Why should indoor air quality concern me?
Today's modern homes are sealed tight to insulate us from the cold and heat as a result air circulation is kept to a minimum. Our indoor air meanwhile, contains minute particles such as dust, pet dander, pollen and mold spores that can aggravate asthma, allergies and other respiratory problems. In addition, many of today's cleaning products, furniture, carpets and building materials release chemicals, which also end up in the air we breathe. What's most sobering is that fact that while our bodies have natural defenses against air borne particles, we have no natural defense against airborne chemicals! These, in fact, can go straight into the blood stream! A high efficiency air cleaner can help neutralize airborne particles, chemical and odors. However, make sure you buy a purifier that contains both carbon and HEPA filtration to trap the particles and chemicals, gases and odors. So many people are disappointed when they bring home an off-the-shelf unit that does nothing for odors and airborne chemicals. An AllerAir air purifier with carbon and HEPA is an investment that can help you and your family live in a cleaner, healthier environment.
What kind of technology is used in today's modern air purifiers?
Among the cleaning methods used in air purification today are HEPA and activated carbon filters, electrostatic filters and ultraviolet lamps. While electrostatic filters and ultraviolet lamps can be effective for individual applications, AllerAir's HEPA - carbon combination neutralizes airborne particles and chemicals, gases and odors. This dual action cleaning power offers you the best air filtration available without generating additional pollutants like ozone.
What are the advantages of using a carbon filter rather than a cheaper electrostatic filter?
While electrostatic filters help collect dust particles, they cannot remove chemicals and odors from the air. An activated carbon filter actually traps chemicals, gases and odors; this combined with a HEPA filter offers you the most efficient air purification possible. Granulated Activated Carbon (GAC) has the strongest adsorption power of any material known to man. In one pound of carbon there are over 200 miles of tiny pores to trap gases and odors. It¡¯s safe, cost efficient and so effective the military uses it in their gas masks!
What does High Efficiency Carbon mean?
High Efficiency Carbon is exclusive to AllerAir products. This specialized carbon has double the adsorption capacity of regular carbon. It has also proven to be very effective when used by those with severe chemical sensitivity, and as a result of this success has been used in all AllerAir MCS models.
Why is ozone so dangerous for my health?
EPA's answer: "The same chemical properties that allow high concentrations of ozone to react with organic material outside the body give it the ability to react with similar organic material that makes up the body, and potentially cause harmful health consequences. When inhaled, ozone can damage the lungs. Relatively low amounts can cause chest pain, coughing, shortness of breath, and, throat irritation. Ozone may also worsen chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma and compromise the ability of the body to fight respiratory infections(www.epa.gov - How is ozone harmful)" : The same chemical properties that allow high concentrations of ozone to react with organic material outside the body give it the ability to react with similar organic material that makes up the body, and potentially cause harmful health consequences. When inhaled, ozone can damage the lungs. Relatively low amounts can cause chest pain, coughing, shortness of breath, and, throat irritation. Ozone may also worsen chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma and compromise the ability of the body to fight respiratory infections. People vary widely in their susceptibility to ozone. Healthy people, as well as those with respiratory difficulty, can experience breathing problems when exposed to ozone. Exercise during exposure to ozone causes a greater amount of ozone to be inhaled, and increases the risk of harmful respiratory effects. Recovery from the harmful effects can occur following short-term exposure to low levels of ozone, but health effects may become more damaging and recovery less certain at higher levels or from longer exposures (US EPA, 1996a, 1996b). Manufacturers and vendors of ozone devices often use misleading terms to describe ozone. Terms such as "energized oxygen" or "pure air" suggest that ozone is a healthy kind of oxygen. Ozone is a toxic gas with vastly different chemical and toxicological properties from oxygen. Several federal agencies have established health standards or recommendations to limit human exposure to ozone.
Why offer a UV lamp on an air purifier?
A UV lamp offers the added benefit of sterilizing any bacteria, viruses or mold mycotoxins that may be present in the air. The UV actually destroys the reproductive DNA of these organisms. This kind of sterilization is highly effective and has been used in hospitals, laboratories and medical facilities since the 1930¡¯s. The UV lamps Allerair employs do not produce ozone.
