Cleaning The Air In Your Home With Inexpensive Filter Units
Posted on March 15, 2008
» Filed Under Allergies |
A filter is designed to trap particulates in the air and prevent them from being re-introduced to the room. The filter on an inexpensive air cleaner that is purchased from a discount store or a home center is likely to be a filter that would allow larger particles to escape through the filter medium. This would make it less efficient and would be a disappointment, performance-wise.
Another factor to consider on any filter-type air cleaner is the cost of replacement filters. An air cleaner that sells for $39.99 may seem like a good deal, but a replacement filter for that machine may cost $9.99 each. If you are trying to remove heavy pollutants from the air such as tobacco smoke or cat dander, then filter replacement may be necessary once a month. That adds up to nearly $120 a year for replacement filters for a $40 machine!
In reality, what usually happens is that the filters don’t get purchased for whatever reason and the machine struggles to pull air through a clogged filter. Or you just decide to turn the unit off until you get back to the store for another filter. Either way, you are back at square one with no way to clean your air.
Electricity costs are another factor to consider when buying one of these machines. An inexpensive filter unit is likely to have an electric motor that is less efficient and costs more to run than a higher-priced unit. While one machine will probably not bust your budget, several units could make a significant difference in your monthly usage of electricity.
All in all, inexpensive air cleaners can do a decent job of cleaning particles from the air in a confined area such as an office or bedroom. However, they would not likely be the best choice for cleaning the indoor air in your entire home because of the lifetime costs of the unit.
Jeff Van Leuvan is a trained indoor air quality specialist. Get the scoop on every aspect of your indoor air by visiting his no-nonsense air purification web site, http://www.cleanairsecrets.com
Article Author :Jeff_Van_Leuvan
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2 Responses to “Cleaning The Air In Your Home With Inexpensive Filter Units”
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I wanted to say that I agree with this article. You should never buy a cheap air purifier. The cost to operate them can really skyrocket. You are much better off buying a good quality air purifier. I personally prefer HEPA filters. I am fond of Austin air purifiers. They are more expensive upfront, but you don’t have to change the filter for 5 years.
Before you buy an air purifier, read a the reviews you can find. This will help you pick the best one.
Good article for the first-time air cleaner buyer.
An important distinction is between true-HEPA and
HEPA-type filters.
Many of the low-cost air cleaners the author refers
to have only HEPA-type filters, which meet no standards whatsoever.
Real HEPA filters must conform to a technical specifiction, capturing 99.97% of particles in the
tiny .3 micron size class.
Numerous air cleaners are marketed today with 2.0
micron HEPA-type filters - these let hazardous fine particles right through!