Where Can I Find HEPA Air Purifiers?
HEPA is a technology used in air filtration and air purifying: it is not the name of a company or brand. High Efficiency Particulate Arrestor (HEPA) cleans particles and allergens from the air down to .3 microns. These devices can remove: smoke, dust, pollen, animal dander and any other particles that are suspended in the air. The HEPA filter is used on appliances, air cleaners, air purifiers and vacuums and is recommended by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation. HEPA filters are combined with the power of an intake fan to move air in a specific area through the filter; good filters and purifiers will exchange the air multiple times an hour, providing better air quality.
All HEPA air cleaners can only clean the air in the area in which they are placed and cannot move air through walls or doorways. If the filter or cleaner is placed in a bedroom, it will only clean that bedroom, and if it is placed in a hallway outside the bedrooms, with the doors open, it will clean the air in the hallway and only a small percentage of the air in the bedrooms. The internal fans cannot pull all of the air in a house or divided area as they are not designed to do so. An exchange rate of five to seven times an hour is a decent rate for cleaning the air; much higher exchange rates do exist on more expensive machines and can exchange the air in the neighborhood of eight to ten times an hour.
A HEPA air purifier uses a combination of a filtration system and ultra-violet light; the addition of the ultra-violet light enables the purifier to kill viruses, bacteria and mold that may be lurking in the air of a home or building. Look for air purifiers that have activated carbon and Zeolite in their design. The activated carbon, and a substance called Zeolite, allow for the quick and thorough cleaning of odors and out-gassing chemicals from cleaning and outdoor air pollution. Other manufacturers use a carbon spray on the filter, which does little more than act as a sales tactic and will not effectively clean the air of viruses and gaseous chemicals. Finding a HEPA air purifier is quite simple as many online and other retail department and hardware retailers carry them.
To start looking for an air filter, it is important to know how many rooms need to have the air purified. A single HEPA purifier in each room is recommended as HEPA filters only clean the area they are placed in. Larger great rooms may need two purifiers if they are of lower quality, such as department store brands of HEPA air purifiers. The best place to find HEPA air purifiers is through specialty stores online: they offer far better service should something break or wear out. They also have more extensive knowledge of the HEPA filter and air purification systems than most department stores.
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