Ion Air Purifiers Explained
An ion air purifier is a type of electronic air purifier and is also know as an ionizer. It works by sending out negatively charged ions into the air. The ion generator, inside the ion purifier, sends out a steady stream of negative ions into the air in a room.
An ion is an atom with an ion missing. Thus, when these ions are sent out in the air, they attach to other molecules and ions, thus forming a complete atom. This process continues till the molecules become so heavy and big that they cannot float around in the air. The particulates either fall to the ground, or become attracted to positively charged surfaces in the room, such as furniture, upholstery, fixtures, walls, etc.
Once the harmful particulates are removed from the air, they can then be removed entirely from the room, through regular vacuuming and cleaning. Even if the particulates are disturbed and sent back into the air because of regular movement of people and animals, the steady release of ions, will once again ensure that they are removed from the air, thus purifying it completely.
Benefits Of An Ion Air Purifier
- They are not as expensive as other kinds of air purification systems.
- An Ion air purifier is not very noisy and is perfect for those who get disturbed even with the slightest of sounds.
- Ion air purification systems help to remove all kinds of harmful particles, bacteria, dust, smoke etc from indoor air. Even though the molecules are not actually destroyed, ion air purifiers help to drop them on other surfaces from where the unsafe contaminants can easily be vacuumed away.
- They help in removing unpleasant smells from the air as well.
- Ion air purifiers are filter-less air purifiers, and thus you do not have to contend with any filters, which need to continuously be replaced or cared for. This also helps in reducing your maintenance costs.
Your selection of purifiers will be determined by what you want to get from the air purifier. If you need one primarily for getting rid of allergens and harmful particulates from the air, then a HEPA air purifier is your best bet.
A HEPA purifier uses a HEPA air filter for purification of indoor air. These air filters trap all the allergens and particulates that pass through the Hepa filter and do not let them back into the air. It is essential to note that itcan only clean and purify the air that actually passes through the air filter. If the air stays around the air purifier, but does not actually pass through it, the HEPA filters would not be able to purify such air. Thus, when choosing a HEPA air cleaner, it is essential that you choose one that has enhanced air flow capacity.
Air filters are the main part of any Hepa purifiers. These filters are usually made from very fine filtration materials, such as polymers, fiber etc. The filtration material is typically folded in pleats, tightly together, much like an accordion. These folds help to create a very large surface area of filtration material, through which large quantities of air can pass and be purified effectively.
If you remove all the pleats in a HEPA filter, you can get filtration material that is as large as 40 feet in length. The more the filtration material used in the filters, the better will be the purification efficiency of the air purifier.
Benefits Of HEPA Air Purifiers
- They typically have an efficiency rate of 99.97% in removing harmful particulates from the air.
- HEPA air filters can trap all kinds of particulates, such as pollen, dust, smoke, smog, pet dander, dead skin, mold spores etc, that are as small as 0.3 microns in size.
- HEPA purifiers can usually clean the air in any given room, up to 15 times per hour. This results in highly pure and clean air, which is absolutely fit for breathing.
- With proper maintenance and care, HEPA air filters can last you for as many as 5 years, without needing to be replaced.
- Hepa air purifiers remove all allergens and dust mites, which are especially responsible for asthma and allergic reactions in most people. Thus, using a HEPA air purifier will result in cleaner air and a healthier you.
A notable product is the Friedrich C-90 Air Purifier. Amongst its benefits is its high powered air purifying power, energy efficiency, 450+ square feet coverage of effective air filtering and it is compact size. This electronic air purifier is built with electronic precipitation technology which is important to allergic and sensitive people. Being user friendly, it is also economical as it does not require filter renewal maintenance. The only thing is that its carbon filters need to be replaced periodically but they do not cost anywhere as high as the regular purifier filters.
