Air Purifier - Air Cleaner Report About Choosing The Proper Unit

This information, is brought to you by Absolute				searching for a HEPA air cleaner with an ultraviolet
Air Cleaners and Air Purifiers Inc.				light system, It is important that the ultraviolet
My name is Barry Cohen. I have been in the				bulbs are non- ozone producing as ozone can be
indoor air quality field and air cleaner industry since				an irritant to those that have asthma or other
1989. This honest and accurate report is to help				lung conditions. Also the ultraviolet lights should be
you choose the proper type of air cleaner or air				pointing into the HEPA filter 's intake side so they
purifier that will best serve your required indoor				can kill any mold spores, bacteria and viruses on
air quality needs.				the HEPA filter 's intake surface before they can
There are many types of air cleaning devices on				penetrate into the filter. It is almost worthless to
the market being sold to people to control and				have an air cleaner where the ultraviolet lights are
remove the many allergens that trigger allergy,				pointing to the outside diameter of the HEPA filter
asthma and other respiratory and immune				because the filter may already be contaminated
system problems. The most common triggers are				into its core. The only HEPA air cleaner to date on
smoke, dust, pollen, dust mite allergen, cat and				the market with the proper {Patented} ultraviolet
dog dander, mold spores and a huge cocktail of				design system is called the TRACS. TRACS
chemicals that out-gas from carpeting, furniture,				stands for Total-Room-Air-Cleaning-System.
pesticides, paints, cleaning products and household				Non- HEPA Filtered Types Of Polyester Or
building materials.				Washable Fiber Filtered Air Purifiers And Air
The most common portable air cleaning devices				Cleaners
offered on the market include: HEPA filtered air				Many department stores, chain stores and mail
cleaners and air purifiers, Non- HEPA filtered types				order / Internet businesses sell lines of very
of polyester or washable fiber filtered air cleaners,				inexpensive air cleaners with polyester and other
ionizers, ozone-ionizer air purifiers and electronic air				washable fibers. Most of these air cleaners are
cleaners. I will explain how each of these air				small tabletop units that have a very low air
cleaner devices actually operates and how they				exchange rate per hour that is inadequate to do
will best benefit your direct needs.				even a fair job of cleaning the air in a very small
HEPA Air Purifiers & Air Cleaners				room or open area. Washable filter fibers often
Portable HEPA filtered air purifiers and air cleaners				clog up with dirt and can become difficult to clean
are by far the best all around type of room air				in a very short period of time. Many smokers
cleaning system for dust, allergy and asthma				purchase these air cleaners and find that they
control. However there are many levels of quality				quickly become clogged with tar and nicotine from
in the different brands and models that are on				their cigars and cigarettes. We recommend that
the market. I will explain the advantages and				you pass by these low quality air cleaners and
differences.				search for high quality HEPA air cleaners that will
When choosing a quality HEPA air cleaner there				satisfy your direct needs.
are a few very important things to look for.				Ozone-Ionizer Air Purifiers
1. Cleaning Square Footage Area and Air Exchange				Great For Quickly Removing Cigar And Cigarette
Rate Per Hour				Smoke & Odors
Look for your HEPA air cleaner to have the				Ozone-Ionizer air purifiers do not clean the air of
highest air exchange rate per hour in any sized				dust and allergens by filtration like HEPA filtered air
room or open area. Remember no air cleaner can				cleaners do. Ozone/ionizer air purifiers use two
clean through walls or clean through narrow				steps to clean the air. The ozone purifies the air
hallways or doorways from one room into				by oxidation. Ozone is a naturally occurring gas. It
another. Note: If you place a HEPA air cleaner in a				is created by nature when lightning cuts through
hallway between three bedrooms the air cleaner				the oxygen molecules in the air. It splits the O2
will do a wonderful job of cleaning the hallway, but				molecule into O3 which becomes ozone. These
it will not be able to clean the air in the adjoining				ozone-ionizer air purifiers work the same way
bedrooms.				when air is passed through an electrically charged
Each bedroom will need it 's own air cleaner if you				ozone plate. The current passes through the
desire to keep the air in your needed bedrooms				oxygen in the air splitting the oxygen into O3
clean. A quality HEPA air cleaner can clean and				{ozone} The fresh clean after a thunderstorm
exchange the air through its HEPA filter up to 15				smell the ozone-ionizer air purifier produces is the
times per hour in an average sized bedroom				ozone that has just been created. The ozone
space of 12 ' x 15 ' and do a good job of cleaning				penetrates into the cellular structure of odor,
the air in an open room or areas up to 1000				bacteria and fungus molecules, rupturing the cell
square feet. If your family room is open to your				wall of the contaminant. After this process is
living room and or kitchen area and the open				complete, the contaminants and odors are then
space is approximately 1000 square feet or				oxidized and greatly reduced.
