Ultra-Violet Air Purifier - Technology, Benefits and Drawbacks

Till recently it was believed that HEPA purifiers are good enough to tackle the problem. Any HEPA purifier has the ability to trap contaminants of the size of 0.3 microns and above. Though such filtration takes care of a lot of contaminants, there are still a significant number of contaminants which still need to be dealt with. But they being less than 0.3 microns in size, are not trapped by the HEPA purifier.Viruses are too small to be trapped by a HEPA air purifier, which will capture most bacteria.

The recent innovation has been ultraviolet air purifier. These come either in conjunction with HEPA purifiers or as stand alone machines. The ultraviolet air purifiers work on a totally different concept. Studies have shown that UV rays are effective in dealing with microorganisms of size even less than 0.3 microns in size.

Ultraviolet air purifiers are a new form of technology intended to substantially improve air quality and remove detrimental microbial particles that may be present in the air. UV air filters kill these particles without any actual filtration, but rather with rays of ultraviolet light that incinerate them as they pass through it.
An UV air purifier actually doesn't kill the organism. Instead the rays just alter the DNA and RNA profile of the organisms. This makes them sterile so that they in a way become harmless. With no option of reproducing they can hardly cause any damage. So even if virus and bacteria do enter our respiratory tract they hardly get a chance to grow there.

Upon the introduction of ultraviolet air purifier in 1990, many have used this device to make their environment safe. This helps remove substances in the air to provide fresh and clear air in the office, in the hospitals, in different establishments and even inside one’s home.

Ultraviolet light utilizes its energy to break down the organic molecular bonds of the micro-organisms, due to which the organism is destroyed. In an ultraviolet air purifier, the particles and organisms present in the air enter the purifier and while passing by the UV rays, their molecular bonds are broken and destroyed. The purifier then gives out air that is cleansed and free of any harmful particles.

Air purifiers with UV-C light use a relatively short wavelength of 254 nanometers, a time proven method of disinfection. The bug’s DNA is damaged, making reproduction difficult. Germs cannot develop immunity to this physical assault, and viruses are very vulnerable due to their lack of protective cell walls.
Ultraviolet light can alter the DNA and RNA profiles of the allergens only after they are exposed to the light for a considerable period of time.Microbes must be exposed to UV light long enough for their internal structure (DNA and RNA) to be damaged. The dosage or concentration of light on the contaminants is also crucial.
Skeptics claim that within an air purifier, the ultraviolet light doesn't get enough time to act. Since a fan is always working the organisms never settle down. With the contaminants unsteady the UV rays cannot work on them. 
A conflict is created between the need for higher fan speeds, to clean the air of other particulates, and effective air sterilization. Either the light is less effective or not enough air is purified.

Advantages :

• UV air purifiers prevent airborne diseases like allergy, flu, pneumonia, tuberculosis, and asthma by disinfecting the air and efficiently destroying the particles and organisms that can cause these diseases.
• They prevent the growth of molds in central air conditioners and cooling coils, thus eliminating the need to clean them regularly.They keep the room fresh and clean by eliminating odors.
• They destroy volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Volatile organic compounds are harmful gases/vapors emitted by various products.

Disadvantages :

• UV-C has low skin penetrating capability. It will irritate the eye, but is believed not to cause cataract or cancer. UV-C does not pass through eye glasses or clothing.
• Exposure to UV-C can cause temporary skin redness. Nobody should look at the bulb and the power should always be turned off before servicing or replacing the lamp.
• The UV lamp in the air purifier needs to be changed once in two years and the dust collection plates need to be cleaned regularly with a damp cloth.

