Air Purifier GO!

Discover all the differences between the...

• F500 A and F500 B Models

• The F300, the F200 and the F100
  

Honeywell air cleaners for the entire home come in five separate models. The F500A, the F500B the F300, the F200 and their F100. The F500 models are their hepa filter models and they are both identical in their size and specifications save for one difference.

The F500A and the F500B

That is that the F500A is built for mounting an air conditioned environment while the F500B is specified for installation outside of air conditioned environments. I'm only guessing but it seems to me that it all has to do with temperature sensitive mechanisms in the units that monitor their performance.

About Square Footage Ratings

In grading smaller single room air purifiers one of the first items on a checklist would be the square footage rating. That is just how many square feet is a model rated for. In the case of these whole house models you won't find one. They do have a fan in them but there are just too many variables involved in an entire home to come up with one precise figure.

No Hard Wiring Required

Another item worth noting, is that all of these whole house units are operated by way of a completely wireless system. (a wall mounted remote) They also require no hard-wiring. That is that they're powered by a standard 120V plug-in cord that's comes connected to each unit. You simply plug it in.

What About UV Air Sterilization?

Another important aspect worth making note of, is that only one of these these Honewell air cleaners has any type of UV air sterilization system. (the F300) However; if this is something that's important to you it may be worth your time to look into some of the recent studies that have determined that germs die shortly after being trapped on ionic collection treys.

About the F200 Model

So then there must be some other significant differences between these various models of Honeywell air cleaners. There is and for instance, while the F500 models are more complex and feature laden the F200 is their stripped down no fan unit that's designed for installation on forced air heaters and cooling systems up to 5 tons.

No Electrical Hook-Up Required

The two main benefits that this very affordable unit offers is low price ($250) and complete ease of installation. (no electrical hook-up). Rather, it uses electrostatic filter technology to capture particles as small as .03 microns. It also has easy filter access for quick changing. This unit comes ready to adapt to 16” X 20” ducting, so some adaptation may be required.

What it Has to Offer

This really is the perfect unit for someone who isn't in the market for a high performance air cleaner, as say a person with severe allergies might need. The person who's simply interested in seeing their air filtered far better than a standard duct filter is capable of, who also has an eye towards low maintenance and affordability.

Back Up to the F500 Models

Jumping back up to the $700 to $800 F500 models. These really are what you would call enlarged versions of your standard feature laden hepa filter systems, without UV purification systems. They use a three stage filter system that consists of an activated carbon filter, pleated pre-filter and a final hepa filter that captures 99.97% of dust particles down to .03 microns.

The Real Difference Between the F500 A & B

The only real difference between the A and the B model is that the B model comes in an insulated steel cabinet, while the A model cabinet is just plain steel. Also both of the F500 models can be mounted directly in line or out of line with separate ducting because they both have fans that push air. They both also have automatic filter sensor to let your remote know it's time for a change.

Their F300 Ionic Air Cleaner

Honeywell air cleaners F300 model would best be described as large version of a full featured ionic air purifier, complete with UV air sterilization. One thing that I like about this unit, is that it uses a pre-filter to screen out the larger gunk so it doesn't muck up the main filter grid. A nice feature to have on a high volume unit.

Minimal Air Duct Flow Resistance

The F300 which is priced in the area of $400, also comes with a humidifier pad option and a ten year clean coil guarantee. Yet one more benefit of this type of ionic in system air purifier is that because the air easily passes through the grids, it has minimal effect on the overall air duct air pressure.

Their F100 Model

The F100 in the Honeywell air cleaners lineup is for all intents and purposes the exact same unit as their F200 model. There are two note worthy differences though and they are price and the fact that the F100 model does not come with an automatic air filter changing sensor. You can find this unit for sale online for as little as $100.

It's The F200 With No Filter Sensor

That really is pretty cheap and the fact is that under normal conditions, filter changes can be so infrequently needed that going without the automatic filter sensor rally is no big deal. Just remember to change it every few months or so. Also keep in mind that just like the F200, this model uses a folded or (pleated) electrostatically charged filter.