smaller a quality HEPA air cleaner will do a good				The second step in this system is the ionization.
job of keeping that space much cleaner. Most				There are two types of ionization. The first and
people choose to keep one quality HEPA air				more common is needlepoint ionization where the
cleaner in their needed bedroom{s} and one in				particulates blowing out of the air purifier are
their family room area to cover the majority of				charged with negative ions. These ionic charges
their living space.				attach to airborne particles such as smoke, dust,
Don 't be fooled into thinking that a smaller room				pollen, Dust-Mite allergen and animal dander. These
should have a small air cleaner! Quality HEPA air				dust particles and allergens are forced to quickly
cleaners are only approximately 15 inches square				drop out of suspension in the air and out of the
by 24 inches high. The height can vary a few				breathing environment and down to the ground to
inches one way or another. AGAIN, you want to				be vacuumed later. Needlepoint ionizers usually
have the highest air exchange rate per hour in				cover a five to seven foot area in the general
any sized room or open area! A small air cleaner				area of the ionizer. The second type of ionizer is
will have a low air exchange rate per hour giving				called radio ionization. Radio ionization is a newer
you an inadequate cleaning job in most cases.				technology that uses similar principles as
Note that the great majority of the department				needlepoint ionization except that the radio ionizer
store and chain store HEPA air cleaners that are				uses a specialized and safe radio wave that
on the market are far inferior compared to the				ionizes the air for approximately 50 feet right
much higher quality air cleaners sold by air cleaner				through the walls in all directions. With radio
specialty businesses and they provide only a very				ionization, you can actually drop particles out of
low air exchange rate of approximately 3- 5 air				the air in surrounding rooms or areas. One unit
exchanges per hour in a small bedroom. In a				can often cover an entire home.
larger family room area they are completely				Ozone-ionizer air purifiers work especially well on
inadequate.				removing cigar and cigarette smoke and odors.
Activated Carbon And Zeolite Included In HEPA				They also work well to greatly reduce pet odors,
Filtered Air Purifiers And Air Cleaners				body odors and food odors.
Many HEPA Air Cleaners and HEPA air purifiers				NOTE: Ozone-ionizer air purifiers are not a good
include a certain amount of activated carbon to				choice for people that that suffer from asthma
absorb and remove odors and out-gassing				or other respiratory problems. This is because
chemicals from the indoor air environment. Some				ozone can be an irritant to the lungs and mucus
of these carbon filters are mixed with a mineral				membranes if the ozone level is adjusted
called zeolite, which does a great job of absorbing				improperly to be too high.
ammonia and urine odors. The more activated or				NOTE: if you are searching for an air cleaner or air
carbon and zeolite in the HEPA air cleaner, the				purifier for dust, allergy and asthma control, stick
more odors and out-gassing chemicals can be				with one of the higher quality HEPA air cleaners
removed from your indoor air environment.				that are available to you from a knowledgeable air
Activated carbon and zeolite can remove a huge				cleaner specialty business.
cocktail of chemicals that out-gas from carpeting,				Electronic Air Purifiers And Air Cleaners
furniture, pesticides, paints, cleaning products and				Electronic air cleaners are also called smoke eaters
household building materials. Most quality HEPA air				and electrostatic precipitators. They are mostly
cleaners will include between 3 1/2 and 15 pounds				used for removing dust and large amounts of
of activated carbon. It is important to replace the				smoke from indoor environments in bars,
carbon as needed. The lesser the carbon the				restaurants and pool halls. They operate by
more often it should be replaced. Replacement				electrically charging a cell that is made of
carbon filters are normally inexpensive and easy				closely-knit wires or metal collector plates that
to replace. Beware of low quality air cleaners that				attract the dust and smoke into the cell to
claim that they have activated carbon in them.				remove the smoke and dust from the air. The
Most of the inexpensive low quality air cleaners				advantage of electronic air cleaners is that the cell
only use a very, very small amount of carbon				can be cleaned over and over again with a liquid
dust that is impregnated into a replaceable				soap or degreaser and water. The down side of
sponge, foam or fibrous pre-filter. I can assure				electronic air cleaners are, they are messy to
you that a few ounces of carbon dust will not do				clean and once there is a light coating of smoke
a good job of removing out-gassing chemicals and				or dust attracted onto the cells metal wires or
odors. Filters impregnated with carbon dust, is				metal collector plates, the future smoke or dust
nothing more then a marketing scheme and it is				will pass right through the cell and back into the
all show and no go!				indoor air environment to be breathed by the
2. Aftermarket filter replacement costs.				people in the area. Electronic air cleaners must be
An important concern when purchasing a HEPA air				cleaned often for them to operate properly.
