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Air purifiers are gaining popularity over concerns about indoor air quality.
Thebest air purifiersclaim to get rid of harmful pollutants and allergens.
But can they actually do that?
Coway
If so, then how?
We answer all your questions.
What Is an Air Purifier?
Levoit
It’s common knowledge that outside air gets polluted by emissions, construction dust, and more.
This is where an air purifier comes into play.
By doing so, it improves the overall air quality indoors.
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Most consumer-grade air purifiers are portable and are placed in individual rooms to clean their air.
HEPA air purifiers can also sometimes incorporate features from other types of purifiers to improve their performance.
For example, some HEPA purifiers include adsorbents like activated carbon, ionizers, or UV filters.
Key Components of an Air Purifier
A HEPA air purifier is a simple machine.
It has three main parts: an enclosure, a fan, and filter(s).
Different manufacturers use different shapes for enclosures.
But most commonly, you will find air purifiers with cylindrical or boxy housings.
A fan is another critical component of any air purifier.
It helps the purifier suck in the polluted air and push out the filtered air.
Air purifiers have different fan speeds to control how quickly you want the surrounding air to get filtered.
But the faster you trigger the fan, the more noise it creates.
Lastly, filters are the most important part of an air purifier.
Some filters can remove particles, whereas others are better at filtering gases.
To give you some context, human hair is 17-181 microns thick.
They are also helpful in filtering cigarette and wildfire smoke, but they can’t remove odor.
As a result, it can capture odors and gases likevolatile organic compounds (VOCs).
VOCs include harmful carcinogens like formaldehyde and benzene.
Apart from HEPA and activated carbons filters, some air purifiers also include a pre-filter.
It catches larger particles like hair, dust, and dirt, which would otherwise clog the HEPA filter.
Most pre-filters can easily be cleaned using a vacuum.
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Some air purifiers also include ultraviolet (UV) filters.
These filters use UV light to destroy mold spores and other airborne contaminants, including some pathogens.
How Does a HEPA Purifier Work?
HEPA purifiers filter the surrounding air by drawing it in using the built-in fan.
This air passes through the various filters present in the machine before being thrown back out into the room.
Eventually, most of the air cycles through the air purifier, and the air quality improves dramatically.
But how quickly most air in a room gets filtered is different for each air purifier.
There are different CADR scores for tobacco smoke, pollen, and dust.
It’s tested at the highest fan speed and with new filters.
To get your room area, multiply the length and width in feet.
In this case, you would use an air purifier with at least 120 smoke CADR.
It’s important to remember that AAHM recommendations assume a ceiling height of eight feet.
Where Should You Put the Air Purifier?
when you obtain purchased an air purifier, you also have to decide on its placement.
The ideal placement for an air purifier is typically in the middle of the room.
But that’s rarely feasible.
What About Furnace and HVAC System Filters?
Furnace or HVAC system filters can also remove particles and improve air quality.
But they only work when the furnace or the HVAC system is running.
You will increaseelectricity costsif you run them for more extended periods.
MERV represents a filter’s ability to capture particles between 0.3 and 10 microns.
Related:How Much Electricity Do All Your Appliances Use?
But air purifiers can effectively complement ventilation and pollutant source control.
