Ozone air purifiers – is an ozone air purifier safe or not?  You probably know that the best home air purifier may emit some ozone or even a lot of ozone.  But just how much is too much?  When is the breaking point met that it is no longer purifying our air, but it is hurting you.  Most individuals realize that with the indoor air quality being 9 times worse than the outdoor air quality, it is becoming a necessity to use some sort of air purifier in the home.  By using a filter-less one, you gain the advantage of having 100% effectiveness (or close to it) every day. 

Unfortunately, with the ones that use filters, you run the risk of the filter getting clogged or dirty (if it is doing it’s job) so you need to clean this filter or change it regularly.  However, if you don’t maintain a clean filter all the time, the effectiveness drops drastically.  Furthermore, as the filter begins to get dirty, the quality also begins to go down.  This isn’t a good thing.  Many people use these home air purifiers to reduce the risk of allergies.  Therefore, their problem is not solved.  Even worse, it may be increased because now they need to change or clean these dirty filters.

Let’s examine the home air purifiers that can emit ozone. If the ozone is too great, an individual with asthma may have more difficulties breathing.  We certainly don’t want to add ozone to the atmosphere. Sensitive individual’s may experience headaches from the aroma. 

So where is the happy medium of an home air purifier that can reduce the risk of allergies and still work effectively all the time. Since California is the strictest of the environmental laws, it is a good rule of thumb to cross check your air purifier against the California list of Potential Hazardous Ozone Generators  that are sold as air purifiers. By checking this list, you are assured that it does not emit too much ozone. 

Just a side note,  if you have any sensitivity to smells, you may still want to increase the hours that  the unit runs gradually until you build up to 24 hours every day.

 An electric air purifier is a convenient way to economically clean the air in your home. You’ll want to put the electric air purifier in the area that you and your family spend the most time. Different models cover different amounts of square footage so it is important to do the research and to find the model that will work best for you.

Electric air purifiers are known to help rid the air of allergens such as dust, dust mites, pollen and animal dander. As well certain models can also help with mold, mildew, bacteria, viruses, gases and smelly odors. They are an excellent investment for anyone suffering from asthma or any type of breathing problem. They have also been known to help with better sleep and a greater feeling of overall well being. They are highly economical and use less electricity than a 100-watt light bulb.

There are a few different technologies that are used in electric air purifiers:

Hepa Air Filters - successfully removes allergens from the air such as dust, dust mites, pollen, animal dander, mold, and other bacteria

Germicidal UV Lamp - used to capture viruses and germs that are not captured by the Hepa air filters as well as prevent micro-organisms trapped in the filters from breeding or reproducing.

Ionizer - causes smaller particles to magnetically attach together, therefore being easier to capture and remove from air

Activated Carbon Air Filter – traps chemicals and smoke that the Hepa filters cannot

Ozone Generator – removes odors from the air – needs to be able to be completely turned off as too much ozone can actually cause respiratory problems.

Each of these technologies can compliment the other and it is wise to look for a machine that offers as many of these technologies as possible. The more of these technologies used, the cleaner your indoor air will be.

When shopping for an electric air purifier watch for price (can vary dramatically), noise level, effectiveness, ease of use, size/style, filter replacement costs and warranty. It shouldn’t be hard to find a great machine that will cover all of your needs.

What are the considerations for and against buying a HEPA air purifier? In just one minute, let me reveal the most important ones.

The advantage of mechanical filters, like HEPA, is no reduction in air cleaning efficiency over the life of the filter. In fact, a HEPA air purifier will become more efficient as it loads up.

HEPA filters are not slack in initial efficiency either. Air purifiers like the IQAir HealthPro achieve system efficiency of 99.5% in all particles down to 0.003 micron. While that is probably the best performing HEPA air purifier on the planet others come close, like Allerair or Austin Air.

So, HEPA is the filter of choice for anyone who needs the best possible home air filtration and is happy to pay for it. People with severe allergies, asthma or lung diseases like COPD come to mind.

There are two disadvantages to HEPA.

The first is noise. It takes a lot of fan power to push air through a HEPA filter. This produces noise, especially at higher speeds. Units like the afore mentioned IQAir use innovative fan designs and other techniques to lessen noise.

The second consumer concern is filter changes and cost. Eventually HEPA filters load up with particulates, reducing airflow and giving you less clean air. Too much airflow resistance can also damage the motor due to heat buildup.

Most top quality air purifiers can go several years without filter replacement. I’ve seen Allerair units advertised with filter life as great as eight years. Of course, the conditions under which you use it will make a difference.

I prefer guesswork be removed from filter changes. Again, IQAir leads the way with a pressure activated indicator that tells you when a filter change is due. This removes the expense of unnecessary filter changes and the risk of lowered performance or motor damage in your HEPA air purifier.