What To Look For In A Portable Air Conditioner

What To Look For In A Portable Air Conditioner by Kerry Rodden

A portable air conditioner is a tool that you can't afford to be without. These units allow you to take air conditioning benefits with you, no mater where you want to go. In fact, you can use them to help you to stabilize the air that you are breathing in temporarily or they can be used continuously. Unlike a large, household air conditioning unit, these are much more affordable to purchase as well as to run. You can condition the air in the areas that you live effectively, without having to worry about the overall cost of the rest of the home being conditioned (even when you aren't in those areas.)

There are many different models of portable air conditioners on the market that you can take full advantage of. You'll be able to purchase based on your own specific needs as well as your budget. What you should do, though, is to compare what each has to offer to you so that you can ultimately see improvements in your overall healthy and wellness.

For one thing, take the time to consider the area that the unit provides conditioning for. Getting a unit that provides for conditioning for that area only will save you time and money. You should also look at the warranty on the product, insuring it is as long as possible. Consider how often the unit will need to be emptied. Since most of the portable air conditioner options on the market will pull water from the air and then store it in a tank to keep the unit cool. But, these units will require the emptying of these tanks to keep them running.

Purchasing a portable air conditioner is an ideal tool to have. The best route to take is to insure that you provide for a high quality product that will offer you the ultimate benefits. Comparing the products that are available help you to make the right decision.

Ionic Air Cleaner: Selecting The Right One by Kerry Rodden

Although there are several companies that offer an ionic air cleaner, these tools are somewhat different. Since you will be spending a decent amount of money on them, it warrants the need to compare the various options you have to select the ultimate right decision. Your choices should range on a number of characteristics including your need, the product, the cost and the effectiveness of the ionic air cleaner. That's a lot to ask for? When you do a comparison of the models available, you quickly learn which the right choice is.

For one thing, you will want to consider the ionic air purifier that fits your needs only. Some provide for a larger area of cleanliness while others are looking to clean the air in only a small area, even as small as your car. If you need a larger room ionizer, you have to select either two of the smaller units or you need to invest in a professional style, larger contamination field provider.

It also pays to learn a bit more about the individual products by rating them against each other. To do this, do take time to review the products online by comparing the notes of others that have used them. People love to talk about the good and bad that they find in a product and with the ionic air purifier this is no different. What worked for them, didn't work and the benefits that they saw all play a role in what experience you'll likely face, too.

In the end, you may have more than one product to choose from. The ionic air cleaner will allow you to adjust just what you need in features (pick one with fewer if you won't use them.) You may also want to look into purchasing a higher warranty for your investment. All of these options weigh heavily on the cost, which many find is the reason for going with one product or the other.

The Four Major Types of Air Filters

Hygienic air is essential to human life, and in this modern age, that requires air cleaners. There are a few different methods of air cleaning, like Filtration, Electro-static Precipitation and Ion Generation. Air Filtration cleans air through the removal of sub-micron particulate, gases and odors. If you are plagued by allergies or asthma, an air filter might help you. Air filters are the best tools for eradicating allergens from the house. Particularly for those people who are suffering from asthma and allergies, both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the American Lung Association recommend air filtration. The ability to remove allergens and contaminants depends on the amount of air drawn through the filter. Factors that affect filter efficiency include fiber size, fiber density, airflow rate, and particle diameter. Air filters may be centralized, in-home filtration systems or portable devices. When the air quality problems exist throughout the house, then a centralized filtration system is needed. Otherwise, portable cleaner may serve the purpose of air filtration.There are four major types of air filters, depending on specific needs. They are:Mechanical FiltersThese filters force air through a special screen that traps pollen, dust particulate, smoke and air-borne irritants and pet dander. The best example of this type of filters is HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filter.Gas Phase Filters These air filters are used for removing odors and other types of pollutants such as gases from cooking, paints, perfume etc. These filters are not meant for the removal of allergens in the home.Electronic Filters In these types of filters, allergens are trapped through electrostatic precipitators with a fan. Electronic filters use electric charges to attract contaminants. Hybrid Filters These air filters combine electrostatic and mechanical filters. These are used to trap allergens rather than gas based contaminants.Another type of air filters is the Ozone air filter, but it is not environment-friendly. When purchasing an air filter, one has to consider things like which type of allergens will be removed, the filter’s efficiency with respect to HEPA standards, the clean air delivery rate (CADR) of the filter, the ease of changing the filter, and the noise that it will make. Changing air filters regularly facilitates is ability to improve the quality of air.
About the Author
Air Filters Infoprovides detailed information on home, car, electronic, and HEPA air filters, as well as air conditioner filters and air filter manufacturers. Air Filters Info is the sister site of Air Purifiers Web
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In tighter, more energy-efficient buildings, pollutants are not as readily removed by natural ventilation. Filters or electronic air cleaners trap particulates (tiny particles) from the air flowing through them and recirculate the cleaned air back to the building interior.
In Forced-Air Systems: Cleaners can be installed in central forced-air heating or cooling systems by heating or air conditioning contractors. Standard filters, of disposable fiberglass (commonly used in furnaces) or washable metal mesh cost the least but are the least efficient, trapping only large particles.
Media filters contain a medium, such as cellulose, activated charcoal, etc. which traps smaller particles and which must be replaced at least annually. A medium such as charcoal will remove odors from the air.
Electronic air cleaners are by far the most efficient cleaners of indoor air and the most expensive. They attract and retain pollutants like a powerful magnet. Millions of airborne dust, smoke, and pollen particles are carried through return air ducts to the electronic air cleaner. When they reach the unit, the larger particles are trapped by a screen prefilter. Smaller particles pass through to the ionizing section where they receive an electrical charge. These charged particles continue through the cell to the collecting area where they are attracted to a series of grounded plates. The pollutants are held in this section until washed away during cleaning. Electronic air cleaners are 10 to 20 times more efficient than standard filters.
Portable Air Cleaners: These also operate with a filter, standard or media type, or are electronic air cleaners. Some will clean air in only one room; others are large enough to clean air in two or more rooms.
An electronic cleaner produces negative ions that are attracted to the pollutants. All units with claims saying that they clean the air electronically may not have a negative-ion generator. Units that have a negative-ion generator may produce some ozone.
The units operate in one of two ways. In the first type, negative ions are expelled to room air where the ions attach themselves to pollutants that become negatively charged and are attracted to the nearest positive surface. These deposited pollutants must be removed from surfaces in the room. In the second type, air is drawn through a prefilter in the unit that removes larger particles of pollen and dust and traps some tobacco smoke and odors. The generator in the unit produces negative ions that attach to small particles of dust, smoke and other pollutants as the air passes through the cleaner. The charged particles are then attracted to a positively charged plate before the air is returned to the room. A fan is needed to pull air through the charging area and to return the cleaned air to the room. The prefilter and the plate collector must be cleaned periodically by washing, or be replaced.
Consumers considering the purchase of an air cleaner/freshener should determine type of air cleaning needed to provide the desired air quality. If odor and larger particle removal would result in satisfactory air quality, the filtering system cleaner may be adequate. If fine particles that may cause allergic reactions must be removed an electronic unit may be needed at a higher price.
Air Cleaners--Cleaning: For any air filter to work efficiently, it must be cleaned or replaced from time to time. Dirty filters add up to more money for the consumer because they force the heating/cooling system to circulate the air while pulling it through a clogged and dirty filter.
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