The Clean Air Act Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Air Cleaners’

Reduce Allergy & Asthma Symptoms With an Air Cleaner

Monday, March 4th, 2013

Most of us spend the majority of our time indoors. Because of all that time spent inside, it would make sense to pay attention to what is in the air that we breathe. Indoor air quality in Portland, OR is not something that most people spend much time thinking about. But the EPA estimates that poor indoor air quality is actually one of the top 5 threats to respiratory health. Installing a whole home indoor air cleaners is a great way to make a positive impact on the quality of air in your home. Indoor air filters can be targeted towards certain air contaminants and to your home’s needs. At Clean Air Act Inc., we specialize in indoor air quality in Portland, OR. We’re passionate about helping people clean the air in their home. We’ve installed countless air cleaners for our customers and wanted share some of the benefits of filtering the air in your home.

Reduced Air Pollutants

There are a number of different air pollutants that are normally found in indoor air. Obviously, one of the main benefits of getting an air cleaner in your home is that those pollutants will likely be greatly reduced. Here are a few of the most common air pollutants.

  • Dust
  • Pollen
  • Pet dander
  • Dust mite and cockroach droppings
  • Smoke
  • Bacteria
  • Viruses

Potentially Reduced Allergies and Asthma Symptoms

For people who suffer from asthma or allergies, reducing the amount of dust, pet dander, pollen and insect droppings in the air will likely result in an increase in comfort. Those pollutants in particular cause allergic and asthmatic reactions for many people.

Reduced Dust Levels

If you have to dust a lot in your house, filtering out that dust in an air cleaner could potentially reduce the amount of dust that you see around your house.

Potentially Reduced Sickness

Many air cleaners are able to remove viruses and bacteria from the air. Doing this might be able to reduce the number of instances of colds in your home.

Call Clean Air Act Inc. for all your indoor air cleaner repair and installation in Portland, OR.

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How to Get Adequate Air Filtration with a Ductless Mini Split

Monday, December 10th, 2012

Are you concerned about indoor air quality in your Portland area home? Many homeowners question the air filtration capabilities of a ductless mini split as opposed to a forced air system. While you get cleaner air without the use of air ducts, a forced air system does draw in and recycle the air so that there is some filtration; however, dirty ductwork can compromise this benefit.

Call The Clean Air Act to learn more about how to get adequate air filtration with a ductless mini split. First, here are some factors to keep in mind.

Air Filters

All ductless mini split systems come with a hypo-allergenic air filter. It is important to change these once a month during the heating or cooling season. If you only have a ductless mini split AC system but another type of heating system, then you will need to change the filters on your heating system as needed.

Air Cleaners

You can also install electronic and mechanical air cleaners to help filter the air inside your home. These will help filter the air along with the ductless system’s filter. HEPA filters are not designed for standard home heating and cooling systems.

Humidifiers and De-humidifiers

While proper moisture control is important for indoor air quality, it is a good idea to speak with a Portland indoor air quality specialist to go over the different types of humidifiers and dehumidifiers work best with a ductless system.

If you would like to know more, contact The Clean Air Act for all your Portland OR indoor air quality needs.

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What Type of HEPA Filter Should I Buy?

Monday, November 19th, 2012

Are you concerned about allergens and indoor air contaminants inside your home? While there’s a lot of information about HEPA filters out there, there are still a lot of questions we get from Portland area customers about indoor air quality and HEPA filters. Many of these questions are about how to choose the right HEPA filter for their air cleaner or HVAC system. If you have further questions, feel free to give the indoor air quality experts at The Clean Air Act.

Meanwhile, here’s some basic information about HEPA filters and how you can determine which one is the most cost-effective for your home. Keep in mind that there are different ratings for the different types of materials for media filters.

Most mechanical air cleaners use some type of HEPA filter, and the efficiency of the filter is determined by how effectively it can filter the type of contaminants you are trying to eliminate from your home. While an electronic air cleaner uses an ionizer to attract microscopic particles, a mechanical air cleaner will use a particle filter to trap larger ones. The efficiency is measured by a number called the minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV), and if you want a standard filter that will get the job done, look for a MERV of at least 5, or between 7 and 13 for a slightly more efficient filter.  A true HEPA filter will have a MERV between 17 and 20.

While HEPA filters are designed to remove several indoor air pollutants, such as pollen, pet hair, dust mites, mold spores, and other irritants, they are not designed for use in a home heating and air conditioning system. This is due to their size and shape, but you can find true HEPA filters for most mechanical air cleaners. Check your owner’s manual or ask your contractor when you have the air cleaner installed.

Call the Portland indoor air quality experts at The Clean Air Act with all your questions about HEPA filters. We can help by going over all the different options so that you make an informed decision.

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How do I choose the right air cleaner for my home?

Monday, October 15th, 2012

At Clean Air Act, we provide a multitude of air purification systems to help improve indoor air quality in your Oregon City home. The standard filters that are installed in your heating and cooling system may not be enough if you suffer from allergies or other respiratory issues. If you aren’t sure which type of air cleaner will meet your indoor air quality needs, just give us a call to set up a consultation. Here’s some information to get you started.

Air cleaners are installed to work with your central heating and air conditioning system. Many homeowners choose either an electronic or mechanical air cleaner, since they each target different contaminants. Chronic allergy suffers choose mechanical air filters since they are more cost-effective and target the more common indoor allergens, such as pet dander, pollen, and mold spores.  Electronic air cleaners are more expensive but target smaller particles, so it is important to know what type of irritants you wish to eliminate.

