Keeping your air clean
While the smog in California makes the outdoor air unhealthy, believe it or not, the indoor air quality of your home isn’t much better. Think of all the cloth, electronics, plastic, wood, and other materials in your home. Consider the cleaning supplies you use, including your laundry detergent. All of these are emitting chemicals and such in the air that can be as harmful as the pollution from cars. This is why so many homeowners are purchasing a whole house air purifier.
An air purifier is good for health has become a popular trend among homeowners. They’re buying individual units to place in specific room and they’re having them installed with the new or upgrading their HVAC system. Long with the whole house air purifier, many are adding a humidifier too. What is the difference between the air purifier vs humidifier, do you need both? Or do they do the same thing?
The difference between a whole house air purifier and a humidifier is simple. One cleans the air, and one adds moisture to the air. By their names, it easy to tell the difference: The “air purifier” cleans the air and the “humidifier” adds moisture to the air.
For a more detailed answer, a whole house air purifier cleans the air in your home by removing or inactivating any pollutants from the air with two basic components. With a fan and a filter, typically a HEPA filtration technology or the new PECO technology, an
Air purifier can remove dust and pollutants that get trapped in the filter as air from the house passes through it, then sends it back into the house, clean and clear.
A humidifier boils water takes the steam that creates and add it to the air using ultrasonic technology that vibrates water droplets. There are some humidifiers that use a fan and wick to evaporate the water. A downside to the ultrasonic type of humidifier is the tiny mineral particles they may introduce into the air, so it is recommended to use only distilled water and not tap water. Either type of humidifier should be cleaned and disinfected on a regular basis.
Do I need an air purifier for each room?
A professional air quality expert will recommend a whole house air purifier, however, not everyone can afford this means of improving indoor air quality. So we go with the individual, portable air purifier. There are two factors that should be considered in determining if you need one for every room in your home:
- The Square Footage: Your home’s square footage relates to the volume of air that is to be cleaned.
- The Air Purifier Capacity: This relates to the amount of air the unit can clean.
So, no, you may not need an air purifier in each room if you choose an air purifier that has a large square foot capacity. Or you can choose to go with a whole house air purifier, then every room will benefit from having clean, purified air.
How long does it take for an air purifier to clean a room?
A portable room air purifier will take between thirty minutes and two hours to purify the air in the room, with a difference noticeable after the first 20 minutes. Remember, an air purifier is only as useful as it the air changes per hour), the brand and model, and the size of the room you place the unit.
An average extraction rate is based on one hour and the amount of air it can clean. A HEPA air filter will run 15 minutes per air change, thus cleaning the air faster than a non-HEPA filter. Keep in mind that during the summer, there number of pollutants increase, so it will take a room air purifier longer to clean the air.
Does whole house UV air purifier work?
Another confusion are UV air purifiers and whole house air cleaners. Each has a purpose with a UV light in that air purifiers have neutralizes microorganism that can be harmful as they spread and transmit. A whole house air purifier remove tiny particles from the air supply. The UV light in a whole house air purifier does not remove any particles, therefore, they are not helpful in removing allergens.
However, using both UV light and whole house air purifier will provide the best defense by cleaning the air filtering it too. A whole house air purifier will miss some of the tiniest of tiny particles, the UV light kills any harmful microorganisms.
Are whole house air purifiers worth the money?
If you’re not sure the investment of a whole house air purifier is good or bad choice, an ongoing debate, we have advice to help you make that decision. If everyone living under your roof doesn’t haves any allergies or asthma suffers, or anyone that experiences frequent respiratory infections, then the benefits of a room or whole house air purifier probably wouldn’t be worth the investment. However, if you do make the investment, it doesn’t hurt either!
Still, the question remains, are air filtration systems worth it? If there is even one person that lives your home that suffer from allergies, asthma, or has breathing issues like respiratory infections, can you put a price on their comfort and well-being? When you need air purifiers installed in Vacaville, CA, call 707-689-5128 today.
