According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the levels of indoor air pollution can be significantly higher than outdoor pollution levels. Installing an air purifier can help you remove harmful contaminants from the air in your home. Air purifiers are classified into whole-house and room purifiers. So which type should you buy? Let's compare them to help you choose the right one for your needs.
Coverage Area
A whole-home air purifier clears the air in your entire home. It filters out pollutants in your home's air, helping you avoid allergy, respiratory irritants, and asthma.
On the other hand, a room air purifier clears the air in a room or two, rather than the whole house. It also filters out indoor contaminants.
Installation
Room air purifiers are usually freestanding units that are easy to set up. Mostly, all you have to do is plug them into a power outlet, and they're good to go. They're exceptionally portable, meaning you can use them whenever you need them the most — such as the allergy season — and then put them away. You can also carry them from one room to another.
A whole-home air purifier isn't a plug-and-play unit. It's built into your heating and cooling system; hence, installation is best left to an HVAC professional.
Pollutants Removed
Whole house purifiers are designed to remove the larger pollutants from your home's air. Good room purifiers remove even the smallest particles because they use highly effective HEPA filters. These filters are not utilized in whole-home systems because they need fans that are more powerful than what HVAC systems can provide. Also, if used to sanitize the whole house, the filters would require costly frequent replacement.
It's more cost-effective to buy a whole-house system than multiple room purifiers. Nevertheless, room purifiers are a great investment if you live in a small space, lack central air conditioning or heating, or need supplemental fresh air due to high allergy aggravators.
If you need more help with choosing between these two air purifiers, contact Air Assurance. We're proud to help homeowners in the Broken Arrow area breathe easier indoors.