Articles By Syndicated Columnist
Dan Thomas
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Improvement Inside And Out
Clearing The Air With An Air Purifier
There are different types of air purifiers that
do different things. You will need to know what they do and decide what type is
best suited for your needs.
Electrostatic Air Purifiers
The particles in the air are drawn to the filter
by a static charge. It may attract particles to a filter but you do not have
any
filters to replace. They use 2 metal plates (like the one pictured here) that create two opposite
electrostatic charges. When the plate is coated you can remove it and clean and
replace it back in the air purifier.
Ozone Air Purifier
These air purifiers release positively charged molecules of
oxygen into the air to cut down on the number of pollutants that are airborne. They are
also effective when it comes to removing odors. Some will also give off a fresh,
sharp scent that is similar to the smell of the air after a good thunderstorm.
Ionizers
Manufacturers of ionizers
claim that ionizers release a magnetic charge into the air
that causes airborne particles to
become to heavy to remain air born. There is still some
doubt to how affective ionizers really are at purifying
the air.
HEPA Filters
High Efficiency Particulate Air Filters, They are
designed to remove 99.9% of airborne
pollutants. They trap the germs in the
filter and they die from a lack of moisture, making this air purifier great for
operating rooms and electronic labs.
You need to look for two things when making a
decision on an air cleaner.
MERV and CADR. These ratings will help you to
decide and compare different style and brands.
MERV?
MERV means Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value.
The higher a MERV number, the better a filter performs.
CAR?
CAR, or clean air delivery rate, this lets you
know how rapidly the air cleaner will circulate filtered air throughout the room
that it is placed in.
