FAQ for air purifiers
Are room air purifiers effective?
Especially in winter time, we all spend more time indoors. Which means it’s essential to keep your air virus-free and help combat COVID-19 in your office, gym, restaurant or school. But how can you be sure your air purifier will improve air quality and protect your colleagues and customers?
Don’t just take our word for it. The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology recently conducted a study on air purifier effectiveness, in both controlled surroundings and a real-life classroom situation. The studies confirmed that the OurAir SQ 500, OurAir TK 850 and OurAir SQ 2500 room air purifiers significantly reduce the number of particles in the room and contribute to reducing the risk of infection.
Whatever your space, a room HEPA* filter will deliver cleaner air.
*according to ISO 29463 and EN 1822
Are air purifiers still useful after the corona pandemic?
Yes, they are! In addition to virus-laden aerosols, our air purifiers also capture bacteria, free allergens and other microorganisms, which sometimes cause the most frequent reasons for absence from the office: flu, colds and allergy complaints.
Dr. Jürgen Herbers, a family doctor in Pleidelsheim, is of the same opinion: "Unfortunately, so many other pathogens remain in the post-corona period that we see an urgent need for efficient air filtration even later".
Thus, our room air purifiers with corona filter can, for example, also contribute to lower disease rates in the future.
Do room air purifiers still make sense even though a vaccine is available?
Yes, room air purifiers are also useful after a vaccine has been provided and is available.
According to experts, corona infections are expected to continue through 2022 and this is why corona filtration is so important.
But mobile, stationary or portable air purifiers are not a solution for the moment, they will also ensure a healthy indoor air quality even after the corona pandemic and thus be able to significantly reduce infection/cold-related absence rates from school or office. For example, room air filters also filter free allergens from the air and prevent allergy-related symptoms during the pollen season. The purchase of air purifiers with corona filters makes sense for any institution that wants to help contain the pandemic and at the same time respect the health protection of its employees. This applies in particular to schools and daycare centers, but also to public authorities and other places where on-site work and (reduced) public traffic is absolutely necessary (citizens’ offices, police authorities, schools, job centers, clinics and hospitals, nursing homes and many more). Even under "normal conditions", room air filters are useful because they help to filter pollutants and pathogens from the air and thus improve indoor air quality.
What are HEPA* filters?
HEPA* (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filters are particulate matter filters that remove more than 99% of the smallest particles such as dust, mite eggs, pollen, smoke, bacteria and aerosols from the air. The extremely fine filter medium effectively separates the smallest particulate impurities from the air flow and ensures very clean air. Even the smallest suspended particles (< 0.1 µm) are reliably separated and ensure refreshed, clean air. Because of their efficiency in eradicating even tiny harmful micro-organisms HEPA* filters are used in room air purifiers in the medical sector, for example in operating theaters and laboratories.
HEPA* filters with virus protection are divided into filter classes H10 to H14 according to the European standard EN 1822. If a filter is categorized as performing at 99.95%, it belongs to filter class H13, and for 99.995% it belongs to filter class H14. When used in conjunction with an activated carbonprefilter in an air purifier, they are particularly effective against airborne aerosol droplets.
If you want protection from airborne viruses and to reduce the risk to your business, a room air cleaner is a simple, safe and scientifically proven solution. At MANN+HUMMEL we’ve got clean air covered.
* according to ISO 29463 and EN 1822
What is a room air purifier?
Depending on how they clean the air, experts distinguish between
Air purifiers with a filtration system of air filters
Air washers that remove dirt particles in the air with water
Ionizers that work with the help of ions
Air purifier Function: Classic air purifiers filter, for example, house dust, odors and other pollutants from the air. How clean the air is afterwards depends on the performance of the device and the built-in filter. In particular, allergy sufferers and asthmatics usually benefit from room air purification. In times of the corona pandemic, however, everyone can benefit from it.Air washers clean the air with water and humidify it at the same time.
Ionizers bind pollutants with ions. However, this creates ozone, which can irritate the mucous membranes.
There are also combination devices from all three device types. This means that filter systems can also be integrated in air washers and components of an ionizer in air purifiers.
Air purifiers and air washers - how do they differ?
Both the room air cleaner and the air washer suck in the used air and direct it into the device. Various filters such as pre-filters, activated carbon filters, HEPA* filters and UV filters can be arranged in the air purifier against viruses. They clean the air of pollutants particularly effectively.
With the air washer, the sucked-in air enters a water tank with a disc roller that rotates. The air slides along the roller and dirt particles are bound by the water film. The clean air escapes from the device.
Air purifier or air washer - which is better?
Compared to air purifiers, air washers have the effect that they also humidify the air when cleaning, which ensures a better indoor climate. However, high-quality air purifiers remove significantly more pollutants through various filters and work significantly faster than air washers. Fine dust, soot in particular, but also bacteria and viruses can only be eliminated by a highly efficient air purifier with HEPA* filters.
* according to ISO 29463 and EN 1822
How do room air purifiers work?
What does a room air purifier do? We know that COVID-19 can be spread through airborne aerosols and that indoor air is likely to contain higher volumes of infected aerosols. These tiny droplets are emitted into the environment through breathing and speaking, before spreading throughout a room. By reducing the concentration of viruses in the air where effective ventilation isn’t possible, corona filters like anti-viral whole room air purifiers play a vital role in improving indoor air quality.
So, if you’re wondering how a room air purifier works, our room air filtrations system consists of either an all-in-one air purifier, or an upgrade of your HVAC system with HEPA* filters.
Once you’ve fitted the replacement filter to your HVAC system (HEPA* H13 is sufficient and will deliver 99.95% virus free air) or simply plugged in an corona filtration system like OurAir SQ 500, OurAir TK 850 or OurAir SQ 2500, then 99.995% of viruses, bacteria and other microorganisms will be extracted from the air.
*according to ISO 29463 and EN 1822
The most important criteria when buying a room air purifier - Answers from Prof. Dittler, KIT
When asked what a buyer of an air purifier should pay particular attention to, Prof. Achim Dittler of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology names five criteria:
- A highly efficient filter medium must be installed in the air purifier, ideally an H13 or H14 filter, in accordance with ISO 29463 and EN 1822.
- The air volume that the air purifier can purify per hour must be adapted to the room size. The room air should be cleaned by the air filter at least five or six times per hour.
- Sound volume: the device should be quiet, not obtrusive in operation.
- The device should have low power consumption.
- No generation of secondary contaminants: The device should not be a source of other gaseous substances, e.g. ozone should not be generated
What should the air quality be?
The World Health Organization (WHO) states levels of different sizes of particulate matter (PM) that enter the respiratory tract in the air should be no higher than 10߂g/m³ for PM2.5 and at or below 20߂g/m³ for PM10.
According to the Air Quality Index, PM2.5 levels of between 0-50 pose little or no risk to health; 51-100 might be a risk for small numbers of people with sensitivities; 101-150 is unhealthy air quality for sensitive groups; and anything over 150 is unhealthy, leading up to hazardous. The indoor air filter in a good quality HEPA* room air purifier will keep your building’s air quality at a safe level.
If you want protection from airborne viruses and to reduce the risk to your business, a room air cleaner is a simple, safe and scientifically proven solutions. At MANN+HUMMEL we’ve got clean air covered.
* according to ISO 29463 and EN 1822