Did you know that indoor air can carry five times more pollutants than outdoor air? Fortunately, air purifiers are designed to remove impurities in the air to improve its quality. However, it’s important to keep in mind that not all air purifiers are made the same.
In this post, we answer frequently asked questions about air purifiers.
How Do They Work?
Air purifiers are usually composed of filters and a fan that takes in and circulates air. As this equipment runs, air is directed to the filter, pollutants are captured and clean air enters the house. Filters are commonly made of paper, fiber or mesh. They need to be replaced as directed by the manufacturer to remain efficient. Besides the price of an air purifier, you should also take note of operating and filter replacement costs.
If you’re considering purchasing an air purifier that utilizes ionizers, make sure that it doesn’t produce ozone. This gas is composed of three oxygen atoms that manufacturers claim help break down pollutants. However, ozone can irritate the lungs and trigger asthma.
What Exactly Do Air Purifiers Filter?
Many of today’s filters are made to capture dust and pollen but aren’t designed to catch volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or radon. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the performance of air purifiers is limited when it comes to filtering gases. While a lot of air purifiers excel at removing air pollutants, they don’t work as well at getting rid of gaseous pollutants, such as VOCs from adhesives, paint and cleaning products.
Should I Invest in an Air Purifier?
There’s not a lot of scientific evidence that proves air purifiers can help improve health or alleviate allergies and respiratory symptoms. However, an air purifier with a High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter can help if you have allergies or asthma. HEPA filters can capture particles of different sizes within multiple layers of netting, usually made from extremely fine fiberglass threads with varying gap sizes. These threads are even thinner than strands of hair. Air purifiers with these filters capture larger particles through impaction, mid-sized particles via interception and ultra-fine particles by diffusion.
Turn to Modern Air Solutions Inc for quality residential heating and air conditioning services. Call us at 630-884-4181 or reach us by completing our contact form.
