Spring is a most welcome season after cold, harsh Pennsylvania winters, but for allergy sufferers, it can be the time of year to stock up on allergy medicine and tissues. While there are both in- and outdoor allergies, allergens from the outside can fairly easily make their way into your cooling system, making your indoors a difficult space for those in your home who have allergies. But there is a way to combat allergens and even improve your AC’s performance: install an air filter or air cleaner in your Blue Bell, PA, home. Our indoor air quality specialists can help determine which type of system will work best for your home and install it seamlessly with your existing air conditioning system. Just give us a call today and schedule an appointment.
Air Filters vs. Air Cleaners – What’s The Difference?
When first reviewing available IAQ products for your home, you may see two different terms: air filter (also known as a mechanical air filter) and air cleaner. It can be confusing to understand the differences between the two, but the main difference is that air cleaners use electricity to clean your home’s air. First, let’s review air filters.
Air Filters
Air filters are square-shaped frames that have filter media stretched across the entire space of the frame. The filter material traps contaminants, including allergens, in the media. Mechanical air filters should be changed every three months to ensure their continued efficiency.
Air Cleaners
There are two types of air cleaners, and they both use electrostatic methods to clean your air. The first type is an electronic precipitator and the second type is an ion generator. Both types charge the contaminants in the air in order to capture them, but each does so a little differently. Electronic precipitators draw particles into a chamber, negatively charge them, then collect the particles on metal plates. An ion generator disperses negative ions into the air, where they attach to particles in the air and then land on the various surfaces in your home.
Don’t let outdoor allergies make your indoors a hard place to be this spring and summer. Let an indoor air quality expert from Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling help you choose and install an air filter or air cleaner that can help make your indoors a comfortable place for all to be.