater.

The quality of a unit’s fan configuration determines if it can truly be called a Ducted Smoke Eater. Standard air cleaners utilize basic forward-curved blowers. These fans operate quietly in open air but fail under load. When forced to push air through duct networks, their airflow drops significantly.

To maintain volume against heavy resistance, a true DSE relies on heavy-duty centrifugal blowers. Specifically, it uses backward-curved motorized impellers. These fans feature an aggressive aerodynamic blade curve. Instead of slowing down when facing system friction, they use mechanical torque to maintain high-velocity airflow.

Key Takeaway: When comparing products, always get a clear understanding of what the manufactures specifications mean.

Cigar Lounge Blower Physics

There are 3 distinct blower types most often used in cigar air purification. Understanding which a manufacturer uses will help you choose the brand for a ducted smoke system in your lounge, whether it be for a 1500 square foot space, a commercial lounge, or a spectacular home lounge.

1. Backward-Curved Impellers

(The LakeAir Architecture)

These premium motorized impellers are engineered specifically for high-resistance airflow environments. The blades curve away from the direction of rotation, allowing the fan to maintain strong airflow under heavy load. Unlike conventional fan designs that lose performance when pulling through dense HEPA filtration and long duct runs, a backward-curved impeller maintains stable RPM and high static pressure capability. The result is a deeper, more consistent vacuum pull through demanding air purification systems.

2. PSC Direct-Drive Blowers

(The Blue OX Architecture)

Permanent Split Capacitor (PSC) motors are commonly used in traditional residential HVAC equipment because they are dependable and relatively quiet. However, their torque capability is limited by standard 115-volt single-phase operation. As filter loading increases and static pressure rises, these motors begin to slow down. In cigar lounge environments, where sticky smoke particulates rapidly load filtration media, this reduction in RPM directly lowers airflow and air exchange performance at the worst possible time—when the air system is under the greatest demand.

3. High-Speed, Low-Torque Impellers

Electrostatic Air Cleaners (ESP systems)

These systems are typically paired with lightweight, high-speed fan assemblies optimized for low-static-pressure operation. This design works well in short, direct-flow ceiling-mounted applications where airflow restriction is minimal.

However, these fan systems are not engineered for demanding ducted environments. Long duct runs, multiple bends, or restrictive filtration stages dramatically increase static pressure requirements beyond the fan’s intended operating range.

Key Takeaway: The best blower type for a ducted smoke eater is Backward Curved Impellers like the ones used in the LakeAir LAAS 3200.

The Golden Rule: Designing Around the 700–800 CFM Sweet Spot

Before examining the individual machines that qualify as true Ducted Smoke Eater (DSE) systems, it is important to understand a fundamental principle of commercial air system design: professional systems are rarely engineered to operate continuously at their maximum published airflow rating.

While the high-pressure LakeAir ducted platform can deliver airflow approaching 1,000 CFM per unit with HEPA filtration, most properly engineered cigar lounge installations are intentionally designed around an operating range of 700–800 CFM per machine. professional design for system efficiency not system capacity.

There are several important reasons for designing within this operating window:

Acoustic Control: Operating a blower continuously at maximum output increases air velocity, turbulence, and overall sound levels. Designing around the 700–800 CFM range allows the system to maintain lower operating speeds, helping preserve a comfortable lounge environment while still maintaining strong smoke capture performance.

Filter Loading Compensation: A new HEPA filter presents relatively low resistance to airflow. However, as the filter captures cigar smoke particulates and oils over time, static pressure gradually increases. Designing the system around 800 CFM instead of the maximum airflow rating provides reserve capacity as the filters naturally load. This allows the motor controls to gradually increase blower speed over the filter’s service life while maintaining stable airflow and air exchange performance.

Static Pressure Stability: Moving 1,000 CFM through a restrictive duct network requires significantly higher air velocity. Higher velocity increases turbulence and friction losses within the duct system, raising overall static pressure. Operating within the lower airflow range reduces these friction losses, improves efficiency, and creates a more stable operating environment for the impeller system.

By designing around this 700–800 CFM operating window, the system maintains a balance between airflow performance, acoustics, long-term filter loading, and duct efficiency. To support varying levels of duct resistance and installation complexity, LakeAir offers two distinct high-pressure DSE configurations.

Key Takeaway: Ducted Smoke Eater systems are designed on the most efficient settings not full capacity.

Meet the Solutions: One Chassis, Two Distinct Power Tiers

If the best smoke removal system for your lounge is a Ducted Smoke Eater (DSE) system, LakeAir offers two high-static-pressure solutions built around the same heavy-duty platform. Both the LAAS-3200 and LAAS-4800 utilize an identical 14-gauge steel cabinet measuring 21.5″ x 29″ x 19″, along with the same filtration architecture and service access design.

The primary difference between the two systems is the motor and power configuration driving the impeller system. Each model is engineered for a different level of duct resistance, installation complexity, and static pressure demand.”

