By Anne Fonda
An HVAC air purifier is an air cleaning unit that connects to your home’s HVAC system. These are not small portable cleaners that plug into an outlet. Also known as an air cleaner, these air purification systems vastly improve your indoor air quality.
Americans spend more than 90% of their time indoors – and most of that time is spent at home. Unfortunately, according to the American Lung Association, indoor air can be 2-5 times, even up to 100 times more polluted than outdoor air. So, you can see why you might want a home air purifier.
When considering air quality in the home, the most harmful particles to human health and respiratory systems are the sub-micron size particles, things like mold spores, viruses, bacteria, pet dander, and allergens. These contaminants can be prevalent in homes yet your standard air filter is doing little to filter these out.
That’s where an HVAC air cleaner comes in. The system may consist of a high-efficiency pleated air filter (commonly 4-5” thick), or be a whole home air cleaner with easy-to-clean filters that you never have to replace.
The clean air delivery rate (CADR) of an air filter, air cleaner or HVAC air purification system is the volume of filtered air the system delivers per minute. The higher the CADR, the more clean air the system produces, at a faster rate.
As a rule of thumb, the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) recommends the CADR of an air cleaner should be at least 2/3 of a room’s area. So, for example, a room that is 12 ft x 20 ft has an area of 240 square feet. A good CADR for this room would be ⅔ of 240, which is 160 CFM.
The most common HVAC air filter, the 1” disposable filter that 85% of homeowners use, has a CADR of 10. In contrast, the Trane CleanEffects® Whole Home Air Cleaner has a CADR of 1200. For example, that means the Trane CleanEffects® Whole Home Air Cleaner is filtering all the air in a 12′ x 10′ x 10′ sized room every minute. Using the 2/3 rule, this means that the Trane CleanEffects can provide whole home coverage with a single device for an average residential home.
To find the HVAC air filtration system that’s best for your home, you’ll want to consult with an HVAC company near you.
HVAC air purifiers have one main job: improving indoor air quality (IAQ). Good indoor air quality is important because indoor air pollution can adversely affect your health. This is especially true if you have allergies, asthma, or another respiratory condition. Whether you need an air purifier for allergies or you’re looking for the best air purifier for pets, you may be better off with an HVAC air purifier rather than buying multiple portable units.
There are 3 main benefits to an HVAC air cleaner.
Benefit #1: Whole house air cleaners and air purifiers can filter out respiratory triggers including:
Different systems can filter out different allergens and particulates.
Benefit #2: By filtering out these various allergens, an HVAC air cleaner may help reduce the effects of poor indoor air quality including:
Benefit #3: Because it reduces the amount of dust moving through the system, an HVAC air purifier can extend the life of your HVAC system. You still need to do your part by changing the filter or cleaning the filter on the schedule recommended by the manufacturer.
Trane has two air purification products to help homeowners improve indoor air quality – the QuikBox™ Air Cleaner, and the previously mentioned CleanEffects® Whole Home Air Cleaner. They are 20X and 100X more effective than a standard 1” air filter at removing particles and irritants from the air in your home.
Visit each page and read through the product specifications and product brochures to learn more about the benefits of each, and how they can help you and your family breathe easier.
If you or a family member suffers from allergies or asthma, it’s easy to improve your indoor air quality with an HVAC air purifier/air cleaner from Trane. Contact Trane Comfort Specialist for guidance.
Anne Fonda, Content Writer
A Content Writer with Trane Technologies, Anne Fonda researches topics and writes for Trane® and associated residential HVAC brands. She works in collaboration with Trane Technologies subject matter experts, offering easy-to-understand, informative content on complex topics. Her goal is to help consumers make informed decisions on the products and services they need.
She has written for HVAC and other service provider websites for over 16 years. Before transitioning to web content writing, Anne had a 14-year stint as an award-winning journalist. She graduated cum laude from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism.
When she’s not working, Anne enjoys playing word games, reading, gardening, spending time with family, and visiting gardens and museums.
Expert review by Jennie Bergman, Senior Product Manager, Indoor Air Quality
The Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) is the volume of filtered air an air-filtration system delivers per minute. The higher the CADR, the more clean air the system is producing.
Electronic air cleaners are air purifying devices that use opposing magnetic forces to trap airborne particles like dust, dander, and allergens, to prevent them from contaminating the air in your home.
A micron, or micrometer, is a very small unit of measure equal to one millionth of a meter. Airborne particles such as dust, smoke, dander, or bacteria are often a few microns or less and can only be captured by an indoor air cleaning system.
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