About Air Purification

Air Purification Systems are generally separated into 3 categories. First are mechanical air purifiers. They clean the air by trapping dirt in a filter made of some type of media. Second are Electrostatic.  They trap dirt by electronic magnetism. The Third uses some other device to clean the air of specific items; for instance UV filters remove live organisms.

The amount of air cleaning needed for a room can be calculated in CFM. We provide a great tool to show you how many CFM you need to clean any area. As an example, the LakeAir Maxum air purifier will provide 275 CFM of clean air. That is enough to clean a room 20′ x 20′ 6 times an hour.

Most dust particles are undetectable to the human eye and other senses. Airborne particles are a mixture of microscopic solids and liquid droplets suspended in the air. What you think of as just dust might include metals, gases, smoke and biological contaminants.  Dust mites, animal dander, mold and pollen can be found in dust. Dust reduces air quality and can lead to respiratory health issues. Allergy and asthma sufferers are particularly at risk. Young children and the elderly suffer more from indoor dust pollution.

The EPA describes Volatile Organic Compounds as chemicals that evaporate at room temperature.  VOCs come from many products used in home. VOCs also occur naturally.  Home products that emit VOCs include; paints, nail polish, cleaning supplies, air fresheners, pesticides, building materials and even furniture. VOCs are released from products into the home during use and while stored.

VOCs also come from nature. Radon and formaldehyde are VOCs that seep into our homes for the ground. According to the EPA, VOCs cause eye, nose and throat irritation. They cause frequent headaches, nausea. Worst of all these gasses can  damage the liver, kidney and central nervous system.

In most cases the best room for a LakeAir air purifier is in the bedroom. You spend more time in the bedroom.  This will give you a better nights sleep. It will allow your body to better to recover from the stresses of the day. An Excel air purifier can clean a bedroom 15′ x 15′  for a few pennies a day. The Excel cost less than $500.00

You should run your air purifier continuously. Indoor air pollution happens 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Don’t  be afraid to run your LakeAir Air Purifier all the time. We have thousands of customers who run their air purifiers non stop. Many  customers report that their air purifiers have been running  10 years plus. They only turn them off for regular cleaning. Keep the clean air going and remove airborne particles with confidence.

People may not realize it, but we are exposed to ozone every day. Any device powered with electricity  produces ozone. Every appliance or gadget that uses electricity produces some ozone. The amount of ozone these devices produce is often not detectable. This small amount of ozone is not a problem for people with respiratory problems or asthma.

There is a specific type of air purifier called an ozone generators. They are almost exclusively in commercial applications.  An ozone generator is placed in a space and allowed fill the space with high levels of ozone. This is called “ozone shocking”  The upside to this is that it can dramatically improve air quality. They remove particulate and pollutants from the air. The downside is residual ozone can irritate lungs and airways. Avoid any air purifier that uses ozone generation as its primary filtration technology.

LakeAir Electrostatic air purifiers emit a small amount of ozone as a byproduct of cleaning the air. Our units have been tested to emit less than 50 parts per billion. LakeAir ozone emissions are within  the standards of  the State of California

CFM represents cubic feet per minute. This is an important factor in deciding what air purifier you need for your purpose.  The larger the area, the more CFM required to clean the air. Each LakeAir air purifier list its CFM output in the product description.

There is an equation to figure CFM:

Example

A 15’ X 15’ X 15’ living room

Step 1:  15 x 15 x 15 = 3375

Step 2:  3375 ft³ / 60 minutes = 56.25 ft³ per minute

Step 3:  56.25 ft³ per minute x 8 air changes per hour ( an average pollution level ) = 450 cfm (cubic feet per minute)

Or, you can use our easy Air Purifier Calculator to determine how many CFM you need.

There are 2 really good alternatives for smoke. Both of these technologies use an activated carbon filter. The two type are HEPA and Electrostatic. HEPA cleans more thoroughly, to 0.3 microns in a single pass. Electrostatic is about 3% less efficient. Where electrostatic come out ahead is cost of operation. Both technologies work but there are many factors to consider. We devote a page to this question.