What Kind of Air Purifier Is Right for You?

By Len Sciulli, Expert Contributor and Owner of Len Sciulli & Sons Heating & Air Conditioning

If you’ve spent the summer sneezing and wheezing inside your home, it may be time to invest in an air purifier. These devices reduce dust, pollen and other allergens inside the home, and some also help eliminate odors.

Air purifiers come in many different sizes and forms using different technologies. You can spend a few dollars to several hundred dollars for devices that may or may not solve your problem.

If your home has a furnace, you may already have an indoor air cleaner in place: the furnace filter. Some just help to keep the furnace clean and operating properly. Other higher quality filters are designed to filter out dust, mold, allergens, pet dander and other pollutants that circulate around your home.

Furnace filters should be changed at least quarterly and more frequently if someone in your household suffers from allergies or a respiratory ailment.

Most furnace filters have a MERV rating (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value): The higher the rating, the more contaminants can be filtered out. The American Lung Association recommends using furnace filters with a MERV rating of at least 10.

If changing your filter as recommended doesn’t help alleviate symptoms of allergies or asthma, then it’s time to consider additional air purification devices. There are three basic kinds to choose from:

1. Mechanical filters remove particles from the air just like a furnace filter, but some may be more effective. At the high end, HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filters have MERV ratings up to 20. They are not reusable.

2. Electronic air cleaners use an electrical field to trap particles. They are typically made of woven polyurethane and polypropylene fibers with aluminum grates for rigidity, and fit over HVAC system vents and returns. When air passes through the fibers, it generates electrostatic charges that act like a magnet in attracting airborne particles. Electrostatic filters can be cleaned and reused.

3. Ionic air cleaners operate by releasing negatively charged ions into the air, which stick to positive charges inherent in pollutant particles. This causes the particles to stick to each other and settle out of the air onto objects in the room.

Another big consideration is whether you want a whole-house air purifier or one or more portable units. Whole-house units can be installed directly into your existing HVAC system whereas portable units can be set up wherever you wish. Portable units are noisier and less thorough in purifying the air throughout the home but they are cheaper and more convenient. Wholehouse cleaners require professional installation but they are more effective in decontaminating the entire home.

Contact an indoor air quality specialist who can discuss these options and help you decide what would best suit your needs and your budget.

Len Sciulli & Sons Heating & Air Conditioning

Marple Newtown’s family owned and operated heating and cooling specialists for over 20 years. We are fully licensed and insured to provide service, repair and installation for all of your residential and light commercial heating and cooling needs. Our commitment is to provide the dependable and high quality services that our customers have come to expect and count on.

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610-328-4341

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