Print Article for : Filters For Air Purifier

Your Online Guide » Quality Home Improvement » Air Purifier Cleaners

[F199]Filters For Air Purifier

by Jason Uvios, Jas

When we talk about air purifiers we generally restrict our discussion to particulates suspended in air. But it is not just about them. Air inside the home might have odors not particularly pleasing to your olfactory senses. You need to deal with them too. Good news is that there are air purifiers which come with gas purifiers.

Generally carbon is used for gas filters. And it can be anything from coal based filters to coconut shell based ones. The carbon filters work by absorbing gas molecules in their pores. So all the gases that produce those nasty odors are trapped inside the pores and are not allowed to circulate in the air. To remove the VOCs and SVOCs activated carbon filters will be the best solution since they are of higher molecular weight. But there are drawbacks with carbon filters. They are not that functional when working in humid conditions. The water is filled with large molecules of water vapor and they get absorbed by the pores. Carbon also fails to deliver in case of gases with lower molecular weights like formaldehyde, sulfur and nitrogen dioxide. For such specialized cleaning there has to be dedicated gas control ingredients like Chemisorbers. They chemically remove gases from air. Chemisorbers actually react both with the gas molecule and the water molecule and subsequently produces odorless, harmless gases like carbon dioxide. The well known Chemisorbers are alumina oxide, alumina silicate, and potassium permanganate. A better gas filter would be on which has more pores as it will mean more gas can be absorbed by the filter. So it will absorb better and last longer. It is only when all the pores are saturated that you would need to change the filter.

A gas filter should be preceded by a pre-filter. Without the pre-filter the gas filter will lose its efficiency significantly. The micro pores in the gas filter, supposed to absorb gases will be filled with air particulates. This will mean that your filter will soon get saturated and it would require a replacement.

To get the best air purifier for yourself is no mean task as there are a variety of them and the technology behind them is also different. The job of an air purifier is to clean the air of all its pollutants and that would include allergens, particulates, gases, etc. following is a comparison between the three main kinds of air purifiers that are ruling the roost in the purifier market.

Also larger the surface area of the filter, the better will be the absorption of the gases.

Now we know, it is not enough to have particulate filters. However good a HEPA air purifier you have, if it doesn't come with a gas filter, you will still be breathing in polluted air from your room.

Although there are various versions of air-purifiers available today in the market including the HEPA purifier and the UV air-purifier, but there are only two basic kinds of electronic air-purifiers. These are the negative ion generators and the ozone air-purifiers. We will discuss the functioning and effectiveness of both the varieties in the following section.

Recently, air purifiers are coming with indicator lights that will notify the user that it is time to change the filter inside. Previously one always had to keep an eye for that, and the replacement was based much on guess work. The average domestic owner doesn't have the expertise to understand if it is time to replace the filter. With indicator lights, that shouldn't be a problem anymore.

Ionic Air Purifiers

The basic principle of these airpurifiers is based on the concept of static electricity. What it does is while the air passes through the purifier it charges the air negatively by releasing negative ions. Now these negative ions come in contact with the positive ions present in the air. These would include the regular pollutants like dust, bacteria, pollen and chemicals. These remain suspended in the air and we breathe them in along with the air. Now the negative and positive charges immediately bond together and fall to the ground. This is a very simple and basic method, but at the end of the day it works.

In the more advanced ionic air purifiers there are plates inside the purifier which are negatively charged. When air passes through the purifier, the positively charged particulates are attracted by the plates and are collected. So the floor remains free of the pollutants.

Ozone Air-Purifiers

The second variety of electronic airpurifier is the ozone air-purifier. However, this variety of air purifier has been embroiled in much controversy and there is little indication that the controversy is going to die down anytime soon.

Ozone air purifiers actually release ozone in the air. The principle is that ozone is composed of three atoms of oxygen of which the third atom is a free radical and readily reacts with any organic substance. The manufacturers' theory is that the free radical reacts with the organic substances in the air, thus decreasing pollution. And in the process the two other atoms are now released as oxygen which further cleanses the air.

The problem is that this free radical can actually react with the organic substances inside our body and this can be very harmful for our health and can seriously damage our lungs. So according to some, ozone air purifiers do us more harm than they aid us. There is definitely a need to look into the matter more seriously and there should be more research conducted before we can come to a conclusion about this variety of air-purifier.

Article Source : Pg. 6

Jason Uvios has sinced written about articles on various topics from Air Purifier Cleaners, Acne Treatment and Food Enzymes. Jason Uvios writes about on Gas filters in Air Purifiers to visit :- ,. Jason Uvios's top article generates over 165000 views. to your Favourites.