Home air purifiers are becoming a must-have home appliance due to rising air pollution. The problem of indoor air pollution is more severe in metro cities such as Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. Indoor air pollution can have an adverse effect on overall health. This realization has prompted people into investing in air purifiers for home.
There are several brands selling air purifiers in the market, both online and offline. Branded communication can often confuse buyers with varying claims of features and effectiveness. In this post, we try to demystify the basic features that you should look at while making a purchase.
Technology:
There are two types of air purifier technologies in the market – active and passive. Active air purifiers release ions to charge the dust particles in the air by releasing negative ions in the air. These particles stick to surfaces like ceiling, walls, floor, and furniture. Thus, active air purifiers do not remove the dust and pollutants from your house. They just stop them from being airborne. Also, the ionization process can sometimes release Ozone as a byproduct. Ozone is a harmful gas for humans to breathe and may cause health problems in the long run (Ref).
Passive air purifiers, on the other hand, use the simpler concept of air filtration. These air purifiers have filters inside them. The in-built fan sucks the ambient air and passes it through these filters. The purifier keeps on repeating the process till your whole room or office space has clean air.
Air Filters:
Now that you know about the Air filtration technology, it is time to dive a bit deeper and compare the filters. Cheaper products use simple air filters which are akin to the one used inside your car’s blower. They won’t keep much out aside from some dust and larger particles such as hair and dander.
To be effective, an air purifier must have a HEPA filter at the minimum. HEPA stands for high-efficiency particulate arrestance. The HEPA filter can trap particles as small as 2.5 microns (PM2.5). Take note though that the quality of HEPA filters also varies by brand.
A carbon filter is also used in top-quality air purifiers to protect against gases and VOCs. The carbon filter absorbs and nullifies gaseous substances and removes foul odors. Once again, companies have developed their own activated carbon filters. Our patented HiSiv technology comes from the background of usage in petrochemical plants where the harmful gases are much higher in concentration. This technology delivers much higher cleaning efficiency for these harmful gaseous products, while it does not take away moisture from your air, unlike an activated carbon filter.
Since filters require replacement after a certain time, companies also use pre-filters. A pre-filter is used to trap larger particles, thus increasing the life of HEPA and carbon filters. So, when buying an air purifier for your home or office, make sure you compare the number and quality of the filters.
Clean Air Delivery Rate:
CADR is the speed at which an air purifier can clean the ambient air inside a particular space. The higher the rate, more effective is the cleaning. For your reference, a CADR of 300m3/h can clean a room of 450 sq. ft. in around 15 minutes depending on the ambient air quality.
Noise Levels:
Since an air purifier is going to sit in your home or office, it is also important to check for noise levels. Some air purifiers come with fans which are not optimized for silent operation. Buying such a product can cause constant humming noise inside your home or office. Acceptable noise levels for air purifiers range between 20dB to 55dB.
Maintenance Requirements:
An air purifier mainly needs replacement filters for its seamless functioning over the years. Select a purifier which has its filters available easily.
