Most people realize as soon as they start shopping around for an air purifier that they are unwittingly going to have to sign up for the filter of the month club.
Or at least be willing to exchange the filters in their new air purifier pretty regular.
So it’s no surprise that given the expense of the air purifier and the expense of the replacement filters that the prospect of buying an air purifier that does not need replacement filters sounds good.Table of Contents
What are the Advantages and disadvantages of filter less air purifiers?
Advantages:
- No Filter Replacements
- Destroy Germs and Viruses
- Work Well as a Whole House Solution
Disadvantages:
- Can Leave Surfaces Dusty
- Higher Upfront Expense
- Most create low ozone is a byproduct
So What are the Advantages of Owning a Filterless Air Purifier?
1. The obvious answer is less expense down the road. No Ongoing purchasing and replacing filters.
2. Filterless air purifiers can destroy viruses and germs, something a filter cannot do.
3. Filterless air purifiers can cover a much larger square footage in most cases
4. They are much better at reducing odors and unpleasant smells.
5. Filterless air purifiers can be placed in the HVAC heating ventilation and air conditioning system without placing strain on the system.
6. They can also be used as a whole house air purifier or whole building solution.
What are the disadvantages of filterless air purifiers?
1. The number one disadvantage of filterless air purifiers is that most of them create ozone is a byproduct.
Ozone can build up in small areas and can be potentially dangerous to breathe.
2. They can leave the surfaces dusty. Since ionization is the primary technology for most filterless air cleaners, you can expect the surface of the walls around the air purifier to be extra dusty.
Ionization creates a situation where dust becomes too heavy to float and falls to the surface.
3. Small square footage. Stand alone Filterless ionizers create a small amount of ozone as a by-product.
They are meant to be placed and used for the specific square footage they are bought for.
The problem with that is you cannot regulate how people use the cleaners once they have them home.
Placing too large of a ionic air purifier into a small area can create much too much ozone.
4. Upfront expense. Even though there may be less expense in the form of replacing filters, most filterless air purifiers are more expensive up front.
5. Maintenance. Even though you are not replacing filters, there is usually some type of PCO UV module that has to be replaced.
And getting back to expense, the modules typically run higher than filters so you are still going to get to pay somehow someway.
Also maintenance doesn’t just mean maintaining the air purifier, it can also mean more house cleaning in the form of dusting when you are using an ionizer.
Smart Air Purifiers
Going filterless is not the only way you can save money with an air purifier.
The best home air purifier utilize both filter and filterless technologies.
There are many air purifiers that combine different technologies better able to reduce and destroy indoor air pollution up to 99 .9%. it sounds incredible but nonetheless true.
Just like anything else you can buy the entry level model or you can get the Cadillac.
The Cadillac of air purifiers not only filters the air in the room, it treats it only when it is necessary.
And it does it all by sensors that measure the air quality and introduce as much or less air purification that is needed for the situation.
These air purifiers even come with their own app so that you can measure and control your air purifier with your phone.
The apps can even give you an update on your air quality and alert you when something has caused indoor air pollution to spike.
These smart air purifiers usually come with 3, 4, and 5 stages of technology to eliminate specific types of indoor air pollutants.
For instance, a plasma ionizer may be employed too neutralize and cluster together any bacteria that is in the air, then the HEPA filter would filter out the clustered ions or dust.
The Best of Both Worlds.Another way multiple technologies can be used in an air purifier is to have a ultraviolet light targeting the filter to kill the germs that are trapped there.
Filterless In Duct Air Purifiers
One advantage of filterless air purifiers over HEPA air purifiers is they can become a whole house HVAC system for a whole lot less expense and wear and tear on your central heat and air system.
A big plus of having a filterless air purifier inside the ductwork verus a stand-alone filterless air purifier is that any ozone that is produced as a by-product will have dispersed and dissipated before it enters into the main airstream of the home or business.
This means that only clean, free of bacteria and virus air can move throughout your house without any worries of adding any irritants to your air.
There is virtually no wear and tear on the system and the amount of energy to run it amounts to about the same as powering a light bulb.
The disadvantage of filterless in duct air purifiers is that it usually takes a technician to install and to replace any module when it is time.
Though more than ever if you are willing to do the work yourself, you can find some induct air purifiers that install as easily as cutting a hole in the ductwork and screwing it in.
Plus these days there’s a instructional video available on YouTube for just about any type of installation.
Why is this so much better than putting HEPA filters in your HVAC?
Your HVAC needs air to be able to flow freely through the system in order to work efficiently.
HEPA filters are much too dense to allow air to flow freely in your system.
This can cause extra strain on your system which will mean more repairs down the line,
They also cost quite a bit more than a regular air conditioning filter.
And the energy to run your air unit will increase because of the restrictions to your air flow causing your electric bill to be higher.
Summary
Most consumers shopping for air purifiers, want to at least explore the possibility of going filterless when they find out how often and how expensive their filter replacement will run.
The advantages of going filteress include less expense in replacement filters and the capacity to eradicate germs not just capture them.
While the disadvantages a filterless air purifiers are primarily related to the buildup of ozone as a by-product.
We also mentioned that going filterless is not the only way to save money, there are many smart air purifiers available that use multiple technologies but do so only when is needed so that the life of
your filters and air purifier is lengthened.
Also for those who need a whole house air purifier, an induct purifier utilizes the HVAC system to provide a ozone free and filterless way cleaning
the air in the whole house.
