3d rendering of a modern apartment complex in the evening
Too many people tend to think of air purifiers as a simple kind of contraption that just runs air through a filter and cleans it.
The reality is a lot more complex than that – different models and machines have their own technologies that work differently on various kinds of contaminants and pollutants.
Different models are also rated for different spaces, and analyzed in terms of air changes per hour (ACH), clean air delivery rate (CADR) and more.
So when you are shopping, it’s important to know about some of the fundamental details about how air purifiers work. Today we’re going to look at the options that you have with different Amaircare machines and their filters, in order to use three specific types of carbon to improve indoor air quality.
Types of Pollutants
First, let’s talk a little bit about the types of pollutants that you encounter in your indoor air.
You have natural organic items like pet dander, mold and dust mite particles, and ultrafine particles, such as those called PM 2.5 and PM 10, particles of certain sizes, that come from things like wood or fossil fuel combustion.
That’s in addition to certain elements called volatile organic compounds or VOCs, chemicals that can come from building materials, consumer products, furniture, or flooring.
This involves items like formaldehyde and benzene, which are carcinogenic. Some shoppers will be looking specifically to reduce counts of these types of VOCs in order to protect inhabitants in either an owned home or a rental. You may hear shoppers asking about the efficacy of catching certain types of “off-gassing” or dealing with the output of appliances like 3D printers that spew this kind of stuff into the air.
So all of that factors into the machines that you purchase.
Amaircare Air Purifier Units and Carbon
A selection of air purifiers from Amaircare make use of a specific type of carbon filter that helps with VOCs and other items.
It’s called the 16-inch easy twist filter, and it’s shipped with a number of Amaircare machines.
These types of air purifier filters have different capabilities when it comes to scrubbing VOCs, as well as odors and various chemicals, from indoor air.
Three Levels of Protection
In general, there are three types of protection built into 16-inch easy twist filters.
The first one is carbon blankets – this comes in the standard HEPA configuration, and consists of a relatively simple carbon filter.
A step up from this is a pleated carbon filter that’s moderate in terms of VOC protection.
What is a pleated carbon filter?
Essentially, it’s one of those shaped filters that you might call an ‘accordion-style’ filter, in this case, in the form of a cylinder. That provides more of a surface for VOCs and chemicals to get stuck and grabbed by the activated carbon.
Another choice is to go with carbon pellets.
Carbon pellets are ultimately, in general, the most effective with VOCs.
More About Carbon Engineering
In many cases, carbon pellets are more effective because they give microbes and particles more contact time, which is also called “dwell time,” so the VOC molecules ‘stick’ better.
They also help with chemical and solvent odors, and smoke or industrial fumes.
A deep bed of carbon pellets will really cleanse the air around you.
In fact, some clients who predominantly are focusing on VOC, odor, gas, or chemical removal will remove the HEPA, and replace it with the larger carbon cylinder called an Ultra.
Either way, many of us need this type of protection. Check out this case in point from a Redditor looking for fixes for an apartment with considerable pollution:
“My 750 square foot studio apartment has high average VOC levels around averaging 1.2 milligrams per cubic meter (ranging roughly .3-1 at night and 1-1.5 during the day) that I believe are from a combination of new construction material off-gassing inside my unit, and mildly elevated localized outdoor levels from highway proximity…but close to zero on windy days … CO2 levels are also mildly elevated at 600-700 ppm making the apartment feel a bit stuffy. I’m in a high rise, so unfortunately, I can’t open windows to improve CO2 levels or allow VOCs to escape.”
The Fix?
He details his current strategy:
“Currently I run two air purifiers (HEPA+ carbon sheet) with enough CADR to adequately cover the space with 6x hourly air exchanges, so PM2.5 is effectively zero at 0-2 micrograms per cubic meter.”
Then he asks:
“What do I need to do to address the VOC and CO2 issues? Will an air purifier with the granulated carbon trays popular in some mid-tier purifier models (as an upgrade to the carbon filter sheets) do the trick at reducing things to a good level? Or do I need to go heavy duty with something like an Austin Air Healthmate+ with multiple pounds of carbon?”
This is the type of situation where these details really make a difference! We applaud shoppers for taking a technical approach to their own scenarios, outlining what they’re facing and what they need from a scientific level. Then comes the solution!
Here are a few tips for using an air purifier in this type of scenario:
- Consider changing to a unit with carbon pellets like Austin, Amaircare, Airpura, or Allerair.
- Run your chosen unit on “medium” to increase the dwell time.This is a bit tricky because you have to stay faster than the source, but go as slow as you can to have the best dwell time.
- Use an air monitor like this one from Uhoo.
Changing Your Carbon Filtration Equipment
These different technologies also have different time frames for maintenance. You’ll have to replace the carbon blankets every six months. You can change the other types of units every year.
See our own Barb Lulay demonstrating how you can change these filters online – and more on the specs and comparisons of each unit and filter type.
With the 16-inch easy test unit, you can also change your carbon infiltration method over time. You don’t have to stay with any particular filter type.
Specs on the Carbon Pellet or Pleated Carbon Options
Take a look at the details on each of these purchases.
The pleated carbon design has a 1/2 inch non-woven polyester filter with activated carbon at 200%.
The pellet design has the same filter, and granulated carbon pellets in a steel mesh canister, 1550 grams for a very large absorption surface area.
You can see that when shopping for an Amaircare unit, you have your choice of designs and different levels of efficacy around them.
That’s important, because many of our shoppers are under pressure to get rid of various kinds of problems in their homes, rental units or offices.
US Air Purifiers LLC can help you to cleanse your indoor air, and get a better result with modern technology that fights air pollution where it lives – and where you live, too! Make an investment in your health and the health of your family, to breathe easier all day and all night.