Other electronic purifiers like the Aranizer utilizes purifying technology based on oxygen and lightning to resuscitate the air we breathe. Its electronic field is able to produce rare molecules which in turn form more molecules of oxygen, thus purifying the air from harmful allergens. In short, the Aranizer Air Purifier uses the power of nature to accelerate the speed of which air is purified. Energy consumption is always low, and it is effectively for use in rooms, attics, stores, leisure rooms and decent sized areas for optimum air purifying.
Electronic air purifiers are built towards personal, residential, commercial and industrial needs. They do not present harmful risks of electronic radiation as they, like their other air purifier counterparts, have similar low energy output. This is a fact that unknown to many, and is also the main reason why many prefer not to purchase an electronic air purifier.
In our cars, pollution is categorized into two, namely bioaerosol (living organism based) and organic compounds which are actually vaporized liquid in the air. Germs, bacteria, viruses, and tobacco smoke are just some of the many other kinds of pollution that may exist in your car. If these harmful elements are not eradicated by an automobile air purifier, the effects may even be worse than environmental pollution in open air. This is as the car is an extremely small enclosed area and the circulation of contaminants within this area is more prominent.
In the current market, there is a huge variety of auto air purifiers, ionizers, dehumidifiers, air cleaners and air filters which offer similar features which is to help combat car pollution. These remarkably handy gadgets are also small in size and do not take up much space in your car. Different models vary in their features but the main purpose of car air purifier is to filter the wastes that enters and that exists in the car. Many new car air purifiers utilize state of the art nanotechnology to reverse the effects of wastes, a process known as reduction and oxidation. Purifiers that are also ionizers on the hand offer an invigorating, soothing and calm effect when its negative ions are released into the air. This not only helps to remove wastes from your car but is a great benefit especially during long drives.
Features To Help With Relieving Allergies
With this, when shopping for an air purifier for allergy relief, it is important to get one that comes with a HEPA air purifier filter. This is as HEPA filters have gone through stringent international testing standards through the Department of Environment’s filter test program, and therefore maintain certain quality standards in filtering out particles. In fact, HEPA air purifier filters can filter out to 99.97% of particles up to 0.3 micron in size. This will definitely get rid of mold, dust, pollen and pet dander which are common causes of allergies.
However, some higher priced air purifiers for allergy relief are equipped with up to five layers of different types of filters to provide ultimate allergy relief. Some of these allergy relief air purifiers include UV lamps that emit UVA and UVB rays in order to kill harmful pathogenic bacteria and viruses. Apart from that, carbon filters also make up part of the air purifier in order to eliminate odors, chemicals as well as tobacco smoke.
Finally, there is a wide range of allergy relief air purifiers available in the market, starting from a few hundred dollars up to the thousands. This is because different locations, such as hospitals and factories, require different levels of allergy relief due to the difference in allergen densities in the air.
Here we have put together some air purifier reviews of some of the top air purifiers available in the markets. This is an unbiased and objective view, which should help you in making the right choice.
- ORECK XL Professional Air PurifierThis air purifier from Oreck is a very nice looking and attractive-to-the-eye system, which is of course the first thing that we noticed about it. On using, it was very silent and also did an efficient job of air purification. It is a nice compact unit and perfect for those who hate bulky looking appliances.On the negative side, the fragrance feature, which is a very nice addition, would have been much better had it actually worked! Also had some price issues with the supplier, even though the unit was ordered from the Oreck website.
- Friedrich C-90A Air Purifier ReviewThe Friedrich uses an electrostatic plate for air purification, which is very effective, but does generate a very small amount of ozone. It has an activated carbon filter that efficiently removes unpleasant odors and fumes. It is a filter-less air purifier, thus your maintenance expenses will be low.The Friedrich can be quite noisy, and could have been a bit better in the looks department. All-in-all, a good buy if you do not have very acute allergy problems.
