How to Choose?

The Different Air Cleaners Today

If you are interested in an air cleaner to improve the quality of the air in your home or office, the following will provide information on the types of units available, and their primary functions.

FILTRATION MEDIA : Rating = "BEST"

The only truly effective medium for screening particles is the true HEPA filter, developed by the US Atomic Energy Commission. Filtration devices pass air through materials that trap contaminants. Gases and odors are normally filtered through activated carbon and/or zeolite, an organic mineral. Honeywell air cleaners are the most effective filtration units, combining both carbon/zeolite and true HEPA to reduce both particles, gasses and odors. Honeywell commercial media air cleaners drive the smoke, dirt and odors back to the filters where they are captured. HEPA filters trap the particles (ash, tar, nicotine, etc,), and CPZ soaks up and holds gases and odors like a sponge soaks up and holds water. Honeywell HEPA/CPZ air cleaners require very little maintenance as opposed to an electronic air cleaner that requires regular maintenance weekly and does not eliminate odors.

ELECTRONIC AIR CLEANERS : Rating = "BETTER"

Electronic air cleaners operate on the principle of "charging" particulates as they pass through an electrically charged field. This process is called "ionization". a properly designed electronic air cleaner is extremely efficient in the collection of very small particulates. Honeywell electronic air cleaners are approximately 20% more efficient, per ASHRAE (52-76) Dust Spot Test, than other brands of electronic air cleaners. The dirt load capacity is considerable greater, which provides for longer high efficiency life.

OZONE GENERATORS & IONIZERS : Rating = "POOR"

Ozone is an unstable form of oxygen (O2) that attacks and oxidizes such contaminant substances as hydrocarbons, rendering them harmless water vapor. Current research, however, implicates ozone in the promotion of free radicals and the oxidation of human tissue. Ozone can act as a very aggressive agent on lung tissue of asthmatics, and its oxidizing effect is a suspected cause of degenerative conditions, including accelerated aging and cancer.