Air Purifier / Air Cleaner Report About Choosing The Proper Unit

My name is Barry Cohen. I have been in the indoor air quality field and air cleaner industry since 1989. This honest and accurate report is to help you choose the proper type of air cleaner or air purifier that will best serve your required indoor air quality needs.

There are many types of air cleaning devices on the market being sold to people to control and remove the many allergens that trigger allergy, asthma and other respiratory and immune system problems. The most common triggers are smoke, dust, pollen, dust mite allergen, cat and dog dander, mold spores and a huge cocktail of chemicals that out-gas from carpeting, furniture, pesticides, paints, cleaning products and household building materials.

The most common portable air cleaning devices offered on the market include: HEPA filtered air cleaners and air purifiers, Non- HEPA filtered types of polyester or washable fiber filtered air cleaners, ionizers, ozone-ionizer air purifiers and electronic air cleaners. I will explain how each of these air cleaner devices actually operates and how they will best benefit your direct needs.

HEPA Air Purifiers & Air Cleaners

Portable HEPA filtered air purifiers and air cleaners are by far the best all around type of room air cleaning system for dust, allergy and asthma control. However there are many levels of quality in the different brands and models that are on the market. I will explain the advantages and differences.

When choosing a quality HEPA air cleaner there are a few very important things to look for.

1. Cleaning Square Footage Area and Air Exchange Rate Per Hour

Look for your HEPA air cleaner to have the highest air exchange rate per hour in any sized room or open area. Remember no air cleaner can clean through walls or clean through narrow hallways or doorways from one room into another. Note: If you place a HEPA air cleaner in a hallway between three bedrooms the air cleaner will do a wonderful job of cleaning the hallway, but it will not be able to clean the air in the adjoining bedrooms.

Each bedroom will need it 's own air cleaner if you desire to keep the air in your needed bedrooms clean. A quality HEPA air cleaner can clean and exchange the air through its HEPA filter up to 15 times per hour in an average sized bedroom space of 12 ' x 15 ' and do a good job of cleaning the air in an open room or areas up to 1000 square feet. If your family room is open to your living room and or kitchen area and the open space is approximately 1000 square feet or smaller a quality HEPA air cleaner will do a good job of keeping that space much cleaner. Most people choose to keep one quality HEPA air cleaner in their needed bedroom{s} and one in their family room area to cover the majority of their living space.

Don 't be fooled into thinking that a smaller room should have a small air cleaner! Quality HEPA air cleaners are only approximately 15 inches square by 24 inches high. The height can vary a few inches one way or another. AGAIN, you want to have the highest air exchange rate per hour in any sized room or open area! A small air cleaner will have a low air exchange rate per hour giving you an inadequate cleaning job in most cases. Note that the great majority of the department store and chain store HEPA air cleaners that are on the market are far inferior compared to the much higher quality air cleaners sold by air cleaner specialty businesses and they provide only a very low air exchange rate of approximately 3- 5 air exchanges per hour in a small bedroom. In a larger family room area they are completely inadequate.

Activated Carbon And Zeolite Included In HEPA Filtered Air Purifiers And Air Cleaners

Many HEPA Air Cleaners and HEPA air purifiers include a certain amount of activated carbon to absorb and remove odors and out-gassing chemicals from the indoor air environment. Some of these carbon filters are mixed with a mineral called zeolite, which does a great job of absorbing ammonia and urine odors. The more activated or carbon and zeolite in the HEPA air cleaner, the more odors and out-gassing chemicals can be removed from your indoor air environment. Activated carbon and zeolite can remove a huge cocktail of chemicals that out-gas from carpeting, furniture, pesticides, paints, cleaning products and household building materials. Most quality HEPA air cleaners will include between 3 ¹/₂ and 15 pounds of activated carbon. It is important to replace the carbon as needed. The lesser the carbon the more often it should be replaced. Replacement carbon filters are normally inexpensive and easy to replace. Beware of low quality air cleaners that claim that they have activated carbon in them. Most of the inexpensive low quality air cleaners only use a very, very small amount of carbon dust that is impregnated into a replaceable sponge, foam or fibrous pre-filter. I can assure you that a few ounces of carbon dust will not do a good job of removing out-gassing chemicals and odors. Filters impregnated with carbon dust, is nothing more then a marketing scheme and it is all show and no go!

