Air Oasis                                      Austin Air HEPA Technology

Air Purifier Technology

Air purifiers employ what seems to be simple technology on the surface.  Effective air purifiers draw air from the room with a fan, clean the air, and send it back out into the room.  There are a number of ways cleaning is performed while in the actual system.  First there is adsorption.  Adsorption uses a media like activated carbon or zeolite.  These Medias are porous so that the airflow is exposed to relatively large surface area.  As the chemical contaminates come in contact with the media the chemicals combine the media and are thus removed from the room.  Adsorption will remove chemicals and some parts of tobacco smoke and odors but has little impact on particles.  The second approach is mechanical filtering much like your furnace filter. In this case the room air is screened of particles however, the screen is very fine.  An example of a very fine screen is a HEPA filter that removes particles as small as 0.3 microns. 

Most all of the high-end HEPA air purifiers use some type of pre filter in addition to the filter elements. The pre filter is used to capture the larger partials going into the unit; And to extend the life of the fine filter such as a HEPA filter.  You will typically find visible dust, hair, and lint in the pre filter.  By keeping the pre filter clean you can dramatically extend the life of your HEPA filter and improve the overall efficiency of your air purifier. 

Home and Office Air Purifiers - Efficiency:
Efficiency refers to the amount of air that is actually passed though the filter system of an air purifier.  While a high grade HEPA filter will filter out 99.97% of the particles that are 0.03 micron and smaller this only takes place in the flow that actually passes though the HEPA filter.  In typical home improvement store brand air purifiers a good percentage of the flow slips by the filter system and is propelled back into the room without being cleaned.  Unfortunately the manufacturers are not required to state their air purifier efficiency.  IQAir Air Purifiers is the only company that states that better then 95% of the flow that enters their air purifiers is cleaned and returned to the room. 

Applications of Air Purifiers:
The real key to addressing any Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) issue is the removal of the source of the pollutant or irritant if possible. We understand that if you love your pets to which you are allergic too you have to deal with the dander but, if you are allergic to mold spores your first step is to either remove the source yourself or have it addressed professionally.  Secondly, if you have a whole house forced air system you need to make sure that your system is well maintained and that the filter is a high quality one that is changed regularly.  And the use of a good HEPA filter vacuum cleaner will help prevent the dust partials’ from becoming air borne again.

Air Purifiers and Asthma- This is a tough medical condition with which to deal and we can only address the asthma that is induced by poor air quality not that induced by exercise or stress.  The asthma triggering irritant may be either a particle such as pollen or a chemical or smell.  Therefore, we must utilize both mechanical and adsorption air purifier technology. This translates to HEPA and activated carbon air cleaner media. The top of the line air purifiers that include both is the IQ Air HealthPro Plus.  Other good choices are the Austin Air Purifier HealthMate Plus or HealthMate Plus Junior.

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) or Chemical Allergies- For these issues we cannot emphasize enough the elimination of the source of your sensitivity.  While air purifiers will help, the constant irritant will increase your sensitivity.  After you have addressed the source, technology that will be of primary importance is adsorption. There are a number of models that specifically address MCS. The Austin Air Healthmate Plus series includes highly absorptive potassium iodide to address MCS. Austin Air also offers coconut carbon filters for those that are extremely chemical sensitive. Other manufacturers of air purifiers that address these issues include IQ Air air purifiers; GC VOC, GC MultiGas, and GC Chemisorber are also designed to address specific chemical adsorption.

Dust, Pollen, and Mold Allergies- This is one of the most common applications for home air purifiers.  All of these pollutants can be classed as particle pollution and can be handled with HEPA air purifier technologies. The IQAir HealthPro air purifiers, Austin Air HealthMate and Austin Air HealthMate Junior, HEPA air cleaners are effective at removing air borne dust particles.