Electrostatic Electronic air purifier–What It Is, Advantages and Disadvantages

An electric air purifier uses a power charge to remove particles from the air. The most frequent type may also be named an electrostatic precipitator and contains several plates that the air is passed through. The initial amount of plates in the electronic air purifier are negatively loaded and the negative charge is transferred to the air-borne contaminants which 're going through the entire electronic purifier. Yet another selection of plates are absolutely charged ergo the airborne contaminants that acquired a poor charge are attracted to the positive plates.
Electrostatic precipitators utilize whether one or two-stage system, with the two-stage models being stronger set alongside the one-stage models. One stage systems employ the similar charged medium to charge the debris in the atmosphere also to accumulate them. Two stage models use high-voltage electrodes or wires that place a charge on the inbound airborne particles, then pulls them among several oppositely charged metal dishes which draw the particles from the atmosphere, causing them to precipitate onto the metal dishes.
What Pollutants Do Electrostatic Precipitators Eradicate?
Electrostatic precipitators provide reasonable filtering of common particles plus particulate and typical contaminants in the air. Nonetheless, it is vital to notice these techniques might rapidly suffer a lack of their effectiveness because the collecting dishes be unclean. More over, charged contaminants that are not grabbed on the accumulation grid might adhere to things in your house and dirt them. Considering that HEPA filtering provides better performance without problem over dropped performance, we usually do not suggest using electrostatic precipitators in home electronic home air cleaners.
Electronic Air Purifier Advantages
No Filter Replacement.
They work with a permanent kind filtering therefore you haven't any filter replacements basically hardly any filter replacement expenses.
More Silent
Since there is no thick mechanical filter so on a HEPA filter to push the air through, the force to shift the air via an electronic air purifier will be a lot less therefore the electrostatic precipitator is normally more silent than other forms of electronic home air cleaners.
Electronic Air Purifier Disadvantages
Ionic electronic home air cleaners are not superior in comparison to HEPA
Clearly not, because of the fact even the very best electrostatic air purifier is merely about 80% effective regardless of particle size. Most ionic electronic home air cleaners usually do not attain even 80% effectiveness.
Yet another unwelcome truth for those who wish to assess electronic home air cleaners to HEPA electronic home air cleaners is that HEPA filters usually do not behave like sieves
HEPA filters usually do not strain out contaminants right down to 0. 3 micron allowing other things goes away completely. You will want to? Because of consequence referred to as Brownian diffusion.
Contaminants smaller than 0. 3 micron end up being suffering from the jostling of air molecules to this degree they are unable to maintain a reliable direction.
Rather they leave arbitrarily. Therefore they might be struggling to feel the HEPA filter regardless of appearing smaller compared to the spaces between media fibers.
This way that contaminants smaller than 0. 3 micron are strained at an greater than 99. 97% effectiveness. Which means that, the mentioned HEPA filter effectiveness isn't conveying the very best that it could achieve, but its poorest case performance.
Its effectiveness declines fast.
In a electronic air purifier collector dishes attract ionized contaminants towards the laundry much like a magnets. Because the dishes fill up with contaminants the potency of the electrostatic charge weakens, decreasing effectiveness.
Cost of maintenance is a lot more than stated.
Actually , fast effectiveness reduction due to plate loading implies ionic purifier washing is really a really every day task to keep up effectiveness at a good degree. A lot of people never carry this out job as much as required.

Honeywell 50250
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However one HEPA air purifier has very low maintenance cost, the Honeywell 50250, is known as never requiring filter replacement, just periodically vacuum it clean
Decline continuously after a while.
Failing woefully to do normal routine maintenance washing forever degrades electronic air purifier functionality. Collecting dishes that are not washed of the collected contaminants have a tendency to cook them with their surface, for insufficient an easier way of putting it.
Have a brief service life.
Deterioration and oxidation of essential parts, aside from failure of electronic parts within the charging system consigns numerous an electrostatic air purifier to premature demise.
Ineffective for large areas
Low ventilation means little air volume handled by the machine and significant limitations on what big the region which may be cleaned. You will need to get a few units to attain the coverage of just one single HEPA air purifier.
No effect on gases.
Odors and gaseous pollutants usually do not respond to ionic air cleaners. If you come to mind at about chemical toxins, mold mycotoxins, volatile organic compounds, formaldehyde, a variety of chemicals in tobacco smoke or any odor or chemical pollutant you need to always check elsewhere.
Expose users to dangerous ozone.
Every electronic air purifier produces ozone. Additionally , it damages cells inside your airway, causing breathing difficulties, chest tightness and asthma attacks. Children, the elderly among others with respiratory ailments are especially susceptible. In adequate quantities it could cause death.
Prices usually do not reflect quality.
Testing usually means that costly models may perform no better and also worse than cheaper ones. Quality of materials and construction, durability, and effectiveness usually do not may actually play a frequent role in pricing. Ionic air cleaners are arbitrarily priced without regard to quality.

