I have looked at some very expensive whole-house filters and UV lights to control dust, polen, and mold. Do these systems work? Are there other more cost-effective ways to clean the air?
What is the best home a/c filtering system for people who suffer from allergies and asthma?
Ok, following up that huge Bullcrap answer... lemme share something with you. Im allergic to cigarette smoke, gives me horrible asthma and bhronchitis if i get too much. Well i lived in a fraternity house for 5 years with smokers... and for the first 3 years i was CONSTANTLY sick. Then I went on TV and i ordered that Ionic Breeze thing from Sharper Image, and I had like HALF the trouble with my breathing. That thing works dude, and its easy to clean and you dont gotta buy filters. GIVE IT A SHOT.
Reply:Whole House Air Cleaners Report / Why They Do Not Work!
As you search for that perfect air cleaner to protect your family from dust, pet dander and other airborne allergens, you will run across many different types of air cleaners, air purifiers, air filters and air filtration systems. One of the most interesting and eye catching products on the market is the Whole House HEPA Air Cleaner Filtration System. This report also includes Whole House Air Filters and Whole House Air Purifiers. There are many of them on the market!
Unfortunately human nature often kicks into high gear when the wonderful offer of a central whole house air cleaner is advertised as a way of keeping your entire house clean with just one single gizmo! THE FACT IS THESE AIR CLEANERS JUST CAN’T CLEAN A WHOLE HOUSE!
There are five types of air cleaning products that are advertised to clean a whole house.
They are:
Whole house HEPA air filtration bypass air cleaners
Whole house Electronic air cleaners
Whole house Self-Charging electrostatic air filters
Whole house Ultra-violet light systems
Whole house Portable ozone-ionizer air purifiers
This report will explain the truth about how each of these products actually operate and what benefits they really do provide for you. Also included are the proper steps to take for a clean indoor air environment.
Myth #1. Whole house HEPA air cleaner / bypass systems - These somewhat expensive systems are flawed in design from the beginning. The idea behind these units is to pull a portion of the air stream from the return side of your furnace or air conditioning system, clean it and then return it into the supply side of the furnace or air conditioning systems ductwork. Most of the time, it involves taking up to 30% of the air from the return ductwork. The air is then cleaned with a high efficiency filter such as a HEPA and/or carbon filter. The cleaned air is then returned into the supply ductwork of the air handling system (bypassing” the air handler unit). Such an air cleaning system under this design poses many areas of failure. First of all, you are assuming that the majority of the airborne contaminants in your living space are drawn into the heating and or cooling system. However, home heating/air conditioning systems are designed to heat and cool. They are not designed to pull dust, dander and allergens into a HEPA air cleaner from the narrow return ductwork at far distances. Note that the great majority of homes have only one air return per air conditioning system. So without having a means of returning the air from each and every room to the air handler, the overall effectiveness of these HEPA air cleaner systems is nullified. This is because the majority of rooms will not be able to have dirty air pulled from them. So the “whole house” air cleaner will only be able to clean the dirty air that makes it into the return side of the ductwork. This is a very limited amount! Secondly, in order for the HEPA air cleaner to work at all, the fan for the HEPA air cleaner and the fan for the air handler unit must run all of the time. THIS MEANS HIGH ELECTRIC BILLS! Having both blower units running constantly uses significantly more electricity than portable systems located in individual rooms. Lastly, and more importantly, even in an ideal world where the air from all over the house is making it back into the return ductwork through multiple air returns, a bypass system is only cleaning up to 30% of the return air because it is only receiving up to 30% of the return air. This means, even if the HEPA air cleaner unit is running at 100% efficiency for all contaminants, only 30% of the entire air going through the return ductwork is actually being cleaned. Therefore, when you look at the system as a whole, it is only 30% efficient. Plus the entire air return ductwork from the air vents in the rooms to the HEPA air cleaner system will become filthy because the air entering into the return ductwork is not being filtered!
Also, Whole House HEPA Air Cleaner Systems require expensive pre-filter replacements to protect the even more expensive HEPA filter! The bottom line here is that Central HEPA air cleaner types that install into air conditioning / furnace systems cannot properly clean the air in an entire whole house or building!