2. Aftermarket filter replacement costs.

An important concern when purchasing a HEPA air cleaner is to know what the future after market filter replacement costs will be. Quality HEPA air cleaners may cost a bit more money up front, but most quality brands will cost you much less money in future aftermarket pre-filter, carbon filter and HEPA filter replacement costs. Many of the less expensive and lower quality department store and chain store HEPA air cleaners may cost you between $100 and $250.00 when you purchase them. But the yearly filter replacement cost can almost equal the cost of the unit itself. You can spend a $1000.00 feeding filters into inexpensive lower quality HEPA air cleaners in only five years time. Most high quality HEPA air cleaners after market filter replacements will only cost between $180.00 and $400.00 in five years time. See! You just saved $600.00 to $800.00 dollars.

3. Motor And Airflow Noise Factor

One of the most important things to look for when purchasing a HEPA air cleaners is to get a unit that is quiet so you can watch TV and sleep while it is operating. All air cleaners are loud when they are operating on high speed. This is because high speed is for quickly clearing the room. Most people operate their HEPA air cleaners around medium speed for everyday use. Most of the inexpensive department store and chain store HEPA air cleaners are often very loud due to the fact that they use low quality motors that are poorly balanced with bearings that wear out to make more noise. The high quality HEPA air cleaners found in air cleaner specialty businesses are more powerful and much quieter because of their high quality motors and superior airflow designs.

4. HEPA Air Cleaners And Air Purifiers With Ultraviolet Light Systems

Some HEPA air cleaners and air purifiers include ultraviolet light systems that allow them to kill mold spores, bacteria and viruses. These HEPA air cleaners are wonderful for people with mold or bacteria problems in their home or office. HEPA air cleaners with ultraviolet light systems are also important for people with mold allergies, immune system problems or people going through chemotherapy or organ transplants that cannot be exposed to viruses or bacteria. When searching for a HEPA air cleaner with an ultraviolet light system, It is important that the ultraviolet bulbs are non- ozone producing as ozone can be an irritant to those that have asthma or other lung conditions. Also the ultraviolet lights should be pointing into the HEPA filter 's intake side so they can kill any mold spores, bacteria and viruses on the HEPA filter 's intake surface before they can penetrate into the filter. It is almost worthless to have an air cleaner where the ultraviolet lights are pointing to the outside diameter of the HEPA filter because the filter may already be contaminated into its core. The only HEPA air cleaner to date on the market with the proper {Patented} ultraviolet design system is called the TRACS. TRACS stands for Total-Room-Air-Cleaning-System.

Non- HEPA Filtered Types Of Polyester Or Washable Fiber Filtered Air Purifiers And Air Cleaners

Many department stores, chain stores and mail order / Internet businesses sell lines of very inexpensive air cleaners with polyester and other washable fibers. Most of these air cleaners are small tabletop units that have a very low air exchange rate per hour that is inadequate to do even a fair job of cleaning the air in a very small room or open area. Washable filter fibers often clog up with dirt and can become difficult to clean in a very short period of time. Many smokers purchase these air cleaners and find that they quickly become clogged with tar and nicotine from their cigars and cigarettes. We recommend that you pass by these low quality air cleaners and search for high quality HEPA air cleaners that will satisfy your direct needs.

