Ionic
Air Purifiers
are Very Popular Today.
But
Do They Work?
What
do ions have to do with purifying air?
Ionic
– Pertaining to Ions Air – A mixture of Gases required for breathing. Purifier – An Apparatus for removing impurities. Ionic Air Purifier –An Apparatus that uses
Ions to remove impurities
from the air you breathe.
Ionic
air purifiers are prevalent in today's society.
Millions of Ionic Tower Air Purifiers are standing, stashed away
in the corner of our homes all across America. Ionizer dealers and
manufacturers are shouting the praises and the wonders of ion air
cleaners while many other voices are shouting the dangers.
There are 4 types of ionic air cleaners available.
The first is called an Electrostatic
Precipitor.
Electrostatic Precipitors are known in the industry for cleaning
smokestack emissions. They work by electrically charging a field
between 2 metal plates. Similar to static electricity, Negative
ions flow to the plates and charge the particles. The ionized particles,
following the negative field of electricity collect onto the grounded
plates. These plates must be kept clean to keep the ionizer working
efficiently. Electrostatic Precipitors are not very effective as an air
cleaner because they rely on the contaminants to move through the
plates.
The Second Type of Ionic Air Purifier
is the Negative Ion Generator. These Ionizers
emit negative ions into the air via an electrical spark. When the
negative ions come into contact with the positive ions (contaminants)
they become too heavy to float and fall to the ground. Because of
the short life of ions they are generally only sold as single room
air purifiers. Other drawbacks include the build up of ozone as
a by-product. Without a way to deter or convert the ozone it can
build up over time to unsafe levels. Positively charged “dirt”
can also appear on walls after time. One main benefit of
Ion Generating Air Purifiers is that they work especially well at
removing smoke.
A third type of Ionic Air Purifier attempts
to simulate nature's ion balance by emitting positive ions and negative
ions.
Contaminants are removed as naturally as by the earth itself. A
drawback is that the Life of ions is short and the price can be
substantial for the number of units it would take to cover an entire
house. Since ozone is a by-product of engineering ions. The amount
of ozone would be multiplied by the number ionic air purifiers needed.
A concern too many.
The fourth type of Ion cleaner
falls into the category of photo catalytic oxidation.
It is called AHPCO(advanced hydrated photo catalytic oxidation).
This ionizer involves a UV-C Ozone lamp in the presence of a metallic
catalyst in a hydrated chamber. The result is hydroxyl ions, hydro
peroxide ions, super oxide ions, and ozonide ions. This air cleaner
provides the best results for removing impurities from the air.
It is especially good at removing VOC's (chemical contaminants),
bacteria, and mold spores. The level of ozone ranges from .04 to
.05 ppm. Well beneath Federal Safety limits. One unit can cover
up to 3000 sq ft. and the cell only has to be replaced once every
25,000 hrs or 3 years.
