The Best Ways to Enhance Whole-Home Air Purification

Learn about the best ways to enhance whole-home air purification

Clean purified air is desired more than ever, especially in our homes. Harmful particles and pathogens can pose a risk on our short and long term health. There is advanced purification technology that exists and is created with the intention of trying to improve whole-home air quality. Allergists and other medical professionals widely promote allergen avoidance as a way to improve health of sensitive individuals with respiratory diseases.

 

The premise is simple, reduce exposure to pollutants. Central Air Purification (CAP®) units from Abatement Technologies incorporate one or more effective and targeted air purification technologies for this purpose.

 

Mechanical particle filtration

 

Filters are assigned a minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV) rating between 1-16, the higher the rating the better the filter is at removing small particulates. A standard low-efficiency throwaway furnace filter rated at MERV1 or MERV2 is only effective for large particles.

 

CAP®100, CAP®600 and CAP®1200 series HEPA Air Purification Systems are equipped with MERV 4 first stage pre filters designed primarily to capture large, visible dirt and dust particles that are too large and heavy to be respirable, but can become a housekeeping issue when they accumulate on surfaces. The second stage pleated particle filters in these CAP® models capture smaller, visible particles that can easily pass through most throwaway furnace filters. The high-capacity 5” deep CAP®100 series second stage filter, MERV 13 is especially effective. 

 

Activated carbon filtration

 

The VAPOR-LOCK® activated carbon filters utilized in CAP®600 Series and CAP®1200 Series models capture airborne gasses, volatile organic compounds off-gassed from carpets, composite wood furniture and other materials in the home, and odors caused by pets, cooking or smoking. VAPOR-LOCK® filters utilize a process known as adsorption, in which the gas-phase molecules of the contaminants are attracted to and chemically bond to the surface of the carbon. 

Combining UV Germicidal Irradiation and Photolysis Technologies

Over time our homes endure different issues like persistent molds and fungal odor problems usually found in areas with high moisture or humidity levels like the damp, dark and dirty recesses of an HVAC system where organisms can thrive and multiply.

CAP® systems are equipped with our advanced, dual frequency UV plus lamp. Frequency one creates germicidal UV energy to irradiate and break down molds and fungi. The second frequency creates a controlled amount of trivalent oxygen for enhanced odor-neutralizing capability

CAP®100, CAP®500, CAP®600 and CAP®1200 Series Whole-Home Central Air Purifiers are equipped with germicidal UV lamp technology. Microorganisms are irradiated to high levels of UVGI energy each time they pass by the lamp as the air cycles through the central HVAC system of your home. All CAP® germicidal UV lamps are ozone-free. 

HEPA Filtration

The beauty of a HEPA filter is that its efficiency starts at 99.97% and actually improves as the filter loads. Because of the exceptional small-particle capture performance of CAP®600 Series and CAP®1200 Series models, these units are the most widely recommended for homes with family members who are asthmatic or have the highest sensitivity to respiratory allergens. 

To learn more about whole-home air purification and best practices, contact our knowledgeable sales consultants here.

Things To Consider Before Comparing Airflow Ratings

 

Things to Consider Before Comparing Airflow Ratings

Why airflow ratings can be very misleading and the cheapest units are often the most costly.

No industry-standard airflow rating method

There is no standardized method that manufacturers use to rate the airflow of their air filtration devices. Different methods can produce widely varying and often misleading results, and make direct comparisons between brands difficult if not impossible.

Compare ‘Apples & Oranges’

The most overstated and inaccurate method used bases device airflow ratings on the AMCA “free air” blower rating, which is a test bench measurement of the airflow the blower can produce at various motor horsepower levels with no static resistance. Since actual peak airflow with the cabinet and filters in place is typically 50% to 80% lower, free air is essentially meaningless when it comes to rating the device itself.

Inlet or outlet readings with an air-straightening duct attached to reduce turbulence are far more accurate. This testing is generally done using a computing vane anemometer or pitot tube traverse to determine the average velocity (in feet per minute) and airflow (in cubic feet per minute) flowing through the air straightening duct. Attempting to measure airflow at non-laminar inlet and outlet openings is not recommended.

Peak airflow is only part of the story

Even when accurate, peak airflows can be misleading because they provide only a small part of the performance picture. It's often a mistake to automatically conclude that the performances of two devices are equal just because their peak airflows are similar. The airflow of all filtration devices drop off as resistance to airflow increases due to filter loading, external collars or flex duct. The magnitude and frequency of these losses; and therefore how frequently filters must be replaced to restore acceptable airflow levels can vary greatly.

Peak static capacity of the blower and filter dirt holding capacity are the main factors that determine 'real life' airflow and filter life. As a rule, a backward curved blower can move more air than a cheaper but less efficient squirrel-cage blower, due largely to its ability to operate at much higher 'tip speeds' and therefore overcome higher levels of resistance. This higher capacity, in turn, extends the useful life of the filters and can make a higher price but more efficient system far less costly to operate.

Build in a sufficient margin of safety

To compensate for airflow losses, users should build in a safety margin when estimating how many units are required to provide a given number of ACH (air changes per hour). If the objective is 6 ACH, designing for 8 or 9 ACH at peak airflow should be more than adequate to ensure sufficient airflow throughout the filter loading cycle provided that the peak airflow rating is reasonably accurate.

See which, and how many units you would need for the appropriate amount of air changes per hour based on your room size with our Air Change Calculator

Contact us for more information!

 

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