Whole House Air Purifiers - Pros and Cons

One of the top health concerns includes indoor airmay want to invest in one. When the air purifiers
pollutants. Using a whole house air purifier is oneare attached to your central heating and/or air
way to address the issue of indoor air pollutants.system, it significantly reduces the amount of
These purifiers work by controlling or eliminatingnoise than a room air purifier. If you live in an
the source of the pollutants. The purifiers arearea with a lot of outdoor pollutants or have
attached to the existing central heating and/or airsomeone in your home with asthma, these types
system and work by filtering the air as it passesof purifiers are a great investment. Many people
back into the house. But is this type of purifiertake their central heating and/or cooling system
worth investing in?for granted and never really thing about them at
There are five types of air purifiers that coverall. When a full house air purifier is attached, it
the entire house. There is the High Efficiencyrequires much attention especially when the filter
Particulate Accumulation or HEPA for short. Itneeds changing.
removes 99.97% of particles from the air andThere are cons to consider when purchasing
requires and strong blower. It uses woven glasspurifiers that cover the entire house. These types
particles and these particles are formed into aof air cleaners will require a qualified technician for
filter that has a very large surface area. Theinstallation. After they are installed you have to
second type of purifier is the electronic purifier. Itthing about the filters. Sometimes the costs of
removes 95% of dust and about 85% ofthe filters can be greater that a room purifier. If
microscopic particles. It works by drawing particlesthese purifiers break down you have to call a
inward by fan and then charges them with a hightechnician and that can be costly also. Another
voltage wire. Another charge then attracts thething to consider is air from a central heating and
particle as they pass. The third type if purifier isor cooling system does not flow equally through
the self-charging electrostatic purifier. This type ofall rooms so there can be a buildup of dust and
purifier blocks about 10% - 35% of particles inother allergens in some areas of your home.
the air. It works by using synthetic fibers thatBecause the air purifiers only work when the
create static charge to attract particles. Theheating or cooling system is continuously running,
fourth type of purifier is the ultra-violet lightyou may incur a rather expensive electric bill. Also
purifier. There is no method used to determine itconsider the regular replacement of the filters,
rate of removal although most units in this classwhich can be very expensive also. And remember
have limited effectiveness of killing bacteria andthe ozone-ionizers drops particles out of the air
mold. This purifier works by sterilizing air thatand they can land anywhere in the home.
passes UV lamps via blowing air. The fifth type ofThere are only a few options to consider when
purifier is the ozone-ionizer. It works in two stepsinvesting in a whole house air purifier. There are
to clean the air. The ozone (naturally occurringhealth issues, cost, and the type of purifier to
gas) purifies the air by oxidation. The ozone thenbuy. Also check the technical specifications to
penetrates into the molecules of the pollutant. Themake sure that it can benefit the square footage
second step is ionization. The particle in the air isof your home. You may also want to see about
charged with negative ions and these chargesdo it yourself maintenance like replacing air filters.
attach to the particles forcing them to drop outAnd remember all purifiers work differently. So
of the air.consider some of these pros and cons when
Now that you know how the air purifiers work,considering if a full house air purifier is right for
let's take a look at some of the reasons youyou.