IQAir Air Purifiers Overview

In the beginning IQAir Air Purifiers did not have its current name. This entire company started out with a vision, some knowledge, and a deep desire to create something that the consumer is in dire need of, clean air inside their homes and businesses. This dream to create clean breathable indoor air didn't just arise out of thin air. Manfred Hammed, one of the creators of all of the air purifiers, suffered from chronic asthma all through his childhood. As a result of that, in 1963, along with his brother Klaus, Manfred introduced their first simple air purifiers to the residential side of Germany.

Their very first air purifying filter system was made up of a filtering pad that were attached to small magnets that held it to the air outlets of the resident's coal ovens in order to filter out the dust in the heated air. This was the very first air purifying system to find its way into many residential homes.

In 1994 they made a decision to develop a completely different type of air purifier than what the Mercedes-Benz Corporation was developing. After much research of what was already on the market, Frank Hammes was put in charge of the project in which he hired a very select team of German engineers and air filtration specialist. After four long intensive years of research and development, they soon built the world's most advanced line of air purifiers for homes and businesses.

Europe in 1998 was the first place that the IQAir air purifiers were introduced and they soon gained an outstanding reputation for having Swiss precision and world class performance. Later on that year in September one of the IQ Purifiers was named "Best Air Cleaner" by Europe's top product testing organization, Stiftung Warentest. In 2000 the Purifiers were introduced in North America and have quickly become one of the best selling room air purifiers.

IQAir, in 2002 became the first and only air purifiers to incorporate H 12/13 class, proficient HEPA filters that are in most cases used in the multi-million dollar clean rooms. These HEPA filters have passed the European Norm EN 1822 rigorous HEPA filter test. The EN 1822 test are the foundation for IQAir purifiers to detain up to 100 times more particles than the regular conventional HEPA filters. Most other air purifiers are only rated for particles at 0.3 microns. The IQAir purifiers have been proven to remove particles at 0.01 microns with being near to 99% effectiveness.

In February 2003, there was a frantic scare of quickly unfolding atypical pneumonia and it was soon labeled as a harsh severe respiratory disease or better known as SARS, which is an extremely transmittable condition caused by a new-fangled corona virus for which there is no precise antiviral cure. The hospitals in Hong Kong Hospital Authority (HKHA) initiated painstaking testing to evaluate the performance of air purifiers in hospitals. Their test soon disappointed them; showing that most air purifying systems did not remove airborne particulates anywhere close to 99% effectiveness. After weeks of testing the systems and a few trial and error runs, the HKHA chose IQAir systems as the best choice for air purifiers for hospital rooms with SARS patients.

IQAir North America registered IQAir air purifiers in 2004 with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a Class II medical device. IQAir also became partners with the American Lung Association in 2004 as an educational partner for indoor air quality. You can find IQAir products being sold all across the United States through IQAir authorized dealers.

Air Purifiers - Technology and General Information

With all of the technological advances that have been made over the recent years, it's to no surprise that air purifiers are in the mix as well. The Air Purifiers are Swiss engineered and were designed to address the wide range of issues that the publics have had concerning their health with indoor air quality. The HealthPro model cleans a room up to 1100 square feet absorbing all airborne allergens, mold spores, all types of dust, soot, bacteria, and viruses.

These Air Purifiers are one of the first that meet the EN1822 (European Norm) test at its least particle size. This is required by all hospitals to have air purifiers that pass the EN1822 test.

The IQ Air Purifiers have been placed in dental offices around the world where dentists are exposed to air pollutants on a daily basis. Things such as disinfectants, mercury, and microorganisms can cause a great deal of air pollutants in a dental office that is unseen by the naked eye. Disinfectants contain chemicals that are usually unpleasant to the nose and sometimes can cause an irritation to the eyes or throat for certain staff.

Microorganisms are sent airborne by the high speed of the drills along with ultrasonic devices that are used within the dental offices. This type of equipment generates fine droplets that are weightless enough to remain in the air for hours at a time. These mini droplets contain viruses and bacteria which can be inhaled and are a prospective basis of infection.

Mercury is also a major concern in dental offices. Studies show that the staff in a dentists office have much higher levels of inorganic mercury, known as Hg, in their urine and blood that those who do not work in the same environment. Vapors of mercury are released by the removal and placement of amalgam fillings.

When these types of potential hazards are floating around in the air in public places such as a dentist office, precautions should be taken. One way of handling that type of situation is to bring in a devices such as IQAir air purifiers. These devices capture gases such as mercury vapors and organic compounds. It also cleans and captures microorganisms, dust, droplets, and keeps the bacteria that can be inhaled out of the air so that it is safer for you to breathe.

In hospitals, it is very important to keep down the airborne viruses and bacteria that may infect other that are in the same area. The IQAir air purifying system does just that. This is a vital device that is much needed and widely used in hospitals around the world. When the outbreak of SARS was upon us, the IQAir HealthPro systems were in many different hospitals around the world.

Just about every hospital has air quality requirement that they must follow and they vary their requirements from department to department, depending on what type of filtration they will need. This is all based on the types of patients, visitors, and staff that they are permitting in the proposed areas. Hospitals have a lot to control when it comes to airborne microorganisms. There are bacteria, viruses, and fugal spores that can travel through the air, being inhaled by unsuspecting staff, visitors, and patients that could cause a potentially fatal illness, depending on what type of bacteria or virus that it is. There are many different diseases that are caused by microorganisms that have been inhaled. It is the hospitals responsibility to control any and all airborne microorganisms before they can infect others.

The recommended air purifiers for hospitals use HEPA filters that must have a minimum removal efficiency of 99.97% or particles that equal 0.3 µm in diameter.

Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS)

Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) is one of the world's most harmful air pollutants. It is made up of over 4,000 different chemicals that consist of solids, liquids, and gaseous contaminants. The IQAir Multigas GC air purifier is considered the most effective at cleaning the air of tobacco smoke for small to medium sized rooms.

IQAir Multigas GC is a great unit to have in bars, night clubs, and restaurants where there may be a lot of smokers.

EST is essentially made up of millions of tiny airborne particles in which we see visually as smoke. Almost all of the particles are smaller than many airborne bacteria and this is where the IQAir Multigas GC air purifier comes into play. It contains filters that can grab these tiny particles and keep them from venturing back out into the air that you breathe in.

When dealing with low emmitance of ETS, the IQAir HealthPro Plus would make a great choice for your home or office. It provides a smaller wide spectrum gas phase filter and weighs only five pounds compared to the IQAir Multigas GC which weighs twelve pounds. The IQAir Multigas GC broad spectrum gas phase control.

ETS not only contains harmful particles, but also harmful gaseous components such as carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen oxides. It also contains a extremely large quantity of volatile and partially volatile compounds such as benzene, ethane, propene, toluene, formaldehyde acetaldehyde, acrolein and acetone. Studies have shown that the gaseous compounds of ETS are what create the smell and irritation that is called by ETS.

Not just any air purifier will work to deal with ETS. The purifier must be able to detain both particles which are seen visually as grey smoke and the gaseous components which cause the odor and irritation from ETS.

Below is a list of a few helpful tips when it comes to what to look for in an air purifier.

• The air purifiers must have a high effectiveness for small particles with a diameter of .01 microns.
• The air purifiers must have a very large capacity for holding tiny particles.
• The air purifiers must have a wide or expansive spectrum gas phase filter.
• The air purifiers must have a large gas filter.
• The air purifiers must contain a high efficiency pre filter which helps to boost the life and success of the gas filter.
• The air purifiers must have a high air delivery. The air in a room with ETS is supposed to be cleaned quite a few times an hour to have clean air.

Having clean air is important to everyone whether you are in a business establishment or in your own home.

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) Air Purifiers

When it comes to chemicals sensitivity, one of the most efficient air purifiers is the IQAir GC air purifiers and the IQAir GCX series. Each of the two series of products meets the Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) requirements.

You may be wondering what MCS is. Basically it is multiple symptoms that involve the neurological, immune, respiratory, skin, and musculoskeletal systems that are affected by being exposed to multiple chemicals. In most cases, MCS starts out with just an acute or possibly a chronic chemical exposure that is toxic to the body. Once this takes place the initial sensitivity broadens and may include many other toxic chemicals such as perfumes, fuel, household cleaners, carpets, and additives to food, building material, pesticides, and any other type of scented products. These are just some of the products that can cause MCS. Other items which are sometimes in non-industrial work places are toxic chemicals that are used in art, printing, and photography, second hand tobacco smoke, paint, gas stoves, books, new clothing, and vehicle exhaust. The list goes on and on depending on how your body reacts to particular chemicals.

Many of the symptoms that are commonly seen are difficulty breathing, memory loss, migraines, nausea, chronic fatigue, aching joints or muscles, irritated and burning eyes, nose, ears, and/or throat, irritated skin, trouble sleeping or concentrating on the task at hand and an impaired balance. In some cases you could have an increased sensitivity to light, sound, and touch. MCS is most commonly found in women and can start at any age, usually beginning late in puberty to middle aged.

There is treatment for MCS. The first thing you should do is to avoid the chemicals in which caused MCS in the first place. Studies show that those who can steer clear of the chemicals that irritate their bodies for over a year can show a dramatic improvement of symptoms and their health.

How does the air purifier come into all of this? With chemicals being present in the air in gaseous form as well as particle form, there are only particular air purifiers that can clean the air effectively. Air purifiers with both particulate filtration and significant gas phase filters are able to make complete this task in reducing the background levels of the chemicals in the air.

There aren't many cleaners on the market today that are suitable for anyone suffering from MCS, mainly due to the gas phase filter is just too small. There are certain air purifying systems that should be avoided by MCS suffers. The ones that contain carbon pads or low carbon filters, ones with coconut based carbon and granular activated carbon because these types of filters tend to set off allergies in some people.

However air purifiers with granular activated carbon do have better gaseous chemical removal effectiveness. Unfortunately carbon by itself doesn't completely remove all gaseous chemicals. When it comes to removing volatile organic compounds or (VOC's), activated carbon seems to do the job. It doesn't work well with partially volatile natural compounds though. Air purifiers that offer a combination of chemically active alumina and granular activated carbon; this helps in the widest range that it can eradicate chemicals from the air.

The air purifier itself can sometimes be a possible source of chemical contaminant which could cause a serious problem for anyone who is suffering from MCS. Many air purifiers on the market contain gaskets, glues, softeners, and sealants which can release the chemical contaminants out into the air in which they breathe. The fan motors in which help the air purifier its job have also been know to release chemical contaminants and odors into the air which can cause irritation to anyone who suffers from MCS.

The most suitable IQAir air purifiers for MCS suffers are the IQAir GC series. These air purifers were specifically designed to remove the gaseous chemicals and smells from the air. All of the IQAir GC series air purifiers do not contain gaskets or sealants that can leak chemicals. The fan motor is varnish free and is placed in front of the gas phase filter and the particle post filter. The high efficiency pre filter is protected by the gas phase filter to protect it against any premature particle contamination.

Areas that use chemicals or are at risk of being exposed to chemical concentrations, you should have more than