Ozone-Ionizer Air Purifiers

Great For Quickly Removing Cigar And Cigarette Smoke & Odors

Ozone-Ionizer air purifiers do not clean the air of dust and allergens by filtration like HEPA filtered air cleaners do. Ozone/ionizer air purifiers use two steps to clean the air. The ozone purifies the air by oxidation. Ozone is a naturally occurring gas. It is created by nature when lightning cuts through the oxygen molecules in the air. It splits the O2 molecule into O3 which becomes ozone. These ozone-ionizer air purifiers work the same way when air is passed through an electrically charged ozone plate. The current passes through the oxygen in the air splitting the oxygen into O3 {ozone} The fresh clean after a thunderstorm smell the ozone-ionizer air purifier produces is the ozone that has just been created. The ozone penetrates into the cellular structure of odor, bacteria and fungus molecules, rupturing the cell wall of the contaminant. After this process is complete, the contaminants and odors are then oxidized and greatly reduced. The second step in this system is the ionization. There are two types of ionization. The first and more common is needlepoint ionization where the particulates blowing out of the air purifier are charged with negative ions. These ionic charges attach to airborne particles such as smoke, dust, pollen, Dust-Mite allergen and animal dander. These dust particles and allergens are forced to quickly drop out of suspension in the air and out of the breathing environment and down to the ground to be vacuumed later. Needlepoint ionizers usually cover a five to seven foot area in the general area of the ionizer. The second type of ionizer is called radio ionization. Radio ionization is a newer technology that uses similar principles as needlepoint ionization except that the radio ionizer uses a specialized and safe radio wave that ionizes the air for approximately 50 feet right through the walls in all directions. With radio ionization, you can actually drop particles out of the air in surrounding rooms or areas. One unit can often cover an entire home.

Ozone-ionizer air purifiers work especially well on removing cigar and cigarette smoke and odors. They also work well to greatly reduce pet odors, body odors and food odors.

NOTE: Ozone-ionizer air purifiers are not a good choice for people that that suffer from asthma or other respiratory problems. This is because ozone can be an irritant to the lungs and mucus membranes if the ozone level is adjusted improperly to be too high.

NOTE: if you are searching for an air cleaner or air purifier for dust, allergy and asthma control, stick with one of the higher quality HEPA air cleaners that are available to you from a knowledgeable air cleaner specialty business.

Electronic Air Purifiers And Air Cleaners

Electronic air cleaners are also called smoke eaters and electrostatic precipitators. They are mostly used for removing dust and large amounts of smoke from indoor environments in bars, restaurants and pool halls. They operate by electrically charging a cell that is made of closely-knit wires or metal collector plates that attract the dust and smoke into the cell to remove the smoke and dust from the air. The advantage of electronic air cleaners is that the cell can be cleaned over and over again with a liquid soap or degreaser and water. The down side of electronic air cleaners are, they are messy to clean and once there is a light coating of smoke or dust attracted onto the cells metal wires or metal collector plates, the future smoke or dust will pass right through the cell and back into the indoor air environment to be breathed by the people in the area. Electronic air cleaners must be cleaned often for them to operate properly.

Two well-known MUCH SMALLER electronic air cleaners advertised {through Infomercials} are the Ionic Breeze by Sharper Image and The ORECK XL air purifier. These infomercials are enticing and well done. But the truth is that the collector plates in both of these units are so small in size they quickly become covered with dust and then they are unable to properly clean the air even in a very small room or open area. The Ionic Breeze does not have a fan at all and it can only pull particles onto its small collector plate from less then 1/8 of an inch away. The ORECK XL air purifier is so small it is approximately the size of a shoebox. The ORECK XL does have a fan in it but it is very low power and its cleaning ability is very limited compared to the much higher quality air cleaners on the market that cost less money to purchase, operate and maintain.

BEWARE OF CONSUMER REPORTS MAGAZINE & OTHER CONSUMER PUBLICATIONS

Please be aware that Consumer Reports Magazine and other consumer publications are owned by private companies and not regulated by the Government or anyone else! They often use improper testing methods and push their readers to products that help support their publications one way or another! Do your own research and call the manufacturers and dealers that sell the air cleaners that you are interested in. Ask lots of questions to help you make the right decision when choosing the air cleaner or air purifier that will best fit your needs.

In Conclusion

It is our hope and desire that this report on how to choose the proper air cleaner or air purifier to best fit your needs has been helpful to you. Do your own research before purchasing air purifier / air cleaner products from any company or infomercial that looks too good to be true while offering far fetched claims including "buy one air purifier, get the next one free" or "for half price". Don 't learn the hard way! Some quality HEPA air cleaners / air purifiers to check our for dust, allergy and asthma control are the Austin Air HealthMate HEPA Air Cleaners, TRACS HEPA air cleaners, EZ Air HEPA air cleaners and the Bio-Net HEPA air cleaners.

See also: Report #2: Consumer Reports Magazine Recommends Inferior Air Cleaners And Air Purifiers.