FAQs
Why are air purifiers needed?
The air inside many homes often is many times more polluted than outside
air. Here are some little known facts about the air inside many homes:
- The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that indoor air pollutant levels may be as many as two to five times higher than the pollutant levels outdoors.
- Indoor air pollution is one of the top environmental concerns in the country.
- Americans spend up to 90 percent of their time indoors.
- Indoor air pollutants such as tobacco smoke, pollen, mould, dust and animal dander often are associated with asthmatic and allergic reactions in persons.
What contributes to poor indoor air quality?
Today's homes often are built energy efficient to "hold" air
inside - avoiding heat loss in the winter and heat gain in the summer.
Of course, what's better for your energy bills isn't necessarily better
for indoor air quality. This type of "tight" construction often
doesn't allow the home to breathe.
What is a CADR?
Clean Air Deliver Rate (CADR) is an acronym and measurement developed
by AHAM. CADR is the amount of clean air measured in cubic feet per minute
that an air cleaner delivers to a room. It is tested on its ability to
remove smoke, dust and pollen over time. This measurement is usually found
on the back of the air cleaner packaging in the AHAM seal. Air purifiers
without an AHAM seal have generally not been certified for CADR. Please
see www.cadr.org for a more detailed explanation of CADR.
Who are AHAM?
AHAM is an acronym for the Association of Home Appliance Manufactures.
It is an organization that certifies the testing results of home appliances
such as refrigerators, room air conditioners, dehumidifiers and room air
cleaners. They use outside labs to test products and rate a variety of
appliances. Please see www.aham.org for more information.
What room sizes can an air purifier clean?
The performance of all air purifiers is rated AHAM. Look for the AHAM
seal on the packaging for room size information. Most air cleaners also
have appropriate room size reference on the front of the packaging. All
room size recommendations are based on AHAM test results. They can vary
from 6' x 9' to 20' x 24'.
What is HEPA?
HEPA stands for High Efficiency Particulate Air (filter). It was a technology
developed in the 1940's by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission to full-fill
a top-secret need for an efficient way to filter radioactive particulate
contaminants. HEPA is a type of highly efficient filtration media that
removes microscopic particles from air passing through the filter. There
are different ranges of efficiencies depending on the particle size. The
most efficient form of HEPA removes 99.97% of particles with a size of
0.3 microns that pass through the filter. A HEPA air purifier will not
capture chemical gasses.
What is a micron?
The sizes of airborne particles that an air purifier captures are measured
in microns. A micron is approximately 1/25,400 inch or approximately 100
times smaller than a human hair. Particles that size are not visible to
the naked eye.
What types of particulate does an air purifier
filter?
An air purifier filters dust, smoke, pollen, pet dander, mould spores,
and other airborne particulate as small as 0.3 microns.
How does an air purifier work?
Dirty air is drawn into the air purifier through the inlet grill. Some
of the units have a washable pre-filter that traps larger airborne particles.
Air then passes through the carbon filter with help reduce odours and
captures larger particles. The air then passes through the HEPA filter
made of tightly woven fibres. Some units have electronic ionizers which
further assist in particle removal. The fan then redistributes the filtered
air throughout the room.
What is an Ionizer?
Some Air Purifiers have an independently controlled ionizer, which, when
turned on, releases negative ions into outgoing filtered air. Ions are
tiny particles that carry a positive or negative charge. These ions exist
naturally around us, in the air, water and ground. Both positive and negative
ions are colourless, odourless and completely harmless. Negative ions
help the air purification process by attaching themselves to very small
airborne particles in the room.
These particles take on a negative charge and may join with positively charged particles such as dust, pollen, smoke and pet dander to form larger particles that are then more readily captured by the filter system, or may be attracted to positively charged surfaces throughout the home, like walls or floors. This may occur more frequently when the filter is nearing the end of its functional life expectancy and is able to capture less of the charged particles.
You may also note after extended use, that dust may have collected around the grills or front panel. This is from the ionization affect caused by the negative ions exiting from the air outlet. This is additional evidence of the air cleaning effectiveness of negative ions. The dust can be easily removed with a clean, damp cloth or soft brush.
Finally, using your ionizer may result in an occasional popping or cracking sound. This is a normal sound, generally caused by particles of dust that are interrupting the flow of ions, causing a small build-up of ions that, when discharged, cause the popping or cracking sound.
NOTE: It is important to replace the HEPA filter at the recommended intervals.
Using the ionizer in conjunction with dirty filters may result in dirty particles exiting the air purifier and being attracted to walls, carpets, furniture or other household objects. These dirty particles may prove very difficult to remove. Homes with excessive amounts of pet dander, dust, or smoke may decrease the life expectancy of the HEPA filtration system. You may want to run the Ionizer less often and check the condition of the HEPA filter(s) more frequently.
What is a Carbon filter?
Carbon filters capture larger particles and help reduce unpleasant odours.
What is an ULPA filter?
ULPA, also known as Ultra-HEPA, filters are designed to trap 99.999% of
all airborne particles 0.3 microns or smaller from the air that passes
through the filter. These include tobacco smoke, household dust, and pollen.
What is washable foam?
Washable foam helps capture larger particles and can be easily cleaned.
Simply remove the foam from your machine and wash it in warm, soapy water.
Rinse and drip dry the foam thoroughly before replacing it.
How often do I need to replace my filter?
The carbon filter needs to be replaced every 3-6 months depending on usage,
while the HEPA filter needs to be replaced every 12-18 months depending
on usage.