See larger image Hunter 30090 11-Feet by 13-Feet True Hepa Room Air Purifier for Small Rooms (Kitchen) List Price: $131.00 USD New From: $59.88 In Stock Used from: $50.00 In Stock

• Why is model this their #1 seller?

• Are you confused about Hunter Quietflo specs?

• Why the ultra-low $60 price tag?

If you're looking into the Hunter quietflo lineup or any Hunter air purifier for that matter there is a nice handful of issues that you need to be aware of before you get started. Issue number one is the general confusion regarding what they even produce now.

Getting to the Bottom Of Hunter Quietflo Facts

Not all that long ago (2009) the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers listed some sixty-five Hunter air purifiers on their home site. Now that's a heck of a lot of units to sort through. wouldn't you say? So would you believe that Hunter now only produces five models?

They Only Produce Five Quietflos Now

Well it's true and they all of them make up their Quietflo line. Got that? That's five. Not sixty-five. No more Hunter Hepatech line and no more Permalife line. Of course Permalifes and Hepatechs are all still available used and some discount sites still offer some new, which can add to the confusion.

They Now Produce a Total of Just Five Models

The Hunter Quietflo line itself has also been extensively scaled back. Rather then list the models that are no longer in production, for the sake of simplicity I'll just list the models that they still make. Those would be the Quietflo 30085, the Quietflo 30090-(their #1 seller), the Quietflo 30245, the Quietflo 30401 and the Quietflo 30402.

Models With the Wrong Specifications Listed Online

With so many models, most discontinued and five still in production it's easy to understand how some models can be listed online with the wrong performance specs and this particularly holds true with their #1 selling 30090 model. It's a $60 dollar machine, so you just can't expect a whole lot out of it.

Specs for the Hunter Quietflo 30090 Model

Can you just imagine the looks in peoples eyes when the see the low price then read the mistaken specs that have it blowing a CADR of a hunter machine costing three times as much? Well it happens all the time, so to save you from that same fate here are the CADR specs for the 30090. They are 100 pollen, 100 dust and 100 smoke. It's rated for 155 sq feet.

That $60 Price Can Seem Very Attractive

Now granted, these aren't the highest numbers you'll run across when your out grading air purifieres but you have to admit that the $60 price tag can appear at first glance to be a real game changer. You can find palm sized mini wall plug units that cost more than the Hunter Quietflo 30090! Plus it comes with a five year guarantee.

It's the Cost of the Filters that Will Get You

Here's the catch though and can very easily slip right by you. The hepa filter is cleanable but the carbon charged pre-filter has to be changed ou every three months. At around $30 each that comes out to be two times the initial cost of the machine every year! Then there's the $80 annual hepa filter change.

Or You Can Buy a Whole New Machine for Less!!

Now here's where the insanity of this whole Hunter Quietflo lifetime filter replacement plan hits home. You're probably sitting there right now thinking that perhaps you can find some online discount deal on that $80 hepa filter. The fact is that you can! You can buy a whole new Hunter 30090 “complete with filters” for only $60!! Is that crazy or what!!??

See larger image Sharp FP-P40CX Plasmacluster Air Purifier (Kitchen) List Price: $299.99 USD

• What are the best Filter systems?

• What about smoke and odor eradication?

• What about pricing?

• Hepa air cleaners that kill airborne viruses?
  

If ionic air cleaners seem far more advanced to you in a technological sense then hepa air cleaners, they're not. In fact the truth is that ionic technology is around 100 years old, while hepa filters have only been around for about half that time.

Building A-Bombs for a Better World!!

Would you believe that they were developed by the U.S. Government for use during the making of the first atomic bombs during WW2? Well it's the truth! They needed a filter that could trap the fine dust particles of radioactive material.

Now that's Pretty Darned Small!

While there are no official standards to go by, the accepted industry standard is that in order for a filter to be called a hepa filter, it must be able to trap 99.97% of suspended particulate matter of at least .03 microns in diameter. By the way, a micron is one millionth of a meter.

