Which Air Purifier Is Best?

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that indoor air pollution is among our top five environmental health risks. And while ventilating with clean outdoor air is a solution, it’s not always practical. Bad weather and outdoor pollution can make it difficult to ventilate your home properly. An air purifier could be the right solution for your home to ensure you have clean air throughout. But what kind do you need for your situation?

The EPA goes on to say that air cleaning devices may be the answer. But if you’ve done any research online, you’ve discovered many different kinds of air purifiers. You’ll see terms such as:

1. HEPA
2. HEPA filtration
3. HEPA like
4. Activated oxygen
5. Air filtration
6. Ionic comfort
7. UVC protection
8. UV light
9. PCO
10. Activated carbon filter

Many companies use these terms to market portable air purifiers and whole home air purifiers or HVAC air purifiers. HVAC air purifiers also clean the air and install directly in the HVAC system. Some whole home best air purifiers work along with cleaners, filters, and the HVAC’s fan.

We have you covered with answers on air purification products, air purification technology and choosing a home air purifier. Below, we will explore HVAC and portable air purifiers. Are they worth it and what’s the best air purifying solution for you and your family?

A good place to start is to evaluate what indoor air pollutants may be in your house. The EPA divides air pollutants into two categories: particulate matter and gaseous pollutants.

Particulate matter may come from organisms such as dust mites, molds, bacteria, and viruses. It can be dust, smoke, animal dander, or particles from combustion in the home such as stoves and fireplaces.

Gaseous pollutants originate with combustion and from materials found in and around the house. Stoves, vehicle exhaust, tobacco smoke, and wood smoke produce gaseous pollution.

Household products also release gasses, called volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the home. This “off-gassing” can originate in building materials such as particle board and home furnishings. Off-gassing also occurs when you use paint, varnishes, or common household cleaning products.

Every home is different and the weather, pollen count, and outdoor air is unique to each region of the country. Plus, the people living in your home may have special medical conditions such as asthma. If they’re young children or seniors, they will also be more vulnerable to indoor air pollution.

Some air purifier systems and portables remove certain types of pollutants from your air while other air purifiers work to destroy the pollutants. Which do you need and can you get both options in one?

There are really two types of air purifiers: a whole house air purifier and portable air purifiers. Whole house air purification systems take care of the entire home from kitchen and bathrooms to bedrooms and living rooms. A portable air purifier works best in single rooms. Depending on the Cadr rating, a portable air purifier can clean the air in small or large rooms. Portable air purifiers provide the unique ability to move this from a child’s bedroom to the bedroom of an elderly parent or to the room of a family member with asthma or allergy sensitivity.

Here’s more on how different air purifiers work to control indoor air pollution…

Most air purifiers use either mechanical air filters or electronic air cleaners to remove airborne contaminants, such as pet hair, dust, pollen, mold spores and more.

• Mechanical filters capture particles on the materials in the filter. HEPA, or High Efficiency Particulate Air filters are mechanical air filters. Air filters are MERV rated. MERV 8 and MERV 11 are good choices for a home air cleaner system.

• Electronic air cleaners use electrostatic attraction to trap particles. These cleaners draw air through an ionization section that electrically charges the particles. The charged particles accumulate on a series of oppositely charged plates called a collector.
• Ion generators, or ionizers, release charged ions into the air, causing airborne particles to cling to surfaces or cluster together and settle more quickly.

A sorbent such as activated carbon is used in gas-phase air filters to adsorb gasses and odors. This removes them from the air. Adsorption is the adhesion of atoms, ions, or molecules from a gas to a surface, in this case the filter.

The thing to look out for in gas phase filtration systems is that they usually work on only one or a limited number of gaseous pollutants. They will not work on gasses that they were not designed for. And none remove all the gaseous pollutants in a typical home’s air. For example, carbon monoxide is one gas that is dangerous but not easily captured by today’s air purifiers.

Air cleaners that use ultraviolet light (UV) to destroy indoor air pollutants are called ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) cleaners and photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) cleaners. Some manufacturers also sell air cleaners that produce ozone to destroy pollutants. But, as you will see, that is not a recommended option, as ozone is a known lung irritant.

• Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI) kills biological pollutants using short-wavelength ultraviolet light. These UV lamps reduce viruses, bacteria, allergens, and molds in the air or growing within HVAC systems. UVGI systems are typically used in hospitals to kill airborne pathogens, preventing the spread of disease.