cleaner is to know what the future after market				Two well-known MUCH SMALLER electronic air
filter replacement costs will be. Quality HEPA air				cleaners advertised {through Infomercials} are
cleaners may cost a bit more money up front,				the Ionic Breeze by Sharper Image and The
but most quality brands will cost you much less				ORECK XL air purifier. These infomercials are
money in future aftermarket pre-filter, carbon				enticing and well done. But the truth is that the
filter and HEPA filter replacement costs. Many of				collector plates in both of these units are so small
the less expensive and lower quality department				in size they quickly become covered with dust
store and chain store HEPA air cleaners may cost				and then they are unable to properly clean the air
you between $100 and $250.00 when you				even in a very small room or open area. The
purchase them. But the yearly filter replacement				Ionic Breeze does not have a fan at all and it can
cost can almost equal the cost of the unit itself.				only pull particles onto its small collector plate from
You can spend a $1000.00 feeding filters into				less then 1/8 of an inch away. The ORECK XL air
inexpensive lower quality HEPA air cleaners in only				purifier is so small it is approximately the size of a
five years time. Most high quality HEPA air				shoebox. The ORECK XL does have a fan in it
cleaners after market filter replacements will only				but it is very low power and its cleaning ability is
cost between $180.00 and $400.00 in five years				very limited compared to the much higher quality
time. See! You just saved $600.00 to $800.00				air cleaners on the market that cost less money
dollars.				to purchase, operate and maintain.
3. Motor And Airflow Noise Factor				BEWARE OF CONSUMER REPORTS MAGAZINE
One of the most important things to look for				& OTHER CONSUMER PUBLICATIONS
when purchasing a HEPA air cleaners is to get a				Please be aware that Consumer Reports
unit that is quiet so you can watch TV and sleep				Magazine and other consumer publications are
while it is operating. All air cleaners are loud when				owned by private companies and not regulated
they are operating on high speed. This is because				by the Government or anyone else! They often
high speed is for quickly clearing the room. Most				use improper testing methods and push their
people operate their HEPA air cleaners around				readers to products that help support their
medium speed for everyday use. Most of the				publications one way or another! Do your own
inexpensive department store and chain store				research and call the manufacturers and dealers
HEPA air cleaners are often very loud due to the				that sell the air cleaners that you are interested in.
fact that they use low quality motors that are				Ask lots of questions to help you make the right
poorly balanced with bearings that wear out to				decision when choosing the air cleaner or air
make more noise. The high quality HEPA air				purifier that will best fit your needs.
cleaners found in air cleaner specialty businesses				In Conclusion
are more powerful and much quieter because of				It is our hope and desire that this report on how
their high quality motors and superior airflow				to choose the proper air cleaner or air purifier to
designs.				best fit your needs has been helpful to you. Do
4. HEPA Air Cleaners And Air Purifiers With				your own research before purchasing air purifier /
Ultraviolet Light Systems				air cleaner products from any company or
Some HEPA air cleaners and air purifiers include				infomercial that looks too good to be true while
ultraviolet light systems that allow them to kill				offering far fetched claims including "buy one air
mold spores, bacteria and viruses. These HEPA air				purifier, get the next one free" or "for half price".
cleaners are wonderful for people with mold or				Don 't learn the hard way! Some quality HEPA air
bacteria problems in their home or office. HEPA air				cleaners / air purifiers to check our for dust,
cleaners with ultraviolet light systems are also				allergy and asthma control are the Austin Air
important for people with mold allergies, immune				HealthMate HEPA Air Cleaners, TRACS HEPA air
system problems or people going through				cleaners, EZ Air HEPA air cleaners and the IQAir
chemotherapy or organ transplants that cannot				HEPA air cleaners.
be exposed to viruses or bacteria. When

PuriAir

Air Purifier - Air Cleaner Report About Choosing The Proper Unit