1. Definition of a Air Purifier
An air purifier is an electronic appliance that is used to provide cleaner, fresher air. HEPA air purifiers use a fan to draw room air through a HEPA filter. The HEPA filter traps airborne particles passing through he filter, including smoke, dust, pollen, pet dander and mold spores.
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2. What is HEPA?
HEPA stands for High Efficiency Particulate Air (filter). It was a technology developed in the 1940’s by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission to full-fill a top-secret need for an efficient way to filter radioactive particulate contaminants. HEPA is a type of highly efficient filtration media that removes microscopic particles from air passing through the filter. There are different ranges of efficiencies depending on the particle size. The most efficient form of HEPA removes 99.97% of particles with a size of 0.3 microns that pass through the filter. A HEPA air purifier will not capture chemical gasses.
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3. How does an air purifier operate?
Dirty air is drawn into the air purifier through the inlet grill. Some of the units have a washable pre-filter that traps larger airborne particles. Air then passes through the carbon filter with help reduce odors and captures larger particles. The air then passes through the HEPA filter made of tightly woven fibers. Some units have electronic ionizers which further assist in particle removal. The fan then redistributes the filtered air throughout the room
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4. What is an Ionizer?
Some Air Purifiers have an independently controlled ionizer, which, when turned on, releases negative ions into outgoing filtered air. Ions are tiny particles that carry a positive or negative charge. These ions exist naturally around us, in the air, water and ground. Both positive and negative ions are colorless, odorless and completely harmless. Negative ions help the air purification process by attaching themselves to very small airborne particles in the room.
These particles take on a negative charge and may join with positively charged particles such as dust, pollen, smoke and pet dander to form larger particles that are then more readily captured by the filter system, or may be attracted to positively charged surfaces throughout the home, like walls or floors. This may occur more frequently when the filter is nearing the end of its functional life expectancy and is able to capture less of the charged particles.
You may also note after extended use, that dust may have collected around the grills or front panel. This is from the ionization affect caused by the negative ions exiting from the air outlet. This is additional evidence of the air cleaning effectiveness of negative ions. The dust can be easily removed with a clean, damp cloth or soft brush.
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5. Why do we need air purifiers in our homes?
The air inside many homes often is many times more polluted than outside air. Here are some little known facts about the air inside many homes:
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that indoor air pollutant levels may be as many as two to five times higher than the pollutant levels outdoors.
Indoor air pollution is one of the top environmental concerns in the country. Americans spend up to 90 percent of their time indoors. Indoor air pollutants such as tobacco smoke, pollen, mold, dust and animal dander often are associated with asthmatic and allergic reactions in persons
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6. How do I choose the right air purifiers?
For general improvement of indoor air quality we recommend an air purifier with an AHAM certified room size that is equal to or greater than the space where the air purifier is used. Please read our product information carefully before you decide which would be the right air purifiers for you.
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7. What size of a room can the air purifier clean?
The performance of all air purifiers is rated AHAM. Look for the AHAM seal on the packaging for room size information. Most air cleaners also have appropriate room size reference on the front of the packaging. All room size recommendations are based on AHAM test results. They can vary from 6’ x 9’ to 20’ x 24’
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8. What is a AHAM?
The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) is an organization that certifies the testing results of home appliances such as refrigerators, room air conditioners, dehumidifiers and room air cleaners. The association uses outside labs to test products and rate a variety of appliances.
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9. Does the price of the air cleaner influence the effectiveness o the air purifier?
Not necessarily. The first step is to make sure that the air cleaner is a HEPA air cleaner. Then you must determine how large of an air cleaner you want to purchase based upon your room size and the CADR rating of the product.
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10. What exactly is a CADR?
Clean Air Deliver Rate (CADR) is an acronym and measurement developed by AHAM. CADR is the amount of clean air measured in cubic feet per minute that an air cleaner delivers to a room. It is tested on its ability to remove smoke, dust and pollen over time. This measurement is usually found on the back of the air cleaner packaging in the AHAM seal. Air purifiers without an AHAM seal have generally not been certified for CADR.
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11. Do the HEPA air Purifiers have to be permanently installed?
Most HEPA air cleaners sold at retailers are portable. They do not require installation by a contractor and can simply be removed from their packaging and plugged in to an outlet.