People Just Never Seem to Be Content

So for decades this really seemed good enough for the vast majority of air cleaner buyers, until a couple of decades ago when things began to heat up in the way of competition to increase the efficiency of hepa filter air cleaners. New and better ways to trap particles, smoke, odors and even kill dangerous viruses.

No One Likes a Noisy Hepa Air Cleaner!

You see the challenge with increasing overall efficiency all along, was to find ways to do it without impeding air flow. Simply making an existing filter more dense, meant having to increase the fan size and power to push the air through it. This of course means more noise.

Now Doesn't that Air Smell Nice & Fresh?

So one of the first new developments to come about was a thin carbon fiber pre-filter to help to eliminate smoke and odors. These filters tend to be washable and because they're thin, they also don't impede air flow. Check out Honeywell air purifiers because this company has done a great job in this area.

Superman's Superfilter From the Planet Krypton

Then sometime after that, someone had the bright idea to combine ion and hepa filter technology, to create a super filter of sorts. A filter system that's capable of trapping particles down to a microscopic .01 microns. A way to give particles an ionic charge, so they're better attracted to the hepa filter.

Plasmacluster Technology? - My God! Where Will it all End?!

The Sharp Plasmacluster integrated system is a stellar example of this technology in action. It's everything standard ionic technology is plus a hepa filter. All without the ozone production. On top of it all, you can add air sterilization to the list of benefits that Plasmacluster technology brings to the table. It instantly eradicates viruses.

Quality Always Costs a Little More

Now on the downside, all Sharp hepa air cleaners, which by the way garner consistent 4-5 star Amazon user reviews aren't cheap. Now they aren't exceedingly expensive either, it's just that in their sq. footage and air volume category, they tend to be positioned towards the top in a competitive pricing review.

Even Folks on a Budget Hate Germs

Just because you choose not to pay the extra money for Plasmacluster technology doesn't mean that you have to go without air sterilization though. This is because there is a vast selection of makes and models that use UV radiation to zap viruses, mold and fungus spores.

They Do Just as Good a Job

Don't worry though because hepa air cleaners that use UV radiation are perfectly safe. It's just light radiation that's produced by a mercury vapor lamp inside the machine. They in no way adversely effect the air and UV light waves do a great job of sterilizing the air that they process.

See larger image Honeywell HFD-120-Q Tower Quiet Air Purifier with Permanent IFD Filter, Black (Kitchen) List Price: $149.99 USD New From: $123.74 In Stock Used from: $104.99 In Stock Release date February 15, 2006.

• How do they work to clean air?

• What about Ozone gas?

• What are the pros and cons?

If what you have in mind is a filterless air purifier, then what you should be looking into is ionic technology. These types of air cleaners aren't new and in fact they first began being used in metal smelting plants almost 100 years ago.

The Filterless Air Purifier Uses an Ionic Chamber

The way that they function, is rather then the air passing through a filter as you would imagine in the classic sense, the air passes through what is commonly referred to as an ionic chamber. It's basically a contained area where negative electrons are generated.

Pollution Particles Pick Up a Negative Charge

From there the air moves on through a series of stacked metal plates. It's on these plates that the pollution particles end up being deposited. You see the particles pick up the negative ions and this causes these then negatively charged particles to be attracted to the plates, like magnets.

Even These Machines Have to be Cleaned

Now keep in mind that at some point these plates do have to wiped clean and with some machines this is an easier task then with others. It all depends on how easy it is to remove the plates then slide them back into the machine.

New Filters Can Go Months Without Cleaning

One thing worth noting, is that new hepa filter designs have made for standard filter machines that require far more infrequent cleanings. In fact most of these new low maintenance filter designs can go months without you ever having to touch them. It's something to think about.

There are Some Solid Pros and Cons

You need to also understand that there are a few solid pros and cons that should be taken into account before you buy into either type of air cleaning system. As an example, “for your money”, a standard hepa filter machine is going to process a far greater amount of air.

