If you are looking at an ultra-efficient way to purify the air throughout your entire home, you may have decided to purchase the best air purifier for the whole house. How to install a whole-house air purifier? Keep reading to get some tips.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Whole-house air purifiers are typically installed inside of one or more of the air ducts running throughout your home.
- There are multiple kinds of whole-house air purifier designs, including those that use UV lights, fiberglass filters, negatively charged ions, and more.
- Most whole-house air purifiers must be professionally installed, as installation will require expertise, tools, and access to your ductwork.
What is a Whole House Air Purifier?
A whole-house air purifier, as the name suggests, is an air purifier that has been purpose-built to clean the air of an entire home. This works in stark contrast to standard air purifiers, which are built to purify the air in a single room or a small section of the home. The filters of a whole-house air purifier are typically built into the home’s heating or cooling system. In other words, they will usually require professional installation. Keep in mind that if you have allergies, live or work with people that have allergies, snore or suffer from COPD, you need to have an air purifier.
But, there’s a lot of responsibility attached to air purifiers, such as knowing how the air filters work, what size air purifier you need, how to get bad odor out of an air purifier, what is an air scrubber, and finally, how to use an ionic ozone air purifier.
Insider Tip
A whole-house air purifier, as the name suggests, is an air purifier that has been purpose-built to clean the air of an entire home.
Types of Whole House Air Purifiers
The methods regarding the installation of a whole-house air purifier will certainly depend on the type of design you are going with, as there are several. This also includes air purifiers made out of a box fan, though it’s not as effective. Himalayan salt air purifiers work fine, too, but they don’t quite cover an entire house.
Flat Filters
Flat filters are simple filtration mechanisms that you likely already have installed in your home, particularly if you use a furnace during the winter months. These matted filters are typically made from fiberglass and do a decent enough job at capturing and trapping common household allergens and the like. The one downside to flat filters is they have to be maintained and cleaned regularly. We would recommend removing the filters and giving them a good thorough cleaning at least once a month, though more may be better depending on the layout of your home.
Extended Media Filters
These professional-grade whole-house air purifying filters must be professionally installed into your home’s ductwork. They are essentially a thick stack of the aforementioned flat furnace filters, though some designs do differ. They do not need to be cleaned, though extended media filters should be disposed of and replaced once every year.
Insider Tip
The filters of a whole-house air purifier are typically built into the home’s heating or cooling system.
Ultraviolet Filters
UV air purification filters, otherwise known as germicidal light filters, can be installed near the cooling coils of your air conditioning unit or inside of a simple air duct. These filters release tightly concentrated beams of light that kill germs, virus particles, bacteria, mold spores, and more.
Electronic Filters
These do a great job at removing smoke and associated odors, as they release negatively charged ions into the air that bond with smoke particles and weigh them down to the ground.
Furthermore, if you are concerned about germs and bacteria, you can install a germicidal air purifier in an AC duct that might help solve this issue.
Warning
The one downside to flat filters is they have to be maintained and cleaned regularly.
F.A.Q.
Whole-house air purifiers vs portable air purifiers?
Whole-house air purifiers work in a similar way to most portable air purifiers, though they will typically boast more overall horsepower.
What are the disadvantages of whole-house air purifiers?
Whole-house air purifiers will be capturing or killing offensive airborne particles near your home’s air ducts. This means they won’t be able to help with chemicals released in the air inside of your home, such as volatile organic compounds that were released by using a cleaning agent.
What are common pollutants indoors?
The home can be a breeding ground for many pollutants, including smoke, allergens, mold, and more.
STAT: According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the air indoors where we spend as much as 90 percent of our time can be more polluted than even city smog. (source)
