Air Purification

The best whole house air purifier

Choosing the best whole house air purifier system for your home depends on your willingness and ability to perform the necessary maintenance, as well as the specific pollutants you want to remove from the air. It is almost impossible to objectively rate the effectiveness of whole house air purifiers because there are so many variables that affect the efficiency and efficacy of the purifier, such as your home’s duct layout and size, the number and locations of air return grates, the HVAC equipment already installed and the conditions (such as very dusty, lots of pets or problems with mold) that the purifier might need to deal with.

For any kind of particulate pollutants, including pet dander, pollen, mold spores and particles from tobacco smoke, a whole house air purifier with a HEPA filter will work best. If you particularly have problems with mold, you will need to change the filter media more frequently to make sure that mold does not grow on the filter itself.

For basic dust and other particulate pollutants, a simple furnace filter replaced regularly will do the job.

If VOCs from tobacco smoke or wood fires, out-gassing materials, paints or other sources are a problem—or if you mainly want to get rid of odors—then a unit that includes a carbon filter stage will be the best one for you.

Whichever whole house air purifier you choose, it is important to set a regular maintenance schedule and to clean and replace the filters and other components to ensure that you are maintaining the healthiest air quality possible in your home.