Myth #2. Whole house electronic air cleaners (Also Called Electrostatic precipitators) - Electronic air cleaners are made to fit into the air return side of the central air conditioning system or furnace. They can only filter the air that is brought into them from the air return duct or area that leads to the electronic air cleaner unit. These units use electrically charged metal or fiber cells that attract dust particles onto them. Unfortunately this old technology is outdated and it does not work well! This is because after a light amount of dust covers the surface of the charged cell grid, the rest of the incoming dust and allergens will pass right through the air cleaner and back into the indoor environment for people to breathe! Also, Central Electronic Air Cleaners with Charged Collector Cell Grids Produce Non-Adjustable Levels of Ozone! This can be an irritant to people with asthma and lung problems! Since most homes and buildings have only one central air return per system or zone, these electronic air cleaners cannot pull dirty air from rooms or areas that are more then a few feet away from the air return that is attached to or leading to the electronic air cleaner. Major companies that produce these electronic air cleaners are Honeywell, Trion and Aprilaire. There is THERE IS NO WAY that central electronic air cleaners can pull the dirty air from across the house or from the inside of bedrooms and or offices that are away from the central air return area in your home or building! They Are Not Whole House Air Cleaners!
Myth #3. Whole house self-charging electrostatic air filters -These air filters are custom made to size to replace your existing throw away air filters in your furnace or central air conditioning systems air handler unit or air return. They are made from multiple layers of poly propylene fiber which allow them to become electrically charged when air flows through them. They can then grab dust and allergens onto them like a magnet. These air filters are durable, washable, reasonably priced and they can last for many years. They are wonderful for keeping your air conditioning or heating system and ductwork clean as they can catch and remove very small particles of dust and allergens from the air in your home or building! However, just like the less effective throw away filters, self charging electrostatic air filters can only clean the air from the air handler unit or from the air return area they are operating from! Self-charging electrostatic air filters cannot pull the dirty air from across the house or from the inside of bedrooms and or offices that are away from the central air return area in your home or building! They Are Not Whole House Air Filters!
Myth #4. Whole house ultra-violet (UV) light systems for central air conditioning units - These ultra-violet light systems are installed into air conditioning systems to kill mold and bacteria. They do not remove dust, particulates or airborne allergens from the A/C system, air ducts or from the indoor environment! These units are supposed to be installed so the ultra-violet lights are shining onto the evaporator coil on the air return intake side to prevent mold and bacteria growth on the evaporator coil and surrounding area, yet many of these units are installed improperly into areas of the air handler or air plenum where they can not do much good. Beware of UV light systems that produce ozone! Many of these UV light systems produce ozone at levels that cannot be controlled! Too much ozone can be an irritant to people with asthma and lung problems! I have experienced ozone producing UV light systems that created so much ozone it burned my eyes and throat. And I do not have asthma or any lung problems at all! Some of these units are also produced with non-ozone producing UV bulbs. However please note, if an air conditioning system is clean and installed properly and it has a high quality self charging electrostatic or pleated air filter in it to protect the air handler and evaporator coil from dust, the chance of the evaporator coil and the rest of the system becoming contaminated with dirt, mold and bacteria will be greatly reduced. We recommend properly cleaning your air conditioning system and duct work while installing an upgraded quality air filter instead of a ultra-violet light system. Please know that ultra-violet Light units for your air conditioning system are not whole house air cleaners even though people will claim that they will keep your entire home clean!