Some people choose to install both types of air cleaners, in addition to a UV germicidal light to help kill bacteria and viruses. The type of air filtration system you choose really depends on your specific needs and your budget.   If you are unable to eliminate the source of the problem (people with pets, for instance), then you may one to consider one of these different combinations of air cleaners.

Keep in mind that air cleaners cannot eliminate radon or get rid of mold in the home. Mold remediation and radon mitigation should be handled by a professional. We also offer radon testing and remediation for homeowners throughout the area.

Call Clean Air Act, the Oregon City indoor air quality experts if you have questions about improving the air quality inside your home

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What’s the difference between mechanical and electronic air cleaners?

Monday, September 24th, 2012

There are a number of air cleaners on the market, each of them offering a number of specific features and benefits designed to match the types or air pollutants and allergens your Portland home has. However, a common question we get is about the difference between mechanical and electronic air cleaners.

Mechanical Air Cleaners

Mechanical air cleaners are also called filters and are generally some form of physical device installed in the air flow system for your HVAC device or air handler. The air flows through the filter and particles are removed because they are smaller than air particles. Mechanical filters come in different MERV ratings, and some are rated as HEPA filtration devices, removing up to 99.9% of contaminants 0.3 microns or larger. These devices are highly effective for almost all forms of allergens and contaminants in the Portland area.

Electronic Air Cleaners

An electronic air cleaner uses a different process, actively removing particles by ionizing the air and pulling the particles out of it. The difference is that such a process only works on smaller particles like gas or smoke and fumes. So, an electronic air cleaner removes the stuff that a mechanical filter never could, and is generally only necessary if your home suffers from such contaminants.

When the time comes to have a new air cleaning system installed in your home, the first thing you should do is determine what you need to have removed. Most people will benefit from a mechanical filter upgrade, but if exhaust is a problem due to proximity to a major road or if someone in your home smokes, an electronic filter can go one step further and remove a lot of additional particles.

There are also air purification systems that combine both technologies to create a fully-featured air cleaning system. You can check if this type of system is compatible with your air handler and then have one sized for your needs.

To determine what to do about the indoor air quality in your Portland home, contact The Clean Air Act, Inc. today!

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Where Are Air Cleaners Installed and How Do They Work?

Monday, September 10th, 2012

Just from reading the name, most people in Oregon City can figure out what whole home air filtration systems do. But what many people don’t know is where they are placed in your house and how they actually filter the air. There are many different kinds of home air filtration systems and each one cleans your air in a different way.

Mechanical Air Filters

Air filters are installed as part of your heating and air conditioning system. They are most commonly installed in the air handler that distributes clean air to the rest of your house. As the air passes through the filter, particulates, bacteria and viruses, pollen, pet dander and other contaminates are trapped and removed from your air supply. Depending upon your needs, the filters come in varying sizes: some are designed to filter very tiny contaminates like viruses, while others are made to trap larger particulates like dust. Ask the experts at Clean Air Act, Inc. which filter is right for your Oregon City home air filtration needs.

Electronic Air Filters

Electronic air cleaners differ from mechanical air filters in that they use an electronic charge to trap particles similar to the way static electricity works. There are several types of electronic air filters. Electrostatic precipitators are installed in your air handler where they draw air across an ionized section of the filter and attach a positive electrical charge to the particles in the air. These charged particles are attracted to, and accumulate on, negatively charged collector plates.

Ion generators, another type of electronic filter, work in a similar way but without the collector plates. These devices emit charged ions into the air where they attach to other particles and collect on objects like furniture, walls or the ground.

Oregon City Home Air Filtration Installation Experts

Your family deserves to breathe clean air. For people suffering from existing respiratory problems, air filtration can be a necessity. Whole home filtration systems can reduce allergy flare-ups that result from pollen, dust and other pollutants like pet dander. Many homes in the Oregon City area are well-insulated which can leave little room for ventilation of normal allergens. Clean Air Act, Inc. has a full range of products that can remove pollutants from your air and ensure that you and your family are comfortable all year long.

For more information about improving the air quality in your Oregon City home with products such as an Aprilaire Air Cleaning system, give Clean Air Act, Inc. a call today!

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Plants & Indoor Air Quality

Wednesday, November 2nd, 2011

In our Molalla elementary school, we were taught that plants are the “lungs of the Earth.” They remove carbon dioxide from the air and release oxygen, which is great because it is the exact opposite of our respiratory process. They also clean the air in the process, like natural air pollution scrubbers, improving the quality of the air around them.

Given this, it’s not surprising that people have sought to harness the respiratory power of plants to improve air quality in their homes. One study by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the 1980s even identified the best plants for improving indoor air quality.

This seems like great news for people who suffer from asthma or allergies, or who just want a natural way to purify the air in their homes. However, plants are not without their drawbacks. It is not a simple as to just bring a plant into the home. A plant is really an entire ecosystem, with many other organisms latched on for dear life. There are bacteria in the soil, for one, and there may be bugs or fungi in the soil or on the plant that you can’t even see.

Most of these are harmless, but not always. The fungus can be a problem, for example, if the spores get into the air. This can make allergies and asthma worse, not better.

That doesn’t mean you have to toss out that nice spider plant or Boston fern in the garbage, however. After all, it is probably doing a great job of filtering out some inorganic pollutants, it’s increasing the oxygen concentration of the room and it looks nice. Instead of getting rid of it, just give it a partner.

Adding an air cleaner like a fan with a filter can help purge the organic gunk that may be coming from the plant, while the plant is taking care of the other stuff. The result is cleaner, better air, which can be a relief to asthma and allergy sufferers.

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