st231

TECH FEATURE

visit jbhifi.com.au/stack

Events of recent years have made us ever more conscious of what we’re letting into our lungs, which has seen the rise of air purifiers as a must-have appliance in the home. If you’re still not convinced, here’s a look at what these devices are, and what they can do for you. CARE FOR YOUR AIR A GUIDE TO AIR PURIFIERS

to shop for the air purifier that’s best for you 5 TOP TIPS

1 Go for a model that runs quietly and is energy efficient. 2 If you’re running an air purifier regularly, it might be worth looking at filters that can be cleaned or washed. Even if you pay a little more to begin with, you won’t need to purchase replacements down the track. 3 If you plan to regularly move the air purifier around the house, consider the unit's weight. Some models also feature a very useful carry handle. 4 If your device has a HEPA filter, ensure that it’s a True HEPA filter. To achieve this status, the filter must have a 99.7 per cent efficiency rate with particles up to 0.3 microns. 5 Ultimately, in the world of air purification you do pay for what you get. Don’t undersell a room size to save on a few bucks.

Words Bec Summer

W ith warmer the doors and windows to air out the house. However, this can let all sorts of irritants in. If you know that feeling of itchy eyes and constant sneezing from hay fever then you’ll be hearing us, but everybody can benefit from air purification in the house. As many of us tend to spend a lot of time indoors, such nasties as dust mites, pet dander, smoke, chemicals, and mould weather here, we get to throw open

the unit. The clean air is then blown back into the room, and the process is repeated. Air purifiers can only trap airborne particles. The filter is key The filter is the most essential part of the air purifier – without one, it just sucks in the same old air and blows it back out. The job of the filter is to catch all of the nasties that we’ll summarise shortly and prevent them from recirculating within the air that we breathe. Much like a vacuum cleaner,

spores can cause potential health hazards that air purifiers may help to eliminate. Then there are just plain annoyances, such as cigarette smoke and cooking smells. You may enjoy those fried onions at dinnertime, but not necessarily their lingering odour for hours afterwards. What is an air purifier? An air purifier is an electronic device that’s used to filter the air in a room. Put simply, once in operation, an air purifier uses a fan to draw the air from the room through either one, or a series of, filters. It’s these filters that trap any pollutants that enter

air conditioner unit, or an oil filter in the car, unless regularly replaced, the filter’s effectiveness will reduce over time as it gets clogged with gunk. Also, the more caked with crud that your filter is, the harder your unit will have to work, meaning it’ll be more power hungry, as well as less efficient. So, it’s important to follow the manufacturer’s advice on how often they need to be changed. Most air purifiers will actually prompt you when it’s time for a new filter. Some air purifier models feature filters that can be washed and reused, which helps both the environment, and your bank balance.

40 JANUARY 2024

jbhifi.com.au