Look into a Non Ozone Technology Feature

Another thing to look out for if you're dead set on a filterless air purifier, is ozone generation. Ozone is a colorless gas that's made up of two connected oxygen atoms that's generated during the production of negative ions. New machines however do have non ozone technologies that do away with this problem.

Ionic Non Filter Air Cleaners are Quieter

One of the major benefits of a filterless air purifier though, is that they tend to be far more quiet than a filter unit. The reason is simple and that is that hepa filter air cleaners require larger fans to push the air through the filter. There is a huge selection of ionic cleaners to choose from so make sure to select one with features that suit you best.

See larger image Sharp FP-P40CX Plasmacluster Air Purifier (Kitchen) List Price: $299.99 USD

• Amazing New Technology

Sharps innovative and cutting edge Plasmacluster Ion technology has introduced the entire planet to a brand new method for neutralizing airborne viruses and mold spores. A system that is now proving itself invaluable in homes and businesses the world over.

It functions by depleting live viruses and spores of vital hydrogen. They are instantly dehydrated. It accomplishes this by way of hydroxyl production, a secondary byproduct of the production of both positive and negative ions in the same reaction vessel.

You see hydrogen is the second and third molecule in the H2O matrix that you of course know as water. Once the two hydrogen molecules are removed in the Plasmacluser contained reaction chamber, all that remains is the oxygen molecule.

So as the live virus' and spore are effectively killed by instant dehydration, pure oxygen is being created. In this way this innovative system is actually replicating the earths natural atmospheric oxygen generation and air purification processes.

• Airborne Viruses it Instantly Kills
  

Viruses: MRSA – E Coli – Influenza (including Swine Flu) – Poliomyelitis – Tuberculosis – Common Cold – Pertussis (Whooping cough) – Streptococcus (Pneumonia) – Strep – Typhus – Rubella (German Measles) – SARS – Variola (Small Pox) – Corynebacterium Diphtheriae (Diphtheria)

• Air Particles and Gasses it Functions to Eliminate

Tobacco Smoke, Mold Spores, Formaldehyde, Pollen, Dust, Pet Odors, Exhaust Fumes, Formaldehyde, Ambient Cooking Oils, Micro Textile Fibers

• Looking Inside the Integrated System

Plasmacluster technology is but one component of a technologically advanced, completely integrated, multi-layered air purification system. As part of its function, it imparts an actual electrical charge to airborne particles that allows them to far more readily adhere to the secondary hepa filter grid.

• Maintaining Ionic Balance

This new advanced system contains a built in atmospheric monitoring system that automatically adjust the flow rate of negative ions. In the natural environment, negative and positive ions are kept in a healthy natural balance.

However; in a contained environment such as a home, they can become unbalanced, with one being in greater concentration then the other. This system insures that the ionic balance in the air you breath will always be exactly neutral.

If you're like most newbies, you need an air purifier so you set out to buy. Air purification information hits you like a swirling storm though. So many different types. So many different new technologies and so many sizes and features. How can you decide?

What are Your Actual Air Cleaning Needs?

The first thing that you need to do is calm down and keep things in perspective. Then you must decide what your real needs are. Are you suffering from acute allergies for instance, or are you simply looking to cut down on the dust level in your home? Is there a smoker in your home?

Don't Buy Air Purifier System You Don't Need You

The last thing that you want to do is go at it from the other direction. That is to become bedazzled by the technology, size and features and make an impulse buy. Do this and you may be stuck with a unit that is less or more than what you really needed.

Are You Suffering From Allergies?

Now if your situation is acute. For instance, if you're looking for some serious relief from allergies, smoke and pet odors then you will want to pay close attention to the number that indicates the minimum particle size that an air cleaner will capture.

A Micron is One Millionth of a Meter

Most go as far down as .03 microns, while the more exacting units with more advanced filtration systems go as far down as particles of .01 microns. Now bear in mind that the more advanced the filters and systems, the more there is to be cleaned and maintained.