Pet Allergies and You- We assume that if you have pets as we do, you wouldn’t think of getting rid of them because they are also a member of your family.  If you have pet allergies we recommend that you clean their bedding and toys to reduce the source of the pet material as much as possible prior to using any air purifiers.  Pets, particularly cats, tend to clean themselves by licking their fur. This leaves a very fine film of saliva on their fur that dries and then goes airborne as a very fine dust. This is the primary cause of most pet allergic reactions. 

Cigarette Smoke- The smoke from cigarettes and, even worse, cigars and pipes is a stew of gasses and particles.  It is particularly hard to address with room air purifiers because the source is so active putting out so many pollutants in such a short time.  Even if all of the room air went though the air purifier 6 times per hour a Cigar will still overwhelm the air purifiers until it is extinguished.   If you or family member smokes there are several home air purifier manufacturers who have specifically address tobacco smoke and the multitude of pollutants it that contains. The IQAir GC Multigas, and The Austin Air Plus air cleaners are all designed by the manufacturers to address this problem.  When tobacco smoke is involved another way to reduce the odor is with a general cleaning.  At least you should wipe down the light bulbs in the room.  These attract the smoke when they are hot and the chemicals settle on the bulbs.  Each time they are turned on and get hot they then put the chemicals back into the air.  Please understand that even with the best air purifiers you should not expect to smoke a cigar next to a room air purifier and not have your wife notice in the next room.

Bacteria or Virus- Generally air purifiers used to address this application are for cases where there is an ill person in the home and you are trying to protect others from infection or as a preventative for people like the elderly that are susceptible to infection.  UV light is needed for an air purifier to be effective in addressing these issues.  The best air purifier to address this issue is the Air Oasis. The Air Oasis uses AHPCO Technology (Advanced Hydrated Photocatalytic Oxidation) which basically is a broad spectrum high intensity UV light targeted on the patent-pending quad-nano Xtreme™ quad metallic catalyst in a low-level ozone and moist atmosphere. This creates an advanced oxidation of friendly oxidizers. Unlike ozone, these oxidizers are safe, but yet aggressive at killing mold, bacteria, viruses and more.  They also effectively neutralize odors and VOCs. Once they have done their job they revert back to oxygen and hydrogen. AHPCO technology has been successfully used in water, air, food and laundry applications.

Maintenance- Office and Home Air Purifiers:
As with any high quality mechanism maintenance is a key concern to both the overall life of the air cleaner and the efficiency and effectiveness of the air purifier.  The filter elements need to be changed at the schedule provided by the manufacturer.  However, to really maintain your air purifier at top efficiency the pre filter should be vacuumed once or twice a month to remove any large partials that may have accumulated. Regular cleaning will allow your air purifier to breathe more easily and this will translate into many benefits for you. Cleaning will lower the noise level because the airflow will not be constrained, also the main filters will last longer because the pre filter will be more efficiently protecting it. If you do not want to clean the pre filter (they are usually dusty at best) the replacements are very inexpensive and the best investment you can make to maintain your air purifier.  While you are changing or cleaning the pre filter wipe down the rest of the air cleaner with a slightly damp rag. Your high quality air purifiers from Health Air Purifiers will last for years and keep your Indoor Quality high for you and your family.

 Austin Air Filter Warranty;Austin Air offers a 5-year pro-rated filter warranty, by far the most comprehensive in the industry. No more costly filter replacements every few months or even years. Austin Air filters are designed to last for an amazing 5-year, under normal residential use.

IQ Air Warranty; If within five (5) years for the HealthPro Series and one (1) year for all Products with the exception of filters from the date of the original purchase by the end-user from the Authorized Dealer, the Product or any part thereof (with the exception of filters) is proved to be defective by reason only of faulty workmanship or materials, IQAir North America, Inc. will at their option repair or replace the part or product free of charge for labor and materials.

Air Oasis; Is warranted against workmanship or material defect for a period of 3-years from the date of the original purchase by the end-user purchased from an Authorized Air Oasis dealer. You must have the original invoice with the date purchased, and the dealers name from whom you made the purchase printed clearly on the invoice in order to claim said warranty.