Myth# 5. Whole house Portable Ozone Ionizer air purifiers - Some air purifiers include both needle point and radio wave ionizers that can ionize the air in mutable rooms in your home or building. These air purifiers produce negative ions that are sent into the air. Negative ions work by attaching themselves to small floating particles in your indoor air forcing the particles to quickly drop out of suspension and then down to the ground or onto any surface below. These air purifiers will drop smoke, dust, pollen and animal dander from the floating indoor air environment and down to the surface below to be vacuumed. However if your bedroom is in the area being ionized, floating particles including allergens can drop onto you while sleeping in bed. This can cause problems for those with allergies and asthma. Some of these air purifiers also produce adjustable levels of ozone. Ozone is that fresh smell that occurs after a thunderstorm when lightning cuts through the oxygen splitting some of the oxygen in the air into ozone. Ozone does a wonderful job of removing all kinds of odors such as smoke odors, musty odors, pet odors, food odors, chemical odors, and body odors. The ozone works by oxidizing the odors. However, since ozone is an oxidizer it can be an irritant to those with asthma and lung disease if turned up to high. So if you or a family member has asthma or lung problems, ozone –ionizer air purifiers are not for you! IF YOU’RE A SMOKER THEY REALLY DO A GREAT JOB OF QUICKLY REMOVING FLOATING CIGARETTE SMOKE, CIGAR SMOKE AND ODORS FROM INDOOR ENVIRONMENTS. Please remember that these air purifiers do not filter the air and they are not whole house air cleaners even though people often claim that they are!
THE ANSWER, What You Can Do For a Clean Indoor Environment
As explained above, there is no one single air cleaner or air purifier system that will keep your entire home or building dust or allergen free. If you have a central air conditioning or furnace system in your home or building and you have the desire to keep it as dust and allergen free as possible, follow the four steps below for a clean and healthy indoor environment.
Keep you ducted air conditioning system or furnace clean and install a quality self charging electrostatic air filter or pleated air filter in the main air return or air handler unit to keep your system clean for the future. If you desire to have your air ducts and air handler unit properly cleaned visit the National Air Duct Cleaners Association at http://www.nadca.com and interview some of the members in your area so you can choose the right air duct cleaning company that will best fit your needs.
Purchase and place a quality HEPA air cleaner or HEPA air purifier in the most important areas of your home or building that need to be the most dust or allergy free. Most people place HEPA air cleaners or HEPA air purifiers in the bedrooms, family room and office area if there is one. If you have a mold problem in your living space or if you need a unit that will kill and reduce mold bacteria and viruses, make sure you purchase a portable HEPA air cleaner or air purifier that includes a non ozone producing ultra-violet light system. When choosing a portable HEPA air cleaner or HEPA air purifier it is important to look for brands and models that are quiet while producing the highest air exchange rate per hour in any given sized room or area, at the lowest aftermarket filter replacement cost. We feel that the highest quality HEPA air cleaners/ air purifiers on the market are made by Austin Air, TRACS and IQAir.
If possible replace all carpeting with ceramic tile or hardwood floors. {Tile is best} New carpeting is loaded with toxic chemicals that will outgas for a period of 2-3 years and old carpeting is often loaded with dust and allergens that include molds, bacteria, dead skin, animal dander and dust mite allergen. All of these problems are major triggers for allergies and asthma! If the carpeting must stay, VACUUM OFTEN! Use a quality HEPA vacuum cleaner that is sealed tight so the fine dust does not blow back into your indoor environment while you are vacuuming. Sweeping ceramic tile or hardwood floors is not the best way to clean as it causes the dust and allergens to fly back into the air. Vacuuming all surfaces with a quality HEPA vacuum cleaner is the best way to go. We feel that the Airstorm HEPA vacuum cleaner is the highest quality HEPA vacuum cleaner on the market.
Un-clutter your living space and keep it Clean. This is very important! Also get rid of all feather pillows and wash all of your bedding in HOT water as least once a week to limit dust and Dust Mite allergen from building up. Dust Mite allergen is very reactive to people with allergies and asthma. It must be reduced as much as possible! If you have pets, do not allow them into your bedrooms to spread their animal dander. Look at your bedrooms as a safe haven to sleep in if you are allergic to your pet dog or cat. If you do have pets and follow these four steps, you will have a much better chance of being able to keep the pets that you love and live with. It is our hope that this report will be helpful to you in creating a healthy, clean, more allergy free indoor environment for your family or workplace employees!
Hope This Helps You!
Reply:I have a HEPA filter on my vaccuum cleaner. It's really helpful for keeping crap out of the air I breathe.
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