What Should You Consider Before Buying an Air Purifier
I have been an advocate for building healthy homes throughout my career. When I did my own home reno, healthy materials and good indoor air quality were the top priority for me. I had a Panasonic Whisper Air Repair™ – air purifier installed as part of my home upgrades. This is a good unit to have to improve your indoor air quality.
I had 5 of these Panasonic air purifiers installed in my home because I wanted to have the peace of mind I’m breathing fresh, clean air.
Typically a healthy home includes:
So how do you improve your indoor air quality? There are some good products out in the market that will monitor your air and show you your levels of humidity. A very simple thing to do every day is open up your windows for 10-15 minutes.
Now I know this isn’t possible everywhere, especially if your area has harsh winters. So how do you improve your air quality? One easy way to do that is by choosing a good air purifier.
Why Is Indoor Air Quality Important?
Breathing clean air is important to your overall health. According to the EPA, studies have shown that poor indoor air quality can even trigger asthma.
I have worked on many projects where the homeowners have respiratory illnesses. Remember Frank’s house from Holmes Family Rescue Season 1? Frank also has health issues. In all those projects, we made good air quality a priority.
There are also some long-term effects of exposure to bad indoor air which only become noticeable after a few years. Exposure to radon gas, for example, can actually cause lung cancer.
You can hire a professional home inspector to test your indoor air quality. They will identify contaminants in your air, and you can then take steps to tackle those.
RELATED
Here is a full explanation of why indoor air quality matters.
Check some of the results of Panasonic’s Indoor Air Quality Reports
How Does An Air Purifier Work?
If your house has a lot of pollutants in the air, without proper ventilation they can build up to dangerous levels. Today’s homes are becoming increasingly airtight. While this is good for energy efficiency, we are also trapping a lot of contaminants indoors.
An air purifier/cleaner is key for dealing with some of these contaminants. So how do air purifiers actually work?
Portable Air Purifiers
To put it very simply, portable air purifiers generally have a filter and a fan to pull in contaminants from the air. The treated air is then circulated back into the room.
PRO TIP: Make sure you look for an air cleaner with a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter.
Ceiling Mounted Air Purifiers
I prefer ceiling-mounted air purifiers. The brand I installed in my own house is Panasonic, and their air purifier is called WhisperAir Repair™. This works differently (and in my opinion more effectively) than portable air purifiers.
There is no ductwork or filters required, which means no maintenance for you —giving you peace of mind. You can remove the grille for dusting.
We’ve installed the Panasonic WhisperAir Repair™ on many of our job sites including my own home.
So where does the contaminated air go? Air is circulating with OH radicals which purify the area.
Importance Of Choosing A Good Air Purifier
There are a lot of types of air purification systems on the market. They range in functionality, costs and effectiveness. It’s important to choose a good quality air cleaner and know how to use it.
You should look into exactly what issues your air purifier is designed to tackle. Some air purifiers can actually clean your air effectively and remove allergens from the air. A good quality air purifier can have a significant impact on your health.
The air purifier I install on my projects and in my own house is Panasonic’s WhisperAir Repair™. This product is intended to be hardwired, and in my opinion, this is the BEST air cleaner on the market.
What Are Some Considerations Before Buying an Air Purifier?
In my opinion, a good air purifying system should be:
- Cost-effective, because you will likely have to put one on each level of your home
- Maintenance-free (so you don’t have to spend a lot of time or money on changing filters etc)
- Easy to install or set up
- Backed by a good brand and solid technology
- Good rate of Air Changes Per Hour (ACH). The higher the ACH the more times per hour the air is cleaned.
Identify the purpose of the air purifier
Many of the homes that are built today have insufficient ventilation. What does that mean? It means indoor air doesn’t get exchanged with outside air often enough. In turn, this can cause you to end up with high levels of airborne pollutants — this can include chemicals from your cleaning products, mould, carbon monoxide and VOCs (volatile organic compounds).
The purpose of an air cleaner should be to capture all these contaminants that are contributing to poor indoor air quality.
Installing the WhisperAir Repair™ on one of our projects.
Identify the size of the room where the air purifier will be used
A single Panasonic Whisper Air unit can cover between 100-200 ft2 (850-1700ft3), depending on environmental factors.
You should be running this air purification device 24/7.
Panasonic Whisper Air Repair Purification Device
The Panasonic WhisperAir Repair™ air purification devices maintain healthy indoor air quality (IAQ) by suppressing pollen and other allergens. They even break down hazardous substances. Each small unit quietly deodorizes fabrics and removes unwanted smells from your living space.
A UV fan only effectively treats surfaces that are within a few feet of the unit. The WhisperAir Repair™ can even penetrate into fabrics and carpets.
Consider an ERV (Energy Recovery Ventilator) for an effective exchange of stale air in your house, as well as controlled humidity levels.
Explanation of how they work
Panasonic nanoe™ X is the next generation of the exclusive nanoe™ air purification technology. The unit uses existing moisture in your home to generate nano-sized water particles.
These small water particles are rich in hydroxyl radicals. Hydroxyl radicals have been proven effective at suppressing odors, airborne contaminants, and pollutants that stick to your fabrics.
Hydroxyl radicals actually penetrate deep into your fabrics and break down odor-causing substances and attack pollutants to inhibit their activity.
What are the health effects of nanoe™ X purification technology? Illustration by Panasonic.
Advantages and Disadvantages Of The WhisperAir Repair™
If you are thinking about the Whisper Air Repair by Panasonic, here are some advantages and drawbacks for you to consider.
Advantages of the WhisperAir Repair™
- Suppression of pollen, allergens, and hazardous substances. Great for homes with pets.
- Filters dust for a fresher, cleaner home.
- Eliminates odors from fabrics, carpets, furniture, and curtains. Amazing for a house where smoking occurs indoors.
- Relieve the discomfort of dry skin. nanoe™ X hydrates the sebum secreted onto the skin’s surface by sebaceous glands. This slows the rate that moisture is evaporating from your skin. This leads to smoother, more hydrated skin.
- Restores moisture balance in your hair. Similar to the way the nanoe™ X tackles moisture for your skin, it also helps to restore the moisture balance of hair. Smoother hair!
- No maintenance is required.
- Low power consumption. The power consumption of the product is 4 watts. It operates for 24 hours so it uses 96 Watt-hours per day (or 96Wh). If you have 10 units, you are looking at 960Wh (or 0.96 KWh) per day.
- Easy for your electrical contractor to install. You need a 6” hole in your ceiling. You can do it during a renovation or for a new home under construction.
- 20 years of making and using this technology, backed by a trusted brand (Panasonic).
Drawbacks of the WhisperAir Repair™
On the flip side, here are some disadvantages you should be aware of for the WhisperAir Repair™:
- It does not work in wet or steamed areas, like a full bathroom. A powder room without a tub, shower or steam is ok. For a full bathroom, you should install a high-quality vent fan. Here is a guide on choosing a good vent fan.
- It’s not a DIY install. You have to get a licensed electrical contractor to install it. This product is intended to be hardwired. Follow your local and national electrical codes for the installation.
- This unit is not intended to have any impact on the humidity levels inside your home. This product circulates and purifies the air.
Your indoor air can be 5x dirtier than outdoor air. Now think of how much time we spend indoors. You may be surprised to know most of us spend 90% of our time indoors. Indoor air quality matters more than ever.
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