Understanding Air Purifier Filters

You will find many different types of air purifier filters, just as you will discover many different types of air purifiers. Some air purifiers require filters to be replaced on a regular basis, others do not. Then there are the purifiers that do not use filters. Whether or not you'll need to deal with this issue will depend on what kind of air purifier you choose. Here is some information about the various kinds of purifiers and the types of filters they require.

HEPA Air Purifiers

HEPA stands for High Efficiency Particulate Air (The A can also stand for Absorber or Arrestance.) In order for an air purifier to be classified as a HEPA, it must be able to capture particulate matter that is 0.3 microns in size. This is 25 to 50 times smaller than what we can see with the naked eye. Many of the HEPA air purifiers on the market today use replaceable or washable filters. A lot of the purifiers feature filter replacement indicators that tell you when the filter needs to be replaced. Some HEPA purifiers also feature pre-filters, which may require cleaning or replacement as well.

Ionic Air Purifiers

Most ionic air purifiers do not use filters. They work by sending out negative ionic streams that attach to particulate matter and give the matter a negative ionic charge. Then, the particles become too heavy to remain in the air and float to the ground. Most of the high quality ionic purifiers available today capture the particulate matter using stainless steel electromagnetically charged collector plates. These plates do not need to be replaced, but they do need to be cleaned. Luckily, it's simple to remove, clean, and replace them. You may find ionic air purifiers that feature filters for extra purification, or HEPA purifiers that have an ionic option.

UV Light Air Purifiers

UV light air purifiers work by destroying particles and allergens using a powerful ultraviolet light. If you choose a straight UV purifier you won't need to bother with filters. However, there are many HEPA and ionic purifiers that come with UV purification features. So, depending on what kind of model you have, you might need to clean or replace filters.

Air purifier filters range in cost from cheap to expensive. There are many places to purchase filters. Most anywhere that sell air purifiers will sell filters as well. You might find that you can save money by doing some comparison shopping, because some vendors often offer discounts or sales.

Copyright 2006 Jim Sterling - All Rights Reserved

Air Purifier Review - Part 1: Oreck, Ionic, EcoQuest, Hunter

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