Frequently Asked Questions

Radic8 is the manufacturer of the highest certified clean air technology in the world, called Viruskiller™.

History: Viruskiller™ core technology was initially funded by the Korean Government after the 2003 SARS epidemic. For the past 16 years, the technology has been focused on killing airborne viruses and has since been installed in over 80% of hospitals in South Korea, all lung examination rooms, universities, and more.

Airflow: One of the most overlooked aspects in air sterilisation is controlled airflow. Viruskiller™ units have been designed in collaboration with South Korea’s Aerospace University to achieve unparalleled airflow control in indoor settings ranging from operating theaters, to waiting rooms, to offices.

Single Air Exchange Kill Rates: If a technology draws contaminated air in, then pushes it back into the breathing zone without completely sterilizing it, it dramatically increases the risk of cross contamination. When it comes to viruses, the only relevant test results are on a single air exchange, where our tech achieves 99.9999% virus kill rates.

Studies show that viruses can penetrate HEPA filters, so after our HEPA we use our patented reactor chamber which is full of UV radiation and nano oxidisation that breaks the RNA of viruses. Our test results show a 99.9999% kill rate on respiratory viruses, including Coronavirus, on a single air exchange.

HEPA filters are designed to trap particles down to 0.3 microns and viruses are much smaller than that. Studies show that viruses penetrate HEPA filters. Studies also show that microbial contamination can grow on HEPA filters and they themselves can become a source of microbial contamination.

Viruskiller™ technology is designed to kill all viruses and our test results show a kill rate of 99.9999% on a single air exchange.

Note: The HEPA filters used in the Radic8 technology are positioned before the reactor chamber, therefore anything that passes the HEPA filter is destroyed in the Radic8 reactor chamber.

White Paper: The HEPA Myth

There are many factors that can affect the efficiency of photo catalytic oxidation. Some include the quality and power of the UV lamps, the type and size of the photocatalytic surface, the technology used to coat that surface, etc.

That means not all devices using photo catalytic oxidation are created equal. Their efficiency varies greatly.

• Even though Radic8 uses photo catalytic oxidation, our reactor cell is patented and unique. It achieves a 99.9999% kill rate on all respiratory viruses in a single air pass without releasing any by-products.

• Radic8 uses the highest quality UV-C lamps that are certified ozone-free for their entire recommended lifespan.

• The process Radic8 uses for coating the filters with TiO2 (titanium dioxide) ensures that no ultrafine particles are going to be released from the units during the photo catalytic process.

The optional collar attachment for positive or negative air pressure and the ducting needs to be bought separately. We only provide the air sterilisation unit. VK Medi and VK 103 for creating positive pressure systems and VK 102 for creative negative pressure systems.

Yes Radic8 units remove viruses from the air and reduce surface settlement by up to 80% if installed correctly, they cannot however do anything about viruses and other contaminants that have already settled onto the floor.

Tests were conducted on SARS coronavirus which has almost an identical size/structure/envelope as the current Covid19 and is widely accepted as a substitute.

The forced airflow will greatly reduce surface settlement of viruses and therefore reduce the viral load on the surfaces. Radic8 technology does not actively kill viruses on surfaces but it does reduce the amount that can settle on the surfaces by destroying them while they are still in the air.

The Viruskiller™ units aim to create a controlled airflow in any indoor setting. The powerful fan will draw contaminated air away from the breathing zone, sterilise it and then send it back into the breathing zone. This will greatly reduce the risk of cross contamination through airborne and droplet particles. Please see the attached PDF for more info on controlled airflow.

Airflow Control

Whilst Covid19 is thought to be predominantly transmitted by droplets, they can be various sized droplets, including fine droplets that can stay in the air for hours. Droplets not only released whilst coughing or sneezing. The simple act of talking, eating and even breathing can release them. (please see the attached video from Japan). This is why many governments, including our own, have now made mask wearing compulsory for the general public. There are many studies that have been done on this matter

nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMc2004973

In addition, it is a known fact that virus droplets attach to larger particles in the air such as dust, pollution or other particles and then effectively becomes airborne. This is why maintaining clean air reduces the risk of viruses being transported through the air. There is increasing evidence that the Corona virus is airborne due to pollution and other particulate matter.

coronavirus-detected-particles-air-pollution

Absolutely, yes. Radic8 units control the flow of air and take the virus out of the breathing zone. We then process the virus through our patented technology and kill it with 99.9999% efficiency on a single air exchange.

There are a lot of questions on how South Korea has managed to flatten the coronavirus curve so quickly, and one of the reasons is that they have OVER 370,000 commercial installations of the Viruskiller™ technology to tackle airborne and droplet disease transmission.

We offer a standard 1 year manufacturer’s warranty.

Breakdown within 7 days: Replacement

When functional or mechanical defects are occurred within 1 month from the date of purchase: Free of charge

When same defects occurred more than 3 times during warranty: Free of charge

Reactor cell is under warranty guarantee for 12 months from date of purchase

Radic8 technology is often used in conjunction with A/C units and the airflow from the A/C should be taken into account before best positioning of the Radic8 devices are decided upon. A/C airflow should aid the airflow being directed into the Radic8 device as opposed to countering it.

Windows will allow fresh air input and this is important but it is not advisable to have the Radic8 units too close to an open window. Airflow from an air conditioning unit will influence the forced airflow of the Radic8 unit and should enhance the flow of air going into the unit as apposed to countering it.

The units can easily be moved to different rooms. The smaller units are light enough to be carried by one person, and the tower units have casters that allow them to be pushed around. Even though the units are mobile, they are not meant to be used in that way. They must be plugged in in order to work and stay in the same place while working, in order to create efficient airflow within the space it is covering. In special circumstances, such as dental surgeries, the VK 401 can be mounted on a trolley in order to always be placed in the ideal position.