HEPA Air Purifier - Understanding How It Works and Benefits.

A HEPA Air Purifier uses the HEPA technology, which stands for High-Efficiency Particulate Arresting media or filter that functions as a prevention for the air particles which are up to the scale about 0.3 microns. So that you consider this, that is a tiny measurement for an air particle, and it likewise implies that this filter will get just about anything which is in the air that can negatively affects you. HEPA air cleaners will eliminate 98 percent from the contaminants in the air, making the air that is in your residence about as fresh as it might get.

No other air filters that are available in the market these days, is so good as a HEPA Air Purifier in terms of how efficiently it can eliminate these very small particles. So how is that possible? A HEPA filter was created similar to a carpet of arbitrary layered fibres which is created from fiberglass. This orientation provides the HEPA system permeable area of just 0.3 microns. Although many of us would easily imagine everything smaller than 0.3 microns could go through it, this may not be the fact with HEPA.
  As a matter of fact HEPA filters do not act like sieves.HEPA filters do not strain out particles down to 0.3 micron and let everything else pass. Why not? Because of an effect called Brownian diffusion. Particles smaller than 0.3 micron become influenced by the jostling of air molecules to such an extent that they cannot keep a steady course.
Instead they move randomly. Thus they are unable to pass through the HEPA filter despite being smaller than the gaps between the media fibers.
.

The randomly oriented materials will work as a capture and use other mechanisms to successfully capture lesser debris. These components are a bit techie, however,  are known as Interception, Impaction and Diffusion.  Using these three elements coming together, this is a certain guarantee that smaller than 0.3 microns will still get caught, and it makes this method 99.9% powerful in cleansing the air in any space. These attributes of functionality as well as its scientific development could be the major reasons why the HEPA Air Purifier is really excellent and makes it the best buy as an air filter for any home or office out there.

The result is that particles smaller than 0.3 micron are filtered at an greater than 99.97% efficiency. Quite simply, the stated HEPA filter efficiency isn't expressing the best that it can perform, but its worst case performance
An additional of utilizing an HEPA air purifier is they are simple to install, simple to use and a simple job to take care of. Starting up the product is very easy that anybody is able to do it just by going through the instruction manual. The product gets to function immediately, eradicating harmful particles in the surroundings and cleansing the air so the air which you inhale is more refined and purer.

In case you or your kid are struggling from allergy symptoms or breathing difficulties, a HEPA air purifier is essential to utilize, considering it’s made to get rid of the small contaminants that will induce an allergy. HEPA filtration systems are considerably superior at taking away these little contaminants compared to ionic and electronic air purifiers.

HEPA filters will perform a great job of catching debris, but not the VOCs. To also take away formaldehyde and other VOCs, (off-gassing) you will require an air cleaner with a minimum of 6 lbs. of activated carbon used in combination with potassium iodide. Air purifiers with plain activated carbon or granulated carbon are not as effective in removing VOCs.

We did a lot of exploration and carefully searched around before selecting the best-sellers Austin Air Healthmate purifiers. They are the finest purifiers for allergies, asthma, and minimizing off-gassing in the home.With any of the Austin air purifiers you obtain a 5-year pro-rated filter guarantee, probably the most extensive in the market. With other vendors, you probably have expensive filter replacements every several months or years. But Austin Air filters are made to last for 5-years. This makes the Austin air filters inexpensive to possess than almost every other carbon-HEPA air purifier in the marketplace, although it is among the most effective. You can purchase cheaper quality units at cheaper prices, however the cost of ownership will ultimately surpass the cost of using an Austin air cleaner, and it won’t do nearly as good a job of cleaning your air.

Because different air purifier technologies have different advantages and disadvantages, present day air purifiers incorporate several filter or media kind in the same product.The Austin Air HealthMate Plus offers 60 sq/ft of true HEPA medical filter medium that eliminates hazardous air-borne contaminants. In addition, it includes 15 lbs. of solid activated carbon and zeolite impregnated with potassium iodide to get rid of dangerous smells & gases. The inch-thick barriers of carbon/zeolite/potassium iodide combine functions like a sponge, cleaning harmful gases from the air, just before the HEPA paper. None other air purifier performs this. There is additionally a pre-filter which will blocks bigger contaminants such as dust, lint & hair.