Is it Your Goal to Just to Eliminate Dust in Your Home?

This is why if your goal is to simply eliminate dust in your home for aesthetic purposes, you might be better served by looking into a machine with a more straight forward filtration system. A .03 micron filter system. Are you now beginning to see why before you buy, air purifier information is so critical?

Then What About Convenience Features?

Well hold on because it gets even worse. Take convenience and air sterilization features, as fine examples. Take a look around online and you can find any number of units that are completely loaded down with every type of feature you can imagine. You can have all of them if you want!

Can You Get Along Without Convenience Feature Options?

Timers, sensors, LED control panel automatic this and automatic that. So there you are left scratching your head and wondering just what you actually need and what you can do without. To make matters worse, you click to a site and there is a top of the line unit that comes with no features at all. Just a straight forward air cleaner!

Some Top Rated Units Have No Features At All

The fact is that when it comes down to it, you really don't need any extra features at all and with the exception of an illness, you don't need air sterilization either. The Blueair 402 is a fine example of a stripped down air purifier that basically comes with just an on off button and five fan settings.

You Don't Need Features to Clean a Lot of Air

It's a 40 pound, steel cased air cleaning beast that garners consistent 4-5 star amazon user reviews. Because it has no snazzy convenience features, it also has a low comparative price (you pay for features) and an unheard of ten year guarantee. Hey! No features equals no problems.

Then Again Some Folks Just Must Have Them

Then again, if you're the type of person who simply must know at any given time the actual pollution level in your home, there are any number of models to accommodate you. Need LED lighting and automatic fan adjustment? That's no problem either. Or what about ultraviolet air sterilization? That's no problem either.

Once Again Before You Buy, Air Purifier Info is Helpful

Now another number that you're going to come across, is the square footage rating. Once again, before you buy, air purifier information is critical because there is no government standard regulation these numbers. Each manufacturer decides them on their own and your own particulars also factor in heavily.

Do You Live on a Dusty Horse Ranch?

For instance if your home is well sealed and there isn't that much pollution to clean, you can get away with using a unit that isn't rated all the way up to your square footage. On the other hand, if you live on a dusty horse ranch and suffer from severe allergies you may want to buy a unit with a higher square footage rating.

See larger image Blueair 402 Air Purification System (Kitchen) List Price: $449.95 USD New From: $499.95 In Stock Used from: $250.00 In Stock

• Full Ten Year Warranty

• Dual Hepa Filter & Ionic Technologies

• No Frills Problem Free Operation

• Advanced Smokestop Filter Option

The very first thing that should be pointed out about the Blueair 402 air purifier is that it's rated for a whopping 365 square feet of room space. Now that really is not that big a deal because there are similar units out there that will handle more square footage, just not in its $450 price range.

The Blueair 402 Air Purifier is Affordable in its Class

Now combine those two facts with a consistent 4-5 star Amazon customer review rating and you have what on the surface appears to be a a very affordable air cleaning workhorse. So then lets take a look at some of its features, to see how it stacks up in those areas.

It Uses Both Hepa Filter and Ionic Technologies

To start out with, it incorporates both hepa filter and ionic technologies, which means that it captures even the smallest particles that a standard hepa filter system might miss. Add to that that the hepa filter itself is made from non shedding, mold resistant polypropylene.

Captures Pollution Particles Down to .01 Microns

The ionic chamber in this system is located in front of the hepa filter, so the charged particles cling to the filter far more readily than in a standard system. So while a regular hepa filter air cleaner can be expected to capture particles down to .03 microns, this units goes all the way down to .01 microns.

Blueairs Unique Smokestop Filter System

You also have the option of installing their Smokestop filter system. This filter system uses a revolutionary combination of advanced filter media technology to more efficiently capture smoke and noxious gasses. For homes or business with smoke or odor problems this is the ultimate solution.

A Rare Ten Year Warranty

Now if you're in the market for an air cleaner that's loaded with convenience features, you'll have to look elsewhere because the Blueaire 402 purifier is pretty much a base no frills solid steel machine with four fan speeds. No auto adjust etc. However; there can be no doubt that the lack of so many features, that can in the long run become problematic, plays in heavily with its full ten year warranty.

