Air Purification Systems

Air purification is simply the process of removing contaminants from the air that we breathe. These contaminants are divided primarily into Gases, Germs, Particulates. Now, these various particles and pathogens are varied and, in some big or small way, are bad for our health. Obviously, things like VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds - think fumes from cheap paint), smoke, or bacteria are not good for us to be breathing in on a regular basis. There are also lesser-thought-of particles that cause us problems, like dust mites, pollen, and other allergens, pet dander, fungi, and other microorganisms, etc.

It's useful in talking about air purification systems to consider the air that we breathe in a similar way that we think of food. For the same reason that you wouldn't want to eat moldy bread or rotten fruit, or meat that's been on the counter all night, you want to avoid breathing air that is full of all the gunk that we just discussed. Of course, your lungs are a good deal more forgiving in the short term than when you eat bad food, but the long-term consequences of breathing dirty and infected air can be pretty damaging. Also, people with special conditions that are vulnerable to airborne contaminants should take special care to ensure the air they are breathing is clean and pure. These people include those with asthma, severe allergies, respiratory illnesses, and people with suppressed immune systems due to various chronic conditions or aggressive ongoing medical treatments. Even people who just wear contact lenses all the time should take care not to have dust and particulates floating around in their homes.

Of course, the elephant in the room, on all our minds in this time of pandemic, is viruses. Home air purification systems also effectively eliminate viruses, so if you get a quality system, you can rest easy that the air circulating in your home or office building is safe for you, your family, or your coworkers and employees.

The short answer to this common question is: Absolutely! The slightly longer answer comes with a few caveats. The first thing to consider is whether the system you are looking to purchase has a good track record of quality and effectiveness. We'll talk a bit about technologies to look for when making a purchase, but you can also do a little research of your own and also check out reviews on the popular systems. Basically, you want to know how the system works (we'll hit this in the next section) so you can make a judgment about how well that system will work to clean your air.

To state it more plainly, if you settle on a system that is confirmed to be effective at removing the vast majority of the problem particles that we listed above, you would be wise to think of this kind of purchase as what you stand to lose if you don't get a system. Many of them are pretty moderately priced, and the savings in terms of your health are perhaps incalculable. Certainly, medical bills down the road from dealing with the many conditions and illnesses caused by airborne contaminants far outweigh the small cost of a home system and the installation.

To put it a little more in "salesman speak": You really can't afford not to get a whole house air purification system!

Now we get to the meat of this little overview guide: How do these things actually work?

There are a handful of primary technologies that most air purifiers use to clean the air in a home. Perhaps the two most well-known are basic particle filters and Ultra Violet light. Now we all know how a basic filter works. Essentially, the weave of this type of filter is smaller than many types of contaminants, and as the air flows through the filter traps those particles and prevents them from recirculating. Now, this type of technology is usually employed to some degree in a purification system, but overall is very old-fashioned and generally out of date compared to the advanced technologies used by the systems we're talking about in this guide. Basically, a filter is good but not even close to all you need.

Now to the more interesting stuff. Especially in these pandemic times, UV air purification systems are getting a lot of attention, and rightfully so. We might go so far as to say that, these days, you really just need to have one in your home. Exposure to UV light damages the genetic material of viruses and bacteria, and other microorganisms, making it impossible for them to reproduce. This straight away stops any infectious particles from spreading in the home or office. A lot of times, standard filtration can be combined with UV radiation to prolong exposure to the light. Even with this technology, you'll want to follow any prudent disinfection strategies when it comes to surfaces, etc., but in terms of reducing the potential for airborne spread of pathogens, UV light is the cutting edge in air purification.

So UV light will take care of the "germs" category we listed in the first paragraph, but what about the Gases and Particulates (things like VOCs and smoke, etc.)? Advanced purifiers use specialized photocatalytic cells that react with the UV light to produce catalytic molecules and ions that go out into the air in your building and convert carbon-based contaminants into carbon dioxide and water vapor, making the air clean and pure. These catalytic ions can also oxidize (basically explode) bacteria and viruses that are out in the rooms and have yet to be trapped by any filters.

It is helpful to think of the filtration and basic UV light treatments as a sort of "trap and kill" strategy, almost like a bug zapper or mousetrap. Then we can think of the catalytic ions produced by photocells and UV light reactions as the "seek and destroy" component of a home air purification system. Combine these two technologies, as many top manufacturers do, and you have a winning strategy for getting all the nasty stuff out of the air you breathe.

To close out here, let's reiterate a few things. Air can be polluted by either Gases, Germs, or Particulates. Over time, having these things floating around can do severe damage to your health, seeing as even the most outdoorsy modern person still gets about 85% of the air they breathe from an indoor HVAC system. So we want to make sure the air is as pure as possible that we breathe, for the same reason you wouldn't want to eat rotten food. To be effective in removing all these little bad guys, we want a system that has both a passive and an active function and utilizes UV light purification. Top manufacturers provide these technologies at a very affordable price, especially when weighed against the potential damage to your health in the mid- and long- term.

Again, you really can't afford not to install a whole home air purification system. We recommend you one, completely.