The air in the average home is teeming with thousands and thousands of microscopic contaminants. These contaminants range in intensity, from minor lung irritants like dust and pollen to more serious infectious agents like viruses and bacteria. All of these contaminants contribute to lowering the air quality in your home, as well as making you sick. Several varieties of air purifiers have been invented to clear the air of these contaminants. Each air purifier has its own strengths and weaknesses. Let’s take a look at the different air purifiers available to you, and which one would be right for your home.
Air Filters
Air filters have the simplest construction of all air purifiers, and are also some of the most common. An air filter consists of a woven fiber mesh, stretched over a frame and installed either in a portable device or the home’s ductwork. As air travels through this mesh, the particulates in the air are trapped in the filter. Every once in a while, the filter is removed, cleaned, and replaced. This prevents contaminants from freely circulating throughout your house.
Ionization Purifiers
Ionization air purifiers are devices that create an electromagnetic field around themselves. As particles in the air pass through this field, they are given a negative charge that causes them to seek out a positively charged surface to stick to. Inside the ionization purifier are one or two metal plates, which provide a convenient surface for the particulates to stick to. Then, the plates can simply be removed and cleaned to get rid of the contaminants.
Ionization filters are a great choice because they can cover a wide area, and actively draw contaminants to themselves. However, they also produce ozone, which is considered a toxic gas by the EPA. Many ionization filters include extra safety measures to capture any ozone that might be produced. Make sure that if you get an ionization filter, you get one that includes these safety features.
UV Germicidal Lights
Many of the biological contaminants in your air are extremely vulnerable to exposure to ultraviolet radiation. The radiation destroys certain parts of their cellular structure, preventing them from multiplying or killing them outright. An UV germicidal light takes advantage of this by bathing the area around itself in ultraviolet light, cleansing the air of these biological contaminants.
If you’d like to know more, call JC Mechanical Inc. We provide professional air purifier installation in the Garden Grove area.