Deciding to install a whole-home air cleaner is a decision each homeowner has to make for him/herself. The best way to determine if an air cleaner is right for your home is to review the benefits of what an air cleaner can do for you and your property. DuAll Heating & Cooling has installed many air cleaners for Plainfield customers to great satisfaction; to see if a whole-home air cleaner is right for you, we’ll outline some information below to help you assess this.
What Is an Air Cleaner?
The term “air cleaner” is a generalized term for both air filters and air purifiers. Both clean your air, but each do it a little differently, and there are different types. The important item to note is that either one cleans your air far better than the filter that comes with your air conditioner. Why? The standard filter of your AC is there to filter the large particles of dust and dirt from your air conditioning system, not improve your air quality. Due to the wide weave of the standard filter’s fiberglass, this filter simply isn’t made to capture the small particulates of pollen, bacteria, viruses, etc., that a whole-home air cleaner is made to do. If cleaning your indoor air of these smaller kinds of particulates is what you need, it may be time to consider installing a whole-home air cleaner.
Types of Air Cleaners
There are several types of air cleaners available for whole-home use:
Mechanical Air Filters
Air filters have tight weaves of fiber acting as fine sieves that filter out particles as your air circulates. This filter uses the fan from your system to draw the air through the filter in order to purify it. The impurities remain on the filter, leaving pure air to continue on through your air conditioner. The finer the sieve is, the smaller the particles it can trap in the filter. These kinds of air cleaners can filter out such particulates as pollen, dust mites, mold, mildew and pet dander, just to name a few. The types of air filters available are:
- Pleated – can remove up to 35-40% of particles
- HEPA – can remove up to 99.97% of particles
Air Purifiers
There are 3 commonly-used types of air purifiers used:
- Electrostatic – filters up to 90% of particles
- Electronic – filters up to 95% of particles
- UV lights – kills over 99% of particles
Both electrostatic and electronic air filters (also known as precipitators) use ionization to capture particles. Both of these purifiers electronically charge the pollutants in the air, such as allergens, but an electronic purifier will capture these particles on oppositely-charged plates. An electrostatic filter will also charge particles, but does not have a collection plate; rather, the charged particles will attach to other oppositely-charged particles, and collect on surfaces in your home.
UV germicidal lights destroy biological contaminants such as bacteria and viruses by emitting UV-C light. This light destroys the DNA of the biological particle, disabling it from reproducing.
Is An Air Cleaner Right for You? Ask a Professional
An air cleaner in your air conditioning in Plainfield can help any allergy sufferers in your home, those with respiratory issues such as asthma and COPD, and help with overall indoor comfort.
To find out if a whole-home air cleaner is a good fit for your property, call DuAll Heating & Cooling today and schedule an appointment with one of our professionals.