With any of the Austin air purifiers you obtain a 5-year pro-rated filter guarantee, probably the most extensive in the market. With other vendors, you probably have pricey filter replacements each and every few months or years. But Austin Air filters are created to last for 5-years. This will make the Austin air filters more economical to have compared to every other carbon-HEPA air purifier in the marketplace, whilst it is among the most efficient. You can purchase less expensive quality products at cheaper costs, however the price of ownership will ultimately go beyond the price of using an Austin air cleaner, also it will not perform nearly of the same quality a job of cleaning your air.

Ionizer Air Purifier Technology

 
Air Purifiers are created to clean the air off problem particles such as dust, pollen and dirt. One of the recent technological advancements are ionizer air purifiers that use ionization cleaning technique.
To understand how ionizer air purifiers work you need to understand a little bit about the ionization process.

Living Fresh Ionizer

The first process that happens in an air purifiers is that negatively charged electrons are released that pass their charge to other air particles. Air particles such as allergens, viruses and dust will now have a negative charge thus increasing their weight and causing them to be attracted to the positive plates of the purifier unit.  
Negative ions can also provide a feeling of well being and can be compared to the air near a waterfall or on the beach (places where natural air negative ions are high.)
Most purifiers will actually use a combination of ionization matched with another technology such as filter or activated carbon. One of the other benefits of ionization units is that they help to reduce the amount of time that filters can run before being replaced as well as improving overall efficiency.

True HEPA Air + Ionizer

 
One of the benefits ionizer only air purifiers is that they do not require expensive filters but will still be required to be cleaner every few days. In our experience air purifiers that only use ionization are not that helpful. Usually for most people they will require this to be matched with a least one type of filters, we recommend HEPA or activated carbon.
Ionizer only purifiers might still be very useful for someone who is looking to increase the negative ion rate and just need to remove a basic pollutant such as dust.
We really love ionization technology as it improves dramatically the other types of filter technology. I would always recommend consumers to choose an air purifier that comes with an ionizer purifier unit.
 
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Carbon-Activated Air Purifiers and Their Benefits

What are the benefits of using charcoal air purifiers? If you think charcoal is great for grilling, you will be even more impressed with how well charcoal works to clean the air around you.
With improved technology and research, experts have discovered charcoal can be used in air purifiers to cleanse your home of harmful toxins and odors. Charcoal air purifiers are now on the market, competing with ionizers and ozone type air purifying units. Here are a few of the main benefits to using charcoal units.

Best HEPA+ Carbon-Activated Air Purifier

Charcoal Difference
 Charcoal or more pointedly activated charcoal that is used in these types of air purifiers attracts all types of toxins, chemicals and odors. These chemicals, odors and toxins then become trapped in the millions of pours on each piece of activated charcoal. If you are thinking that activated charcoal sounds familiar, it should, it is the main treatment used for absorbing poisons from the human body due to accidental poisoning. The delivery may be a bit different, but the principle is the same, simply absorb the bad stuff with charcoal!
When you compare this to the ionizers or ozone type air purifiers you can immediately see one huge difference, no ozone is released into your home. This is good news, especially for those extremely sensitive to this problem. Overproduction of ozone can irritate lungs and even skin of those sensitive to it.
Cost is another place you will find a big difference between charcoal air purifiers and ion or HEPA options. Carbon filters can cost quite a bit and must be replaced on a regular basis for the air purifier to continue to do its job. Ion air purifiers are different in that respect; generally, the internal "grates" of an ion air purifier can be wiped down and reused. That is not to say that all charcoal air purifiers come with a hefty price tag on replacement charcoal filters, some have a very reasonable replacement cost.
Conclusion
Would you do better with an ion or charcoal air purifier? The answer is it depends on your needs. Charcoal air purifiers obviously offer the best air cleansing properties with fewer issues, but this comes at a slightly higher cost for replacement filters and/ or charcoal. You will want to assess a charcoal units replacement costs and frequency, which should be listed in the specifications, at least an estimate. Remember too, that the larger the area you are cleansing and the more odors you are battling the more activated charcoal it is going to take!