It is usually best to select a unit based on the area to cover. If the ideal unit is not suitable for a space (e.g nowhere to place a tower unit in a room), then we would suggest using a different unit that was more suited and maybe use a combination to adequately cover the space (e.g installing several VK-401s on the walls instead).

Yes, we take 2.4 m as an average ceiling height for simplicity, however when we specify units for a space we also ask for the cubic meters of the room. If the ceiling height is higher than 2.4 m it could indeed affect the unit required.

All the units have multi layered filtration and a reaction chamber.

Vacuum / wipe the pre filter on a weekly basis as part of your routine shut down procedure.

Yes, the filters can be easily replaced by opening the drawers on the tower units or unscrewing the side panels on the VK 401. The reaction chamber can also be changed at home or by a maintenance contractor for commercial installations.

The reactor cell (which contains the UV lights) needs changing after 8000 hours of use. That’s approximately 3 years of use, 8 hours per day. All Radic8 units will alarm you when it is time to replace the reactor chamber. We supply all the spare parts.

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We recommend using PPE and placing the filters in a sealed bag before disposal.

No. The pre-filters trap larger, coarse particles and are safe to handle.

The lifespan of the filters (activated carbon and HEPA) varies from unit to unit (from 2000h to 8000h) and the reaction chamber lasts 8000 hours.

The unit will alert you that they needs to be replaced.

Yes, the filters can be easily replaced by opening the drawers on the tower units or unscrewing the side panels on the VK401. The reactor cell can also be changed at home.

You can install your VK 401 on the ceiling but it needs to be a very strong ceiling because the unit weighs 12 kg.

Yes you can put VK 401 on a counter it does not have to be wall mounted. But remember, our devices need to be plugged at all times. You need to be careful when managing a mobile unit.

It comes with the screws needed for wall mounting.

The units are very easy to install, operate and maintain, they are plug and play.

We offer online training of distributors and we also have training videos for each and every product, one video is a product overview explaining what it does, how it works and where best installed, the other is a maintenance video showing step by step how to clean filters and how to replace filters and reactor chambers. The units also come with very clear and user-friendly user manuals.

This depends on the unit and the space available, but in general the maximum available space should be left around the unit. The optimum location for a tower unit, with 4 way directional airflow, is the center of a room with clear space on all four sides. The VK 401 needs to have at least 30 cm of clear space above the unit, for easy access to the filter tray.

Air flow is a very important factor to consider. Ideally, closer to the entrance of the room so as to maximize air flow capturing any contamination from outside the room when the door opens.

All the units are plug and play. They are very easy to install. However, the actual positioning of the unit is very important. Please read our recommendations on how to place the units in different scenarios.

We follow best practice guidelines wherever they exist, for example in operating theaters. Where there are no standards in place we specify units according to room size and usage, usually aiming to achieve at least three room changes per hour.

The life expectancy of the units is 10 years.

We will provide the appropriate plug based on country specified when you place the order, if no country is specified we will attach a standard UK plug

The standing tower units air quality sensor measures presence of dust particulate matter in the air it is pulling in and then adjust the speed of the fan up if required and they have a Voc sensor which detects gases, The hextio only has the voc sensor and the VK401 does not have an air quality sensor built in.

Where local facilities exist, the UV lamps can be recycled. The reactor chambers can be dismantled at the end of their lifespan, the metal part and UV lamps recycled and the plastic parts disposed of responsibly.

No. The unit doesn’t produce any byproducts.

The filters vary between most units as they have different thickness and size.

Depending on the unit. From 15W (Hextio), 48W (IAQ Inline,) 96W (VK 401), 210W (VK 103), 280 W (VK 002), 350 W (VK 102) to 360 W (VK Medi)

Yes, having a forced airflow greatly reduces surface settlement

Radic8 tackles droplet and airborne disease transmission routes and, at the same time, reduces direct and indirect contact transmission routes (if the airborne harmful particles are killed, they won’t fall on the surfaces).

Radic8 technology keeps the indoor air fresh to stop the transmission of diseases

This depends on the number of air changes per hour achieved, and this in turn depends on the size of unit used for the space. In general environments (office and domestic), three room changes per hour are recommend, so a smell should be lessened almost immediately and removed after 20 minutes.

The Viruskiller™ is effective on odours of all types, however it is not designed to be used to remove oil and smoke from commercial kitchens and restaurants. It will deal with odours from toilets effectively, however to deal with very high concentrations of odours or toxic gases (e.g from industrial processes) we would normally recommend it is used alongside effective ventilation.

All units can now be controlled with a Wi-Fi plug to operate remotely and controlled by Building Management Software.

Hextio and the VK 002 / 102 / 103 series have built in Indoor Air Quality Sensors to automatically detect when there is a high level of particulate or gaseous pollution in the air and turn the fan up automatically until levels are reduced.

The Viruskiller™ units do not impact the relative humidity of the air. At present there is no way to control the RH through the unit. There are options to control carbon dioxide leaves and temperature (positive pressure units).

No. No by-products come out of the reactor chamber. Also, all Radic8 units are ozone free (tested!)

First, we use a powerful fan to force air into the unit. Second, we specify the correct unit based on the cubic metres and usage of the room to ensure that sufficient room changes per hour (how often on average all the air in the room is forced through the machine) are taking place. This can be between 3 room changes per hour in a domestic setting to as many as 70 in an operating theatre.

It depends on the model.

VK-MEDI: 8 watt, 8 ea

VK-102: 6 watt, 16 ea

VK-002: 6 watt, 8 ea

VK-401: 6 watt, 8 ea

Hextio: 6 watt, 1 ea

Note: Part of Radic8 patented process is amplifying the power of the UVC lamps by using ultimate reflection and refraction enhancements