Because homes and commercial buildings are sealed tightly to prevent treated air from leaking out and outdoor air from leaking in, this strategy is effective in reducing energy costs but detrimental to people with respiratory allergies. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that indoor air may be between three and five times dirtier than outdoor air.
Insufficient ventilation traps dust, pollutants, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) inside a building. These pollutants can exacerbate your allergies. You can improve indoor air quality by taking actions like vacuuming and dusting. However, if you continue to experience air quality issues, a centralized air purifier may offer the assistance you need.
A whole-house purifier is a device that functions in conjunction with your residential HVAC system. It’s designed to remove harmful contaminants with the goal of improving indoor air quality.
Do Air Purifiers Help With Allergies?
The answer to this question begins with understanding how air purifiers work. Air purifiers will use a fan to circulate air into either one filter or a series of filters. Based on the capacity of the filtration system, pollutants of different sizes are trapped, and the air that returns to the room is clean and purified.
The effectiveness of the air purifier has a direct correlation to the capacity of the purifier filter and filters being used. The golden standard when it comes to air purification is HEPA filters. These capture more than 99.97% of airborne pollutants that are as small as 0.3 microns. HEPA filters are not generally used in a whole-house or central purifier because HEPA filters require an extremely powerful fan to pull air through the tiny openings. Using a HEPA filter with a whole-house air purifier could put so much strain on the unit that it would break down prematurely. However, there are high-quality MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value) filters that do an excellent job of cleaning the air while allowing sufficient airflow to function well with residential HVAC systems.
Some air purifying systems place an electrical charge on the pollutants and particles that pass through the filter. This attracts the particles to a collector plate or filter that is oppositely charged.
Whether it’s from blowing air through a series of filters that collect particles or using an electric charge, an air purifier removes allergens from the air with each pass, making the air that’s returned to the home cleaner. This can offer some relief for allergy sufferers.
What Is the Best Air Purifier for Allergies?
When answering this question, it is good to remember that air purifiers don’t treat allergies. What they do is remove allergens that can lead to allergy symptoms. The best air purifier for you will vary based on your allergies. Additionally, you will want a filtration system that matches your family’s financial needs and works well with your existing HVAC system. MERV ratings describe a whole-home air filter’s ability to filter out air particles. The higher the MERV rating, the more efficient it is. Residential HVAC systems are usually limited to filters with a maximum 13 MERV rating. HEPA filters have a MERV rating of 17 and higher and are used in stand-alone air purifiers.
In addition to the MERV rating, you want to look at the clean air delivery rate. This number tells you how much air is filtered through the purifier over a set amount of time. You want a clean air delivery rate that matches the size of the home or area where it will be used. For some individuals, adding a whole-house humidifier system to their HVAC system along with a whole-house purification system can help. A humidifier adds moisture to the air and can make breathing easier for individuals with respiratory issues.
We Serve Our Fellow Texans
At Texas Pride Heating & Air, we are proud to be a Better Business Bureau-accredited company with an A+ rating. We are constantly improving, always evolving, and taking steps to ensure that you get the best quality service no matter what you need.
Our services include HVAC installation, maintenance, and repair. We install generators, work in commercial and residential settings, and offer indoor air quality services in Keller and the surrounding areas. Contact Texas Pride Heating & Air today and experience what it really means to be a valued customer.