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How to select an air purifier for your home or office

by Susan Waldron

 

Each year, millions of USA residents consider purchasing an air purifier for their home or business. Are you one of those people? If that is the case have you purchased an air purifier yet? Sadly, n huge number of people think about purchasing an air purifier, but hardly any finish up making that important purchase. One of the explanations for this is that many people wonder whether or not they actually need one. People often mistakenly believe you need to have health issues in order to benefit from an air purifier.

The truth is, you do not have to meet certain criteria to be in a position to take advantage of the use of an air purifier. Truthfully, you could just be someone that is looking to breathe only fresh air. If that is the case, you could definitely benefit from the acquisition of an air purifier.

Without reference to the incontrovertible fact that some have no set reason for desiring or needing an air purifier, there are other people who do. If you are one of these folks, as explained below, you may need to seriously think about buying an air purifier for your house or your business. Air purifiers work by scrubbing the air. They do this by stopping damaging particles from passing through their collection grids and filters. The particles caught may even include the best dust particles. Because of this, if you have allergies related to dust, you will find that an air purifier works to lose or completely eliminate your allergic reaction symptoms. In turn, this can make your days and nights more agreeable and nice.

As well as reducing allergies connected with dust, air purifiers can also help people with pet-related allergies. You may find that air purifiers not only catch pet hair, but they also trap the airborne particles manufactured by pet droppings. These threatening particles are not only deadly to people who have allergies, but to anyone else in the household. As well as capturing particles manufactured by pets in the home, you may also use an air purifier if you have got a business that revolves pets. These categories of companies include pet grooming services and veterinary companies.

You might also desire to think about buying an air purifier, particularly if you have small children at home. Youngsters at home. Youngsters have an inclination to be more susceptible to illness. With cleaner air, your child's health may improve incredibly.

As well as being employed in normal houses, you could also need to get an air purifier if you run or operate a youngsters's daycare centre. An air purifier may not only improve your fitness, but the healthiness of all the children in your care. Basically, this may make for happier and fitter youngsters, which is terribly critical when running a daycare business.

An air purifier is also be ideal for people that smoke. Even if you aren't a smoker, there could be somebody within your household who is. In this example, you ought to seriously think about purchasing an air purifier. Most air purifiers, particularly those designed especially for smoking homes, will help to dump secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke is a passive killer, but it is particularly deadly for youngsters. Naturally, you have got to avoid smoking around your youngsters, but if you do, you may need to purchase an air purifier for the sake of your children.

As we discussed earlier, those operating a business concerned with pets or children could benefit from the use of an air purifier, these aren't the sole categories of companies who will benefit. If you are in business, whether you run a little shop or a big office, you ought to think about installing an air purifier.

As explained above, air purifiers try hard to keep the air clean. In real life, this can result in fitter, fitter employees. As well as better performance, you could also find that an air purifier helps to prevent airborne medical conditions being spread thru your building. In turn, this can not only result in better performing workers, but also staff who take much less sick time.

If the examples we've discussed previously describe describe you or your current position in any way, you would be well suggested to buy an air purifier. Whether that air purifier is for your home or your business, you will find an unlimited number of advantages to owning and using one. Where you shop for one doesn't matter as much as which sort of air purifier you choose. If you're looking for an inexpensive, but efficient air purifier, you ought to be ready to spend a little bit of time checking out all the available options. This research might seem time intensive, but it will always be worth it in the end.The market leader in this niche is the Blue Air Purifier company.
Source: goarticles.com

Most Popular Air Purifiers Technologies

The most important components of air purifier are its air filters or media. Indeed, most air purifiers  contain at least two air filters. Some use three or four different air filters. One of the easiest ways to find the right air purifier is by looking for models that have specific types of filters. To do that, learn about the main characteristics of today's most popular air filters technologies.
Different air purifier filters target different types of air pollution. HEPA air purifiers are the most popular, and they are perfect for eliminating household allergens such as dust, animal dander, and pollen, but they are not very good at capturing ultra-fine particles like viruses or eliminating foul odors, organic compounds, or chemical fumes.Because different air purifier technologies have different strengths and                   weaknesses, many modern air purifiers combine two or more filter or media types in the same unit. For example, the best-sellers  Austin Air Healthmate utilizes a HEPA filter along with a thick bed of activated carbon to help eliminate dust and odors.  With that being said, let's take a closer look at the different types of filters:

