the sensible home : indoor air can become particle soup - home air cleaner

Question: My house is stuffy and my allergies are not good.
Should I run a room air purifier even if I have a central air purifier?
What type is the best, it costs a lot of money to run?
A: Many people, not just those who are allergic, suffer from "sick family syndrome ".
"As the home and office become more efficient and airtight, the indoor air becomes a chemical and particle soup. Only about one-
A tenth of the particles floating in indoor air is large enough to be seen.
In addition to the central furnace air purifier, it makes sense to use the room air purifier.
I used a quiet one in the bedroom at night. Most room-
Size air purifier less electricity than 100Watt bulb.
Room air purifiers are especially effective for allergies.
Although the central air purifier will only operate when the furnace is turned on, the room air purifier will work continuously.
It removes particles and odors before they settle.
There are many effective designs for room air purifiers-HEPA (
High Efficiency Particulate Air)
Electronic Dust Collector
Charging of static electricity, ion generators and ozone generators. Some super-
Effective air purifiers use a combination of these designs in one unit.
Each type of air purifier for a specific-
Size allergen particles, so don't just buy the cheapest one.
Select a filter with the final filter of activated carbon to remove the smell.
Heavier charcoal is more efficient.
HEPA and electrostatic dust collectors are the most effective, especially for small smoke particles. A HEPA (
Very dense filter material and fine packaging)
The efficiency of the air purifier is 99%.
Pleated media is a low-efficiency, loosely packaged HEPA filter at a lower price.
When allergen particles pass through the air purifier, the electronic dust collector charges them.
These charged particles then stick to the collector board with the opposite charge in the air purifier. Self-
A charging electrostatic filter uses a material that generates static electricity when the air passes through it to capture particles.
They are most effective for larger allergen particles such as mold and pollen.
Ion generators produce negative ions that cause particles to fall off of the air.
These particles gather on walls and tables, so it is easy to be vacuumed.
The ozone concentration produced by the ozone generator is very low and there is very little electricity. Ozone (
Activated oxygen)
Chemical destruction of smells, smoke, bacteria, etc.
Write update announcement number
933 show Buyer's Guide for 20 efficient room air
Air filter manufacturers, list filtering methods
Chart of flow, speed, weight, price and allergen size.
Please mail $2 and 1
Address, stamped envelope to James Dudley, Los Angeles Times, 6906 Royal green Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45244.
One way to measure bulb efficiency q: I need to buy some bulbs.
The package lists the "lumens" of the bulb ".
What is lumens? How can I relate them to the efficiency of the bulb?
A: lumens are A measure of the light output of the bulb.
The brightness of the bulb producing 1,500 lumens is twice that of the bulb producing 750 lumens. A typical 75-
Watt incandescent lamps produce light of about 1,170 lumens.
The efficiency of the bulb is rated by the lumens per watt of electricity.
Higher wattage bulbs are more efficient.
For example, 150-
The Watt bulb produces 2,880 lumens. Two 75-
Watt bulb, using the same amount of electricity as 150
Watt bulb, only 2,340 lumens are produced.
Letters and questions for Cincinnati Dudley
Engineering consultant based in Los Angeles Times James Dudley, 6906 Roy Green Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio, zip code 45244.