LAAS 3200 115 volt DSE

Unit Size	29″ x 21.5″ x 19″
Shiping Size	34″ x 26″ x 30″
Filter Slots	2 Regular & 1 Mini
Power	120v, AC 60Hz / 7.5 amp
Sound Level	43-74 dB(A)
Odor Control	2700 gram Fast-Acting Carbon Filter
Warranty	7-Year / Limited Life
Rated HEPA Capacity	1000 CFM@ 3.0″ WG External Static
Rated Electrostatic Capacity	1500 CFM@ 3.5″ WG External Static

The LAAS-3200: The 115-Volt Standard Workhorse

For the majority of commercial cigar lounges, the LAAS-3200 represents the standard high-pressure DSE solution.

Power Configuration: The system operates on standard 120V AC power while drawing approximately 5 to 7.5 amps during operation. This allows the unit to integrate into most existing commercial electrical infrastructure without requiring major electrical upgrades or dedicated high-voltage service.

Static Pressure Capability: The LAAS-3200 is engineered to maintain strong airflow performance against external static pressure levels up to 3.0″ w.g., making it suitable for most properly designed ducted cigar lounge installations.

Best Application: The LAAS-3200 is ideally suited for installations where the equipment is located in an adjacent attic, utility room, basement, or nearby mechanical space. In these environments, the system can comfortably support typical rigid duct layouts, moderate duct lengths, and standard directional transitions while maintaining the recommended 700–800 CFM operating range per unit.

LAAS 4800 230 volt DSE

Unit Size	29″ x 21.5″ x 19″
Shiping Size	34″ x 26″ x 30″
Filter Slots	2 Regular & 1 Mini
Power	230v, AC 60Hz / 5 amp
Sound Level	43-76 dB(A)
Odor Control	2700 gram Fast-Acting Carbon Filter
Warranty	7-Year / Limited Life
Rated HEPA Capacity	1000CFM@ 4.0″ WG External Static
Rated Electrostatic Capacity	1500CFM@ 4.5″ WG External Static

2.The LAAS-4800: The 230-Volt High-Pressure Solution

For installations involving unusually long duct runs or elevated static pressure requirements, the LAAS-4800 provides additional torque capacity and airflow stability beyond what standard 115-volt systems can typically deliver.

Power Configuration: The system operates on dedicated 230V AC power and draws up to approximately 1040 watts during operation. The higher-voltage motor platform allows the impeller system to maintain stronger rotational stability under heavy load conditions.

Static Pressure Capability: The LAAS-4800 is engineered to operate against external static pressure levels up to 4.0″ w.g., making it suitable for demanding ducted environments where airflow resistance exceeds the range of conventional commercial air cleaning systems.

Best Application: The LAAS-4800 is intended for complex architectural layouts where the equipment must be located a significant distance from the lounge or where the duct system includes extended trunk lines, multiple directional transitions, vertical routing, or unusually restrictive airflow paths. In these higher-resistance environments, the additional motor torque helps maintain stable airflow and consistent smoke capture performance across the entire duct network.

Get Professional Advice for Your Ducted Smoke Eater Project

LakeAir is the first company to offer a ducted smoke eater off the shelf. The principles have been around a long time but tying it all together is a LakeAir accomplishment. This article was written by Randy Bush, the CEO and IAQ specialist of LakeAir. You can call Randy for one-on-one advice by dialing 800-558-9436.

Can I tie a Ducted Smoke Eater into my existing commercial HVAC system?

No. Ducted Smoke Eaters must be installed as independent, closed-loop systems. Integrating a smoke removal loop into your main HVAC system spreads tobacco odors and sticky tar residues throughout your entire building's ductwork. A standalone closed loop pulls smoky air out, cleans it, and returns it directly to the lounge, leaving your building's heating and cooling equipment completely unpolluted.

Can I use flexible ducting to route air to my hidden smoke eater?

No. You should always use smooth, rigid galvanized metal ductwork. The internal ridges of cheap flexible ducting create massive air turbulence and friction. Using flex duct can steal up to 1/3 of your system's total airflow efficiency. Rigid metal piping keeps static friction low, allowing the high-torque backward-curved impellers to effortlessly pull smoke away from the seating area.

What is a ducted smoke eater?

A ducted smoke eater is an air cleaning device that draws smoky air from a cigar lounge, filters it, removes odor and returns the cleaned air back to the lounge.

What is the best type of filter for a ducted smoke eater?

True HEPA is the best filter for a ducted smoke eater because it remove more fine smoke particles. The ultra clean air is more healthy and reduces tar residue within the duct system.

How far can a ducted smoke eater be located from the lounge?

This depends greatly on the DSE itself. A LAAS 4800 can be located nearly 100 feet away from the center of the cigar lounge.

What size ducting can be used in a ducted smoke eater system?

For low airflow systems (under 500 CFM) 8 inch ducting works. 800-1000 CFM air flow requires 12 inch ducting. Higher airflow can require from 14-18 inch duct.