Air Cleaner vs. Air Purifier
Do you know how safe your air is at work?
Commercial facilities all need great indoor air quality. Everything in sealed buildings is practically re-circulated air. Everyone breathes in that re-circulated air all over again. Imagine the scenario. Sick co-workers and flu season, you are stuck inside with all the germs floating around. It’s easy to see how contamination happens. But there’s a debate on having an air cleaner versus air purifier to solve for air quality.
Why You Need One
Spreading of disease mostly happens when the employees come back in the morning and the HVAC systems are turned on. This is because mold and bacteria are left dormant in air ducts throughout the night and triggered when you turn on the system again in the morning. Not to mention the vapors and fumes from carpets, toners, printers, furniture, or gasses emitted by building materials, heat pumps, and other mechanical systems that make up a building. And so the cycle goes each day.
Another problem is carbon monoxide, which is very dangerous, as people have no way of detecting how much they have already ingested. If you care about your customers and employees you must pay special attention to your commercial facility’s indoor air quality. This will ensure the safety of your customers, your workforce, and the community and greatly reduce medical and insurance needs. Additionally, everyone can work properly in a safe environment and productivity will be at an all-time high.
Air Cleaner vs Air Purifier
Air Cleaner
These are used to remove physical and bacteriological contaminants from infecting the workplace. Here are some contaminants that are present in most commercial facilities:
- Carpet fibers
- Dust
- Mite
- Aerosol spray particles
- Pollen
- Hair
- Mold spores
- Other forms of bacteria
These contaminants must be removed as they can cause respiratory problems in people. They can also induce or trigger allergies in chemically-sensitive people. Not to mention, there is the unnecessary spreading of bacteria and viruses in the commercial workplace.
Air Filters
Air filters or purifiers remove the gaseous contaminants like poisonous chemical vapors and VOCs (volatile organic compounds).
Indoor air quality for a commercial facility has very specific requirements because you are primarily in the people business. You are serving people, usually through extended periods of time, depending on the nature of your business. The proper selection of an air filter depends on three important factors:
- The type of business you have or the industry you’re in. Are you a mall, an office, a foodservice business, a hospital, a university, a car repair shop, or manufacturing facility? The kind of air filter you need will depend on the type of business you’re in. This is because each type of business has very stringent requirements.
- Where your business is located. Although buildings are mostly sealed in for weather considerations, your commercial establishment may need extra measures to protect air contamination. Are you located in a polluted area? If you are not a factory or manufacturing plant, how far is your commercial establishment from industrial facilities, like nuclear power plants? If this is the case, your facility will have to take more measures to protect the inside and outside. Consider the zoning requirements as well.
- Is your business or facility green? If you uphold environmental concerns, then you have special needs and requirements which must conform to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards.
So Which One?
Commercial HVACs must work efficiently together with both the use of Air Cleansers and Air Purifiers. Heavy industrial zones or industries will need an especially high MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value). Thus, you may need a HEPA Filtration System which can eliminate nearly 100% of contaminants.
Restaurants have odorous fumes from cooking. Hospitals need special filters due to airborne diseases and protection from blood contamination. High-tech manufacturing facilities need extra-special filters for their ultra-sensitive production. Laboratories will also need special requirements in their air filter systems. This is because they are dealing with a lot of bacteria and organic substances.
Every case is different. Let us help you with your specific indoor air quality needs. We’ll help you understand the difference between air cleaners and air purifiers for your commercial facility’s HVAC systems.