1. HEPA filters remove at most 99.97% of 0.3-micrometer particles, and are usually more effective for particles which are larger. HEPA purifiers which filter all the air going into a clean room must be arranged so that no air bypasses the

HEPA filter. In dusty environments, a HEPA filter may follow an easily cleaned conventional filter (pre-filter) which removes coarser impurities so that the HEPA filter needs cleaning or replacing less frequently.
HEPA material looks like a very thin bail of fibers. Air has to find a route through this maze of fibers, and there are three steps in the HEPA filter process of trapping particulates. First, a particle runs into the fiber and sticks. Then, the particle gets within one diameter of a fiber in the HEPA air purifier; while it tries to get by the fiber it becomes stuck to the fiber. Finally, as a very small particle (about 0.1 micron) moves in the gas flow, it dithers about due to collisions with molecules (Brownian motion); the particle slides close to the fiber and becomes caught. This is how HEPA air purifiers stop mold spores, as well as many bacteria, viruses, and dust.
HEPA filters do not generate ozone or harmful byproducts.

2.An electrostatic precipitators air purifier is very similar to HEPA air purifiers, except they do not use air filters.  Electrostatic precipitators use electronic cells to charge particles within the purifier and immediately the charged particles stick to the sides of the internal filtration system on collector plates, but only about 30% of particles are removed from your indoor air. 

The main advantage with this type of air purifier is that the collector plates never have to be replaced; they can be easily washed in the dishwasher. Be aware that some electrostatic precipitators also generate ozone
Charged Media Filters work the same way as electrostatic precipitators, but they collect particles on fiber filters instead of plates. The advantage of these filters is that they are able to collect very small particles, sometimes as small as 0.1 microns, through a combination of a filter and an electrostatic charge. The disadvantage is that, like the electrostatic precipitator filters, charged media filters lose their efficiency fairly quickly, and they can require more frequent filter replacements compared to a HEPA air purifier. These types of units can produce ozone, but the better ones on the market do not

3. Ozone generators produce ozone, and are sometimes sold as whole house air cleaners. Unlike ionizers, ozone
generators are designed to produce significant amounts of

ozon generator

ozone, a strong oxidant gas which can oxidize many other chemicals. The only safe use of ozone generators is in unoccupied rooms, utilising "shock treatment" commercial ozone generators that produce over 3000 mg of ozone per hour. Restoration contractors use these types of ozone generators to remove smoke odors after fire damage, musty smells after flooding, mold (including toxic molds), and the stench caused by decaying flesh which cannot be removed by bleach or anything else except for ozone. However, it is not healthy to breathe ozone gas, and one should use extreme caution when buying a room air purifier that also produces ozone.[13]
   
4.Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation- UVGI can be used to sterilize air that passes UV lamps via forced air. Air

purification UVGI systems can be freestanding units with shielded UV lamps that use a fan to force air past the UV light. Other systems are installed in forced air systems so that the circulation for the premises moves micro-organisms past the lamps. Key to this form of sterilization is placement of the UV lamps and a good filtration system to remove the dead micro-organisms.

5.Activated carbon is a porous material that can adsorb

volatile chemicals on a molecular basis, but does not remove larger particles. The adsorption process when using activated carbon must reach equilibrium thus it may be difficult to completely remove contaminants.[5] Activated carbon is merely a process of changing contaminants from a gaseous phase to a solid phase, when aggravated or disturbed contaminants can be regenerated in indoor air sources.[6] It is normally used in conjunction with other filter technology, especially with HEPA.

Read more details :
Carbon-Activated Air Purifier
  6.Pre-Filters remove pet hair and other large particles prior to primary filtration and come with nearly all air purifiers. Most

prefilters are either foam or some sort of non-woven nylon, and some have electrostatic properties to increase filtration. Look for prefilters with activated carbon. This type of prefilter will not only trap large particles but also adsorb odors and smoke. Regularly changing prefilters will increase the life span of your HEPA filter.