See larger image Sharp FP-P40CX Plasmacluster Air Purifier (Kitchen) List Price: $299.99 USD

• The Sharp KC-C150U

• The Sharp FP-P60CX

• The Sharp KC100U

• The Sharp FP-P40CX

• The Sharp FP-P35CX

For decades now the Sharp name has been synonymous with high quality home appliances. So of course it should come as no surprise that all five Sharp air purifiers in their lineup consistently chalk up high marks in virtually all of the most reputable online consumer review venues.

Sharp KC-C150U

Coming in between $400 & $750 is their largest and most powerful of all Sharp air purifiers, the KC-C150U. Now for some reason the online prices for this machine that consistently garners five star ratings, vary widely. It features a three stage filtration system, plasmacluster air purification and is rated for 347 sq feet, with CADR or “clean air delivery rate numbers” that are through the roof.

They are 224 for smoke, 245 for pollen and 230 for dust. So needless to say, this 25 pound workhorse is far more than a bedroom unit. It's also worth mentioning that because it is a non ionic hepa filter cleaner it emits zero ozone and its washable filters have a five year life span. Rarely do you see any home appliance with these types of consistent review ratings.

Sharp FP-P60CX

The next sharp air purifier down from there is their FP-P60CX, at an average price of around 350 new. This feature laden model also contains plasmacluster technology and a washable three layered hepa filter system. Along with the lower price though, comes a lower 330 sq foot rating and slightly lower CADR numbers as well. Dust 209, smoke 213 and pollen 205.

Just like all the other Sharp air purifiers, it pulls a consistent 4.5 star rating on Amazon and is also Energy Star qualified. This models features include clean filter sensor, both manual and remote control options, timer that can be set for automatic shut off in one, four or eight hours and air pollution sensor that automatically adjusts fan speed. At a net weight of only 18.5 pounds, this unit is also easily portable.

Sharp KC-100U

Prices on their KC-100U vary between high $200s and the low $300s online. Of course along with the lower price, the lower 254 sq foot rating is to be expected. As a trade off though, along with plasmacluster air sterilization, this unit also comes with an integrated 7.7 pint capacity humidifier. Hence; automatic humidity adjustment is included along withy its pollution sensing fan control auto adjust feature.

Your going to have to go without some of the convenience features that are included in the previous two listed models though and automatic filter clean filter sensor is one of them. No shut of timer either. You're also going to go without a pollution sensing automatic fan adjustment as well. You also take a bigger drop in the CADR numbers. Down to smoke 164, pollen 174 and dust 164. Same high customer rating though and a higher weight of 20.7 pounds

Sharp FP-P40CX

The FP-350CFX is actually priced online right about in the same area as the above listed model but unlike the KC-100U, there is no humidifier. However; because there is no humidifier there's no trade off on the features either. This five star rated 14.8 pound unit is a compact feature laden mighty-mite that's almost an identical scaled down version of the top of the line KC-C150U.

It comes with three stage washable filter system, Plasmacluster sterilization with auto ion control and auto fan sensor. However; there is no auto shut off timer but it is Energy Guard certified, which the above listed KC-100U is not. Its CADR numbers are almost identical to the above listed KC-100U, as is its sq footage rating of 253 “1 foot lower”. You also get a fully functional remote with this model.

Sharp FP-P35CX

This is the lowest priced of all Sharp air purifiers. You can find the FP-P35CX priced as low as $145 online and just like all the other above listed models, it carries a consistent 4.5 to 5 star customer review rating. It covers 129 sq feet, so this is pretty much a one room unit. (great office size). It also uses a two stage filter system and that consists of a hepa filter and a washable carbon fiber prefilter. However; it is pretty much devoid of convenience features, other than an automatic shut off timer.

See larger image NewAir AF321 Portable Evaporative Swamp Air Cooler With BuiltIn Air Purifier (Kitchen) New From: $116.35 In Stock

• What are the smallest portable air purifiers?