- IQAir HealthPro Air Purifier ReviewThe price of this air purifier did make us go ‘ouch’ but the cost is definitely worth it. Even though it is one of the more expensive air purifiers in the markets, it is a very good buy because of its super high efficiency in getting rid of particulates and other harmful microorganisms. The filter change indicator is a good addition.The only negative, if you can call it that, would be its price.
- Honeywell HEPA 50250 Air CleanerVery good air purifier, provided the space is not more than 300 sq.ft. It is also very quiet and reasonably priced. It does lack a bit in style, but overall, a good buy for small areas.
Hopefully, our reviewing of major air purifiers will help you.
“Today, statistics reveal that 1 in 3 American adults and children have severe allergy problems or have asthma”.
“According to research conducted by the American College of Allergies, it is estimated that almost half of all people who have allergies, and a majority of illnesses are made worse because of impure indoor air”.
“The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of the United States has finally announced that the worst environmental health concern in recent years has been that of bad indoor air quality”.
You must surely be wondering as to why we have listed all of the above. It is certainly not to scare or alarm you, but is just to make you aware of the immense health problems, which can be caused due to bad indoor air quality, so as to make you understand the importance of air purification systems, also known as an air purifier.
What Is An Air Purification System?
It is a device that cleans indoor air and makes it free from all kinds of harmful particulates, such as dead skin, pet dander, dust mites; and also removes disease causing germs, viruses, bacteria, and other microorganisms from indoor air.
Why are these so popular today?
In a bid to try and conserve energy and reduce energy costs, most homes and offices have become highly insulated. In the absence of fresh air circulation, the quality of indoor air keeps deteriorating, as there is no natural way to ventilate the area and remove stale and impure air.
The insulation of homes and offices allows harmful pollutants and allergens to remain indoors, thus worsening the quality of the air. As these pollutants can cause many health problems, air purification systems have become the preferred means to improve the quality of indoor air, so as to improve overall health.
Types Of Air Purification Systems
There are various kinds of air purification systems available to choose from. You can either go in for a whole house air purification system, which can help to clean the air in your entire home; or you can opt for a room air purification system, which will help to purify air in individual rooms around your home or office.
More and more people, everyday, are understanding the importance of air purifier systems. Make the smart choice and get one for your home today!
People use various kinds of filtration systems in their homes, to get rid of all such disease causing particulates. But do you know what is actually working inside these purification systems to clean your indoor air? It is a device known as an air filter.
Air Filters Explained
An air filter is a device that is used for getting rid of particulates from the air. The air is filled with different kinds of particulate, which are often invisible to the eye. But have you ever looked at a ray of sunshine coming in through the window, and seen various particles floating in the beam. Well, these are known as particulates, and these are what an air filter removes from the air.
Air filters are not stand alone devices, but are used inside other types of air devices in homes. There are many different types of air filters available for different uses, and also have varying efficiencies and qualities.
The efficiency of an air filter determines how clean it can make the air. For instance, air filters can have efficiency rates ranging from 80% filtration of particulates and going up to 99% efficiency in cleaning the air. The quality of an air filter will determine what size of particulates it can effectively remove from the air.
Types Of Air Filters
- Electrostatic air filters: Such air filters have charged layers of filtration material, which could be made from polypropylene, fiber, etc. These negatively charged filters attract the positively charged air particles and trap the particles in the air filter, thus removing them from the air. They can typically clean the air of particles as small as 1 micron, which is equal 1/25,000 of an inch. Such air filters are very efficient in removing particulates from the air.
- Permanent air filters: A permanent air filter is installed inside the air cleaning device and is used for filtration of the air that passes into the air cleaning system for purification. These filters can be cleaned and reused. If maintained properly, they can last you for many years.
- Disposable air filters: As the name implies, this is a use-and-throw kind of air filter. These air filters usually have a pre-determined life span, ranging from one to three months, after which they have to be discarded and a new filter is used in place of the old one.
An air filter is an essential device that helps to keep the air free from particulates, and you free from bad air health induced problems.