Air purifiers don’t contain any mechanisms that remove moisture from the air. They are designed to improve indoor air quality by passing air through filters and/or other purification mechanisms in order to remove harmful particles, gases and microorganisms. There are other appliances called humidifiers and dehumidifiers that are made to help control moisture levels in the home.
Whole house or large room air purifiers continually circulate the air in a room. A fan is used to draw air into the device and push it through the filters, removing impurities. Moving air feels cooler because it speeds up the process of convection, allowing hot air to rise and colder air to take its place. Since hot air is able to hold more moisture than cold, it’s easy to associate cool, moving air with dryness.
If the air in your home feels dry, look beyond your air purifier for the source. Indoor air tends to be a lot drier in winter, due to a combination of cold outdoor air that is less able to retain humidity, poor insulation, and central heating that increases the temperature without adding any moisture. These conditions are more likely to be the culprits of dry air in the home.
Air purifiers
The purpose of an air purifier is to cleanse the air in a room. Indoor air can contain all sorts of contaminants, from pollen that gets tracked in from outdoors to the dust that accumulates naturally in every house. These can be detrimental to our health, particularly for those with allergies, asthma and other respiratory problems. Residential air purifiers are designed to eliminate pollutants and improve the quality of the air we breathe.
There are several different types of air purification systems. HEPA filters are mechanical filtration systems that are effective at trapping particles like pet dander. Activated carbon filters, meanwhile, use a process called adsorption to attract and trap harmful gases and odours like cigarette smoke smell. There are also UVC air purifiers that use light to deactivate and destroy microorganisms such as mold spores and viruses.
Dehumidifiers
A dehumidifier is an appliance used to dry out the air in a home. Ambient air is drawn into the device and blown across cold evaporator coils, which reverts the moisture in the air to liquid form. The moisture collects in a water tank and the dehumidified air is released back into the room.
If you have a dehumidifier in the house, you can simply set it to your preferred humidity level (The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers recommends humidity levels be kept between 30% and 60%). The device will reduce ambient moisture to that level and maintain it. Just remember to empty the water tank regularly!
Humidifiers
A humidifier’s function is opposite to that of a dehumidifier—it increases humidity levels in a home rather than decreasing them. Humidifiers are often used in winter to counteract the dryness caused by the cold weather and central heating.
Different types of humidifiers add moisture to the air in a variety of ways. Some boil water and release the steam into the air. Others blow air through a moistened filter or use an ultrasonic frequency or a diffuser to release tiny water droplets into the air.
As you can see, air purifiers are designed to clean the air, while humidifiers and dehumidifiers are used to regulate moisture levels. An air purifier won’t have any effect on the humidity in your home, but it will improve air quality.
Concerned about the air quality in your home? Consider investing in a UV air purifier from Sanuvox. Our devices are equipped with lamps that emit high-intensity UV rays for maximum disinfection, effectively deteriorating and destroying harmful chemicals, odours and microorganisms of all kinds. Contact us today for a breath of fresh air!