It can be confusing sifting through all the products and appliances that deal with airflow.
There are a lot of misconceptions and questions that people have , for instance,
Does an Air Purifier make the room cold?
The answer is:
No an air purifier does not make the room cold. It is a device to clean the air and not cool it down.
Most air purifiers do have a fan, but the fan is not in place to blow air out, rather pull air into a filter.
The point is , with so many different types of devices and machines that have similar names and all deal with the air somehow,
knowing what each one is and what it does can take some research.
Hopefully this article will add some clarity and help clear up a few of the misconceptions that people can have when they need a specific appliance for their air.
| A air purifier is a device that purifies or cleans the air through different means, primarily filtering. Air purifiers are also called: |
|---|
| 1. Air Cleaners |
| 2. Air Sterilizers |
| 3. Air Scrubbers |
| 4. Air Ionizers |
| 5. Air Filters |
| 6. Ozonators |
| 7. Odor Removing Machines |
| 8. Negative Ion Generators |
Like we stated in the beginning of this article, air purifiers or not the same as Air conditioners. They primarily clean the air where as an air conditioner cools the temperature of the air.
Dyson has an air purifier that is an exception to the rule. It cools the air and filters the air in the same unit. You can check it out here.
All air purifiers are not made the same and they do not all use the same technology to clean air.
Before purchasing an air purifier, you should do a little research to find out which air cleaning technology is right for you. You can find a good resource here.
Air conditioner
| Air conditioners are devices or machines that condition the air in the room to be cold or cooler. Different types of air conditioners include: |
|---|
| 1. Window air conditioners |
| 2. Central air conditioners |
| 3. Ductless air conditioners |
| 4. Portable air conditioners |
| 5. Heat pumps. |
One question we get regularly in regards to these units is:
Can a Air Conditioner Make you Sick or Give you a Sore Throat?
The answer is yes,
The air conditioner housing , being dark and humid can provide an excellent environment to grow mold and bacteria.
A poorly maintained and uncleaned air conditioner can introduce mold and airborne allergens into the air each time it turns on.
This explains why your allergies can flare up and you feel sick when the air conditioner is on.
This can be noticeable especially at the beginning of the season after having not use the unit for a while.
As you can see,
That is just another reason why it can be confusing determining whether you need a air purifier or an air conditioner.
If Air conditioning can be a contributing factor in the air quality of the home or office,
then it only makes sense that an air purifier for air purification should go hand-in-hand with air conditioner.
Luckily they’ve got you covered. You can take a look at those kinds of products here.
Can an air conditioner be used as a air purifier?
Can an Air Conditioner Filter Pollen?
Yes your central air conditioner can filter out pollen provided that you are using the right filter for it.
But it is important to remember that a filter that is capable of filtering out pollen and bacteria is going to be very dense and is going to cause your air conditioner to work extra hard.
That will add to your energy cost and take away from the life of the air conditioner.
Air conditioning filters are primarily put in place to protect the air conditioner itself , although they do help keep air pollutants from circling through the building to a point.
Humidifier
The humidifier is another airflow machine that can be confusing to understand what it does and whether or not you need it.
| A humidifier adds humidity to a room by converting water into a mist that blows from the machine. There are 5 basic types of humidifiers including: |
|---|
| 1. Cool Mist |
| 2. Ultrasonic |
| 3. Warm Mist |
| 4. Evaporative |
| 5. Vaporizers |
Does a humidifier Cool the air?
A cool mist humidifier has a cool Vapor that comes from it so technically you could get a little bit of cool air on You by sitting next to it,
But that’s not really the point, that is just a side benefit and it only works with a cool mist humidifier.
The purpose of a humidifier is to add moisture to your room to counter the effects of dry climate like dried out nasal cavities and chapped lips,etc.
Humidifier uses:
Dry air can come with a lot of negative symptoms.
Humidifiers can help alleviate many of the problems and symptoms related to living in a dry climate.
Conditions like:
Bloody noses
Dry skin
Congestion
Chapped lips
To name a few.
Humidifiers can also be a great way to get a better more peaceful night’s rest.
They can also help reduce snoring and sleep apnea.
A Humidifier running in the bedroom at night will also add a little white noise.
White Noise has shown to help some people sleep deeper and for longer periods of time.
Dehumidifier
A dehumidifier is a device that extracts humidity from a room.
Many people have the opposite problem from dry air.
They live in climates that are extra humid for most of the year.
This is another appliance that causes a lot of confusion when you’re talkin about air conditioning.
Will a dehumidifier help cool a house?
Yes and no. A dehumidifier does not produce cool air but it does reduce humidity and humidity will cause the house to feel muggy and warm.
It will also take the strain off of the air conditioner so that it feels like your air conditioner is working much better.
An air conditioner can work twice as hard in and environment where there is a lot of humidity.
If you ever have been down south in the summer you know what I mean. You can turn your air conditioner on full blast and not feel like it is on.
| Other Benefits of Using a Dehumidifier: |
|---|
| 1. Mold reduction |
| 2. Home stabilizing |
| 3. Dust mite reduction |
| 4. Reduces indoor air pollution |
| 5. Lower your energy cost. |
Humidity helps provide the ideal breeding ground for mold. Mold can bring about a whole host of household problems.
1. Mold can rot your wood. When the beams in your home get wet they can become weaker over time.
2. Dust mites live and thrive in humid conditions. Dust mites can invade your bedding and your furniture making your home “allergic”.
3. Mold spores along with a thriving dust mite community can cause the air in your home to be very poor.
Does a dehumidifier clean the air?
No it will not technically clean the air but it can help keep the home dry so that many of the air pollutants that thrive and grow in humidity will never become a problem in the first place.
How can a dehumidifier save you money?
1. By reducing the amount of maintenance and repairs caused by mold.
2. Air conditioners have to run twice as hard when there is high humidity.
A dehumidifier will help the air conditioner run easier. That will prolong the life of your air conditioner and lower your electric bill.
Summary
This article has hopefully helped introduce to you the differences between a air purifier, air conditioner, humidifier, and a dehumidifier.
And cleared up some of the misconceptions about which of these appliances cool the air.
It’s great that you touched on the filters being able to pull pollen right out of the air. My kids have really bad allergies so we want to make the house more comfortable for them. I think it’s a smart idea to get a filtration system in our home anyways because sometimes during the winter the smog can create really poor air quality.