A Beginner’s Guide To Air Purifiers

With so many different makes, models and types of air purifiers there are on the market these days, comparing them all is enough to make your head spin.Do not worry, this short guide will help you learn about filters so you can select the air purifier that is right for your needs.

The first item to cover is that different types of filters are designed to filter different things from the air.Some filters are designed to remove irritants, others control smoke and odor, while others remove dangerous chemicals such as VOCs, paints and chemicals.So, if you need an air purifier to help control allergies, getting one that is great at filtering chemical is not going to be the best choice you can make.

Here are the filter technologies you will likely see:.

HEPA

HEPA is short for “High Efficiency Particulate Arresting” and this is the type of filter most commonly seen in the marketplace.A paper-thin maze of fibers make up a HEPA filter.As air passes through the filter the particles in the air are snagged by a fiber leaving clean air to exit the filter.  When you look at a HEPA filter, you will see that it has many folds in it.  This is to increase the surface area of exposed fibers and to allow as much air to pass through the filter as possible.

In order for a filter to meet the requirements to be a true HEPA filter, 99.97% of all particles 0.3 microns or larger must be removed from the air.  IQAir developed its HyperHEPAfilter to capture particles down to a size of 0.003 microns.  IQAir HealthPro air purifiers achieve 99.97% efficiency at removing particles 100 times smaller than the standard used to determine filtering efficiency.

Primary Use: Allergen and particle control

 

Activated Carbon

If you have a water filter, you may be familiar with the term “activated carbon” because that is the technology used to filter impurities from water, too.An activated carbon filter adsorbs (not “absorbs”, that is something different) chemicals from the air.  As air passes through the filter, the effect of Van deer Waals forces cause the chemicals to attach to the filter surface.As the filter cleans the air it becomes covered with a film of the chemicals it has removed.  Once this happens the filter will not be able to capture any additional chemicals, so it will need to be replaced.

The IQAir GC Multigas air purifier uses activated carbon to control the widest spectrum of gaseous compounds, smoke and odors from the air.  There are other IQAir GC air purifier models available that will control specific gases.

Primary Use: Control airborne chemicals and odors

 

Ultraviolet Light (UV)

UV filters are used to control viruses, bacteria and mold spores and they work by attacking the DNA of the microorganisms as they pass though the unit.  The burst of UV radiation (which is low-intensity at 150 - 300 nanometers) either kills the organism or at least prevents it from being able to reproduce.

Because light radiation is not effective for capturing air particles or airborne gases, this technology is generally used in conjunction with another technology in order to be an everyday-use air cleaner.  Because these filters use light radiation to do the work, the bulbs will have a limited effective life, so changing bulbs periodically is necessary.Please note: just as tanning bed bulbs will, these bulbs will still emit light even when they no longer produce the radiation needed to clean the air.

Primary Use: Control airborne microorganisms (viruses, bacteria, spores)

 

Electrostatic

Electrostatic air purifiers work by charging particles as they pass through the filter then collecting the charged particles before the air leaves the unit.In the first stage all particles are charged to one polarity while the second stage collecting plate is charged with the opposite polarity.As the charged particles pass near the plate in the second stage they get stuck to the plate and are removed from the air.  Over time the second stage plate will become covered by charged particles and will need to be cleaned off.

This type of technology is generally found in commercial or industrial applications, such as in bars or restaurants.There are residential applications for this technology, but the effective ones are primarily in whole-house systems.

One downside to this technology is that the filtering process may create ozone, which is a dangerous gas.

Primary Use: Removing airborne particulates

 

As you can see, there are several filter technologies used in air purifiers.  Simply knowing what it is you need to clean from your air will allow you to easily narrow down your search, which will help you find the right air purifier.

More information about IQAir HealthPro Series air purifiers can be found at IQAirHealthProSeries.com.