How A Hepa Air Cleaner Works
Ken Morris
The term HEPA has become synonymous with clean air. We hear
about vacuum cleaners with HEPA filters that keep the dust
particles from your carpets from floating back into your air.
You may be aware of your office building have a HEPA filtration
system because you’ve seen the maintenance crew come through and
periodically change the filters. But do you really know what a
HEPA filter is and does. This article should clear the air
about what is fact and what is fiction as it relates to a HEPA
air cleaner.
The HEPA Standard
First of all HEPA stands for High-Efficiency Particulate
Arrestance. Any air filtration system that claims to contain a
HEPA filter must be able to remove 99.97% of particulates
larger than 0.3 microns in size from the air consistently. That
is a high standard to follow and why the places with the most
critical air quality requirements rely on HEPA filters. This
high rate of filtration can also never dip below the 99.97% to
maintain true HEPA quality.
Another distinguishing feature of HEPA filtration is that once
the air particles are trapped into the filer, they cannot be
allowed to re-enter the air. A HEPA filter is removed and
washed or replaced to eliminate the trapped particles.
HEPA filtration systems also cannot produce any bi-products
from the filtration process. Other methods such as ionic air
filters emit ozone as a part of the filtration process.
One point of distinction regarding HEPA filters is that the
high standard is the ideal. Not all HEPA filters perform at
this level all of the time. As filters get dirty or if the air
is excessively polluted a HEPA filter will not be able to
always remove 99.97% of air particles.
Be cautioned that many products claim to be “HEPA type” filters
and this is not the same product. The requirements for
filtration on products labelled “HEPA type” are only 95%
filtration of particles larger than 0.3 microns in diameter.
HEPA Filters for the Home
Home applications of HEPA filters are found in air conditioning
systems, furnaces, and even vacuum cleaners and bags. There are
also appliance-like filtration systems that resemble a piece of
furniture. You can create an environment of fresh air in your
home with a table top air purifier that contains HEPA
technology. This may or may not be combined with a humidifier
system that also adds moisture to the air creating the perfect
blend of clean air and humidity.
An important part of creating a safe and healthy home
environment is regular maintenance of home appliance and
systems that contain filters. Also, use care to properly
ventilate your home and make a home improvement project out of
replacing and/or cleaning your filters regularly.
Any improvements in air quality can impact your health for the
better. If you are prone to allergies, it is important to use
air conditioning and filtration systems to keep pollens out.
Keeping surfaces free of these allergens with regular dusting
will allow air purifiers and filters to do a better job of
trapping air borne culprits.
About The Author: Ken Morris releases many articles for
http://www.air-purifier-and-cleaner-guide.com an online guide.
The author is writing on subjects such as hepa air cleaner
http://www.air-purifier-and-cleaner-guide.com/hepa-air-cleaner.html
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