Central air cleaners will allow a person to clean all of the air in their house with one unit. You should only consider this type of air cleaner if you have a central heating, cooling, or both that circulate air throughout the house. The way a central air cleaner works is that it is tied in with the existing central air system in the home. The central air system will circulate the air back into the rooms of the house through the ductwork and out the supply registers and the air will return back to the system through the return ductwork. A central air cleaner is installed by having the return air drawn into the intake of the air cleaner and the cleaned air then is circulated back into the central air main return. It is recommended to intercept the air at the end of the main return just before it goes into the furnace or air conditioner.

The installation consists of two openings in the main return at least 6 feet apart to prevent shortcutting. Ducting is run from the first opening to the intake of the air cleaner and then from the outflow of the air cleaner back to the second opening. The airflow of the air cleaner is only to draw the air from the main system to clean it and not to circulate the air throughout the house. It is for this reason the central air system needs to be running while the air cleaner is running. A central air cleaner is not strong enough by itself to push the air through the HVAC system and out to the rooms of the house and then back into the system. We recommend setting the HVAC system with the fan on, so the air will circulate regardless of the temperature setting.

Keep in mind, a central air cleaner will be able to filter out most of the particulates and remove most of your gases and odors but it will never be as efficient as a free standing air cleaner in a specific room exchanging the air several times an hour. While the central air cleaner will exchange the air in the house 2 to 4 times an hour because of all the registers and duct work in the home 90% and better efficiency is difficult. The big advantage is if you have a 2000 to 4000 square foot home, you will be able to clean the air with one air cleaner as oppose to several units and it will be quiet.

Furnace Filters
An efficient filter in your heating or cooling system can reduce your particulate levels and hence air pollution by up to 50%. As long as your central air system is operating, all of the air will circulate through this filter, so not only will you be protecting your furnace and air conditioner, but the incoming pollution will be reduced. These filters are electrostatic so the flow of air creates a charge where the particulates are drawn toward the filter. The particles are not charged like an ionizer. Some of these filters are not replaceable and require periodic cleaning every 1 to 4 months while some are replaced every 1 to 4 months. Keep in mind, these filters will do nothing to remove gases and odors. They are only for the removal of particulates. In addition, they do not to replace an air cleaner, because even the best filters will only remove particulates down to 1 to 1.5 microns in size. In order to remove smaller particulates you would need a Hepa filter and the resistance of such a filter would restrict the movement of air in the HVAC system and cause problems.

Your Air Purifier Manual
Instruction and information from the manufacturer is extremely helpful. In addition, you want to be sure you can contact the dealer for after sales support after you have purchased the air purifier. They should be able to work with you, as a liaison between you and the manufacturer .A good manual will explain the filters in the air purifier, how to set the unit up if there is any assembly required, offers troubleshooting advice, and gives you maintenance information. A poorly written owner’s manual can be very frustrating if you have any questions or basic troubleshooting situations.

Style and Your Air Purifier
The choice of style of the air purifier is a personal choice. Usually, if the air purifier is going to be set up in a visible room such as the living room or the family room the looks of the unit will be important. Color will also be of importance. This will be less important if the unit is being purchased for a less widely used room such as a basement. For some, style will not be as important as its level of effectiveness, but for others, the styling is almost as important as choosing a sofa for their living room or family room. Some people do not want it to stick out, but blend in with the styling of the room. Keep in mind, the design of the inside of the air purifier is more important. The looks are strictly cosmetic. The exceptions would be the intake and the outflow areas. You do not want the inflow and the outflow areas near each other because you will have shortcutting, which is where some of the air that has just been cleaned may be drawn back into the inflow of the air purifier. Also, you want the air to be sent back into the room in multi directions and in a larger area. It is better for the air to be circulated back into the room in more than one direction. Also, if the air comes out of one small opening, it can be very uncomfortable if a person is sitting close to it. The better designs are where the air is drawn into the air purifier through the bottom in all directions and outflows at the top in all directions from the entire perimeter of the unit.

The Warranty and Reliability of Air Purifiers
This is an area that most consumers concentrate on and is very important. The old saying that you get what you pay for is often true. If you buy a product that is inexpensive with a short warranty, often you will find yourself replacing the unit. You may realize later on you would have been better purchasing a more expensive air purifier but one which was better built, with the longer warranty. The best warranties are those offering five years on the main fan and motor parts. A reliable air purifier should have no problems with the motor, fan, and electrical components and controls. The rest of the air purifier consists of the filters, which need periodically cleaning or replacement. Quality control is important and any information you can glean about the reliability and breakdown rates of air cleaners is recommended.

The Manufacturer’s Reputation
Reputation of the manufacturer is important. Chances are if previous customers are unhappy, and there is published information of a product’s past performance, you are also going to have problems. Of course, it is possible a good manufacturer may go through a bad period on a particular product, which is not reflective of the company in general, or where the manufacturer has taken customer feedback to heart and has acted upon to prevent repetitive problems in the future