• Photocatalytic Oxidation (PCO) incorporate photon and UV energy to activate a catalyst that destroys gasses (VOCs). In simpler terms, light energy quick-starts the process of turning pollution causing molecules into more harmless substances.

• Ozone Generators use UV light or an electrical discharge to produce ozone. Supposedly, the ozone destroys pollutants, but this is disputed by scientists and the EPA. They are often sold as providing “activated oxygen,” “super oxygen,” “trivalent oxygen,” “allotropic oxygen,” or “saturated oxygen”. All of these terms are referring to ozone.

The EPA and other government agencies have determined that ozone generators are not safe and they do not effectively eliminate indoor air pollutants. When you shop for air purification in your home, the best advice is to stay away from any system using ozone generation. According to the EPA, “At concentrations that do not exceed public health standards, ozone has little effect in removing most indoor air contaminants. Thus, ozone generators are not always safe and effective in controlling indoor air pollutants.”

There are two kinds of air cleaning devices you can buy. You can get a whole house air purification system which is installed in the ductwork of your HVAC system. You may also choose to go with a portable air cleaner which is generally designed to clean the air in one room only.

The quality of filters installed in your ductwork are measured in terms of their efficiency in removing airborne particles from the air that passes through them. The measurement is called the minimum efficiency reporting value, or MERV. The ratings range from a low of 1 to a high of 20.

• Filters with a MERV of 1-4 are generally not meant for controlling indoor air quality, but to protect the HVAC equipment.

• A MERV rating of 5 to 13 is reasonably efficient at removing particles from the air, according to the EPA. A MERV 11 filter and a MERV 8 filters are ideal for most applications.

• A MERV of 7-13 can be almost as effective as HEPA filters. HEPA stands for high-efficiency particulate air. To qualify for a HEPA rating the filter must meet certain government standards such as removing particles as small as 0.3 microns. The nice thing about MERV filters of 7-13 is that they are usually less expensive than HEPA filters. Plus, they’re quieter since they have less air-flow resistance. MERV 11 air filters are a good choice to clean indoor air as they create minimal backpressure–so your equipment does not have to work harder–and a MERV 11 traps a lot of particles and typically does not need to be replaced for up to one year, depending on where the home is located.

• Higher efficiency filters of over MERV 13 are generally not installed in residential HVAC systems. They are more commercial grade for hospitals and require special installation. If you are thinking of purchasing a higher efficiency filter, be sure to consult with your heating/cooling professional. Some residential HVAC systems may not be able to accommodate them because of insufficient fan or motor capacity.

Portable air purifiers are measured by their clean air delivery rate, or CADR. The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers developed this measure of a portable’s delivery of contaminant-free air in cubic feet per minute. So, let’s say an air cleaner has a CADR of 150 for dust particles. That means it reduces dust particles in a room to similar levels if you were to add 150 cubic feet of clean air per minute. The higher the CADR, the better the filtration.

An ionic air purifier gives airborne germs and particles a static charge, so they stick to the walls, ceilings, floors and furniture in the room as well as you. Ionic air purifiers do not get rid of particles, they pile them up in the home.

An ozone purifier creates harmful ozone and should be avoided. In fact, the state of California has banned certain ozone producing air purifiers since they are harmful.

We hope that you now feel more comfortable in your search for solutions to indoor air pollution. Below you’ll find links to more information on indoor air quality, asthma and allergies, and common household products that emit pollutants into your house.

Field Controls offers HVAC air purification solutions that meet the highest standards for indoor air quality. Our Healthy Home System is a whole house air purification system that combines air purification, air filtration, and a reliable source of fresh air technology to keep your home healthy.

Our Trio Plus Portable air purifier is ideal for homes without forced air ductwork but needs superior protection in any room. This portable air purification includes multi-stage filtration along with PRO-Cell Technology for odor and VOC reduction.

Since 1927, we have been a leader in the development and manufacture of products that control, move, and improve air. We look forward to helping you keep your indoor air fresh, clean, and pure.

Find out more about unhealthy indoor air:

Indoor Air Quality, The Facts
Asthma, Allergies, and Indoor Air Pollution
Indoor Air Pollution from Toxic Home Products and Building Materials
Field Controls Healthy Home System
Field Controls Healthy Home System Trio Portable Air Purifier

Primary Source
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), www.epa.gov/ and Guide to Air Cleaners

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