• What about moving one up a set of stairs?

• What about prices & performance levels?

Portable air purifiers are in fact relatively new, considering the very first use of this technology was in industrial metal smelting plants some 100 years ago. So yes they have gotten more portable but what you sacrifice in going truly portable is size and air cleaning capacity.

The very smallest of mobile air cleaners are micro-units that are about the size of the palm of your hand and a number of companies now manufacture them. Be aware though, that their actual cleaning power is very limited.

The micro wall plug units come in both hepa filter and ionic styles and are really meant to be used to treat air in smaller discreet areas. Around a kitty litter box or the confined space of a small hallway bathroom for example. Now some work better then others and they start in as low as $9 and go all the way up to around $60 for the higher performing models.

As far as larger standard air purifiers are concerned, any model with wheels on it can be deemed portable. One thing to keep in mind though, is that larger units can be a hassle to move around your home, even with wheels, particularly if you plan on moving yours up a set of stairs.

Another common problem that you can find posted online, is registered by people who have tried moving their air cleaner in and out of their bedroom at night. While on the surface it may sound plausible, what they tend to find is there can be a noise problem.

You see your larger wheeled portable air cleaners may work just fine out in the living room during the day but move one into your sleeping quarters and the low level of noise that was no problem during that day, can be all it takes to make falling asleep a problem.

The typical solution involves buying two types of air cleaners. A high volume portable air purifier to move around the home during the day and a lower volume yet far more silent ionic unit to keep the air quietly scrubbed in your bedroom at night.

See larger image Sunpentown Dehumidifier with UV Light (Electronics) List Price: $249.00 USD

• How do they Kill Germs and Mold Spores?

• Just What is UV Radiation and is it Safe?

• What in the Machine Creates the UV Light?

• What Machines Deliver the Best Air Treatment?

Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation or (UVGI) as it is also commonly referred to, is the term that is used to describe what UV air purifiers do. They basically kill germs as well as mold and fungus spores by zapping them with a brief shot of ultraviolet radiation.

What About Radioactive Air!!??

So then do these air purifiers contain some type of hazardous radioactive material or can the in some way send out radioactive air or gas if they malfunction? The simple answer to both those common questions is no. Absolutely not!

Don't Let the Word “Radiation” Scare You

Don't make the mistake of confusing light radiation, which UV rays are and nuclear radiation, such as the type that's produced by plutonium. You see radiation is just the word that is used to describe anything that moves out and away from something.

How a UV Air Purifier Makes the UV Rays


The light coming from the light bulbs in your home is also in fact radiation, just like the light that's used in these types of air purifiers. You see, unlike a standard light bulb, a mercury vapor lamp is used in these air cleaners to generate UV radiation. It's just a light bulb that's filled with mercury vapor.

Treated Air Carries No Residual Effects

Now once the air in a purifier is zapped in its closed chamber by the mercury vapor lamp, it's done. That is that it leaves the unit just as it came in, other then the fact that it has been sterilized. It in no way carries any residual effects from the UV treatment any more than you can carry residual light when you click off your light switch.

Does the UV Treatment Help to Filter Air?

Understand though that UV air purifiers in no way filter air any better than an air purifier that does not include the UV feature. That is that the UV treatment in no way assists the machine in trapping air pollution particles. So then your next question may be “which machine has the better UV treatment feature”?

Which Machines Do the Best Job of UV Treatment?


The answer is that unlike things like filters that can come in any number of configurations and can be made from any number of materials, UV radiation and the mercury vapor lamps that create it are all alike. It would be like asking which drop of water between three of them is wetter. It's just light.

More Facts You Should Know About Mercury Vapor Bulbs

This type of light bulb is relatively inexpensive, so it really makes no sense for a manufacturer to use anything but a good quality bulb in their UV air purifiers. One thing worth noting though, is that while a mercury vapor lamp can last for decades, they do slowly degrade and will lose about half their power in about five years.