What is a True HEPA Filter?
A True HEPA filter has the highest proven efficiency, cleaning 99.97% of all airborne particles as small as 0.3 microns.
I recently discovered mold in my basement. What should I do? Will an air purifier help?
Mold can be a very serious issue, so depending on the severity of your problem you may need to consult with a professional. Make sure to clean the mold at its source using an effective and safe, non-toxic product like one of our enzyme cleaners and try to eliminate any moisture in the area. The mold needs this moisture to grow. An air purifier with a UV lamp can help in both the short and long term by trapping the airborne mold spores preventing them from reproducing.
What does MCS mean?
MCS stands for Multiple Chemical Sensitivities. People having MCS feel uncomfortable in the presence of any smell. Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) is basically a subset of Environmental Illness (EI), which is caused by living in a toxic world. The chemicals that were synthesized after World War II (including, pesticides, synthetic fragrances, cleaning products, detergents, etc.) are mostly "petro-chemicals" (petroleum based) and are quite toxic to humans. There have been virtually no studies done on the majority of these chemicals to see how they affect humans - the industry just placed the chemicals in the environment with the assumption that they are "safe, till proven toxic", instead of the other way around. One of the biggest offenders is PERFUME and other scented products. Did you know that many of the ingredients in your perfume are the exact same ingredients found in GASOLINE??!! I didn't either! The scary thing is that the perfume industry is NOT REGULATED at all - they can put any number of chemicals in fragrance without revealing what those chemicals are - or how they affect humans.
Why are your residential models cylindrical?
In square units, stale air can actually get trapped in the corners. Cylindrical units maximize air flow and therefore actually clean better.
How many changes of air per hour are your air purifiers capable of?
There is a simple formula. One technical characteristic of an air purifier is the CFM (cubic feet per minute). If one air purifier has 400 CFM that means that it can filter 400 cubic feet of air in one minute. That means that applying a 70% coefficient that exclude the furniture in the room it will perform about 5 complete air changes an hour in a 7200 cubic feet room (30*30*8). Every 12 minutes you will get clean air.
Why are you using so much carbon when other manufacturers only use a small amount?
Because more carbon equals more adsorption, which simply means fresher, cleaner air. AllerAir carbon is specially activated with oxygen which opens up thousands of tiny pores in the carbon. The chemicals, gases and odors actually get trapped in these pores. The more carbon you have the more you can trap.
I enjoy smoking cigars at home. What can I do to solve second hand smoke and odor issues?
AllerAir manufactures units specifically designed for smokers. They come standard with a Tar Trapping Hepa filter as well as pounds of activated carbon to control the chemicals and odors associated with smoking.
Where should I place my air purifier in my room for a maximum of efficiency?
Because of its cylindrical shape, you can place your AllerAir purifier anywhere, however it is important to select a purifier, which will work best for your room size. Make sure to consult with one of our experts if you have questions about which size purifier is right for you.
How easy is to change the filters? Do you provide instructions?
The filters are very easy to change and can often be replaced in less than a minute. Just pull out the old one and pop in the new one, it¡¯s that simple. If you have any questions, all units come with an instruction manual and we¡¯ll even talk you through it on the phone if you¡¯re having trouble.
How often should I change my pre-filters? What about the carbon filter? And the HEPA filter?
That all depends on the environment you're using it in. Under normal circumstances you should vacuum or replace the pre-filter every three months. We supply pre-filters in packages of 4, 8 or 10. The HEPA filter should be changed after three to five years, while the carbon filter should be changed after two to three years.
What does VOC mean?
VOC stands for Volatile Organic Compounds, molecular gases such as formaldehyde and ammonia that are extremely dangerous for your health. AllerAir produces a line of air purifiers designed with specially blended carbon to specifically deal with VOC's.
Why are you selling double and extra carbon models?
Double and Extra carbon air-purifiers are to be used in heavy polluted places with persistent odors or fumes.
