Homeowners concerned about indoor air quality can do a lot of things around the house to minimize any breathing problems. Things like vacuuming often, washing bedding in hot water and using special pillow and mattress covers go a long way. Air purifiers, however, can accomplish the same goals without the work. The following tips will help you get a system that addresses the most pressing concerns.
A good system should permanently remove particles from the air. Some systems use ionization to electrically charge particles, which means the system sends a charge into the air that targets particles and draws the particles into the system, much like a magnet. Purifiers that use mechanical filtration permanently trap particles.
Air purifiers are generally tested on their performance over one hour, allowing lower-quality systems to initially test well but become less efficient over time. HVAC professionals have knowledge of a system’s efficiency performance, and units with HEPA filters or high-efficiency MERV filters last longer.
Particles that cause the most problems are those that are superfine. A lot of systems claim to capture particles smaller than 0.1 microns. Better systems trap microns down to 0.003.
It’s also critical to purify the air of gases and chemicals. Quality air purifiers should focus on all three classes of contaminants, particles such as dust and pollen, mold and bacteria, and odors and chemicals.
You also want to avoid ozone-emitting air purifiers, as well as systems that destroy it by emitting small amounts of ozone. Obviously, systems that emit or don’t address existing ozone work against air purification.
To get the most out of your air purifier, you’ll want it to connect directly to your heating and cooling equipment through its duct system. As the air circulates, the entire home is continuously purified.
Look for systems that include convenient features such as duct-mounting, and that have the ability to attack all contaminants at the right particle level while maintaining efficiency. Arpi’s is a leader in improving indoor air quality. We can help you get the kind of air purification system that you need.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information, click here to download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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