HEPA Air Cleaners
Everything to Know about HEPA Air Cleaners
With pollution becoming a major health concern all over the world, more and more households are looking for ways in order to keep the air that they breathe indoors to be healthy and allergen-free for their entire family. Apart from dirt, the air that goes through our houses also consist of virus, bacteria, pollen and other debris which we eventually take into our bodies causing us and our families to contract asthma, allergies and other illnesses.
It is because of this that more and more companies are now manufacturing a variety of air filters which can either be stand-alone or installed in various equipment such as air conditioning units. One of the most used filtration systems now in the United States are what they call High Efficiency Particulate Air Cleaners, or simply HEPA air cleaners.
HEPA air cleaners were invented back in the 1940s primarily to serve as air purifiers by absorbing harmful radioactive substances in laboratories to minimize any potential health risk acquired by those working in these laboratories. Over time, these air purifiers have been modified and developed into the modern-day air filtration system that helps reduce the amount of dust, allergens and other airborne particles within an enclosed area by up to 99.97%.
Generally speaking, there are two kinds of HEPA air cleaners. The first is the absolute HEPA air cleaner. These air cleaners have been thoroughly tested and proven to absorb 99.97% of airborne particles within an enclosed area. The second type is HEPA-like air cleaners. These air cleaners have been named such because they work pretty much in the same manner has the absolute HEPA air cleaner but has not been certified and usually can absorb up to only 90% of the airborne particles within a particular enclosed area.
What makes HEPA air cleaners different from other types of air filters and cleaners out in the market is that it not only traps airborne particles that are too large to fit through the filtration material. HEPA air cleaners undergo a three-step air filtration process, which is the main reason for the high rate of airborne particle absorption has been rated with. After it traps the larger airborne particles, the HEPA air cleaner then undergoes a process called impaction. During this process, the air that passes through the air cleaner is then propelled back to the fibers of the filtration material. As it does that, the smaller particles eventually get trapped as it follows the air movement through the different fibers that make up the filtration system. Then it goes to the third step which is called diffusion whereby the air is once again allowed to flow through the fibers on a molecular level, causing very minute airborne particles to get trapped further.
You can easily find a variety of different HEPA air filtration systems in the market. HEPA purifiers are installed in the heating and air conditioning systems directly. You can also buy portable HEPA air cleaners that are much more convenient. You can buy these air cleaners in various designs and style. When buying one for your home, you need to consider the size of your home. Its functioning varies from brand to brand as some brands are more effective. Before you make your purchase, make sure that you look for the seal of certification in order to make sure that you are indeed purchasing a genuine HEPA air cleaner for your home.