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About the HEPA Loaner Vacuum Program
About the HEPA Loaner Vacuum Program
Through the Oneida County Health Department’s New York State Department of Health’s Lead Primary Prevention Program, and with the assistance of a grant from Excellus, all Oneida County residents may borrow a HEPA vacuum for short term residential use at no charge. They may continue to borrow it as frequently as it is available. Additionally, property owners living outside Oneida County, but owning property in Oneida County may borrow the vacuums to clean their Oneida County properties.
How Do I Borrow A HEPA vacuum?
You must call in advance to reserve the HEPA vacuum. There are 12 vacuums available for loan. They are loaned out on Mondays and Fridays. Call (315)266-6147 to reserve a vacuum or to receive additional information. You must have a driver’s license or other acceptable ID to borrow the vacuum and complete the HEPA vacuum loaner form. [Form is available on this site in PDF and may be downloaded and printed]. If you do not have a driver’s license, speak with our representative about other acceptable forms of identification.
The vacuum may only be borrowed or returned on the agreed upon days. The vacuum must be cleaned thoroughly prior to returning it to our office at 185 Genesee Street, Utica, NY (4th floor). All items to conduct this cleaning are provided with the loaner vacuum. On the day you first borrow the HEPA vacuum you must attend a brief training to insure you are familiar with the vacuum and its proper use and cleaning.
Who should borrow a HEPA vacuum?
Anyone owning pre-1978 property that has the potential to have lead-based paints or older single pane windows or doors painted with lead-based paints or who have chipping and peeling paint on their interior or exterior surfaces that may cause lead dust to be tracked into the home.
How does the home become contaminated with lead dust?
- Lead in-dust can develop in homes and other buildings that have lead-based paints on walls, trim, or floors and older windows and doors that are in poor repair.
- Chipping and peeling paint on interior surfaces or exterior surfaces such as stairs, walls, porches or rails that permit lead from lead-based paints to be tracked into the home can create lead hazards.
- Doors that fit poorly create surfaces that rub and that disturb the older lead-based paint and can generate lead in-dust.
- Older single pane windows painted with lead-based paints create friction surfaces when they are opened and closed that disturb this lead-based paint and can grind down the paint causing lead in-dust to accumulate in window wells and on window sills. When these windows are opened and closed or if fans or air conditioners are utilized in these windows, the lead in-dust can spread throughout the household and contaminate surfaces and belongings at levels unsafe for human habitation.
- Dry scraping, or dry sanding of lead-based paints during do-it-yourself home repairs creates large amounts of lead dust and can cause lead contamination of the home, its contents and cause lead poisoning. Only wet sanding or wet scraping should be used and precautions must be taken to protect occupants even when these methods are used. [See: Lead Paint Safety Field Guide]
How does the HEPA vacuum work?
The HEPA vacuums utilized in the loaner program are hospital grade units capable of removing 99.97% of 0.3 micron dust. They have special filters that trap the dust particles and do not release them back into the air. You must vacuum very slowly and thoroughly and repeatedly go over surfaces especially in carpeted areas.
A thorough cleaning with the HEPA vacuum including all window wells and sills followed by a thorough washing of the windows, wells, and sills, and then a final cleaning with the HEPA vacuum is recommended initially. Window sills should be washed down at least 1-2 times per week after that. Frequent vacuuming with a HEPA vacuum is recommended for high lead dust areas. Consideration should be given to replacing older single pane windows whenever possible to reduce lead hazards. Residents owning properties in the City of Utica’s high risk designated areas may sign up to receive FREE window replacement training classes and purchase windows at cost. [See Window Replacement Seminars area on this website]
What if I have loose or chipping paint in my windows?
Never dry scrape or dry sand lead-based paints. This will create large amounts of lead dust that can quickly contaminate the entire room and lead poison family members.
The HEPA loaner program can provide you with an attachment called a SCRAVAC. This tool has a dull steel scraping blade that hooks to the HEPA vacuum attachment hose and permits you to remove loose dry paint and suction it into the vacuum cleaner. You must follow safe work practice procedures whenever you are removing loose paint from surfaces and the HEPA vacuum motor must be running whenever you are using this tool. [See: Lead Paint Safety Field Guide on this website regarding safe preparation of work areas to reduce lead dust and prepare painted surfaces.]
How Can I Obtain the SCRAVAC scraping tool?
At the time that you reserve the HEPA vacuum, ask to reserve a SCRAVAC tool. There is a separate form that must be completed when borrowing this tool and it is available in PDF in the HEPA vacuum area of this website for you to download and print. Bring both the HEPA loaner form, the SCRAVAC form, and your identification on the day that you come in to pick up your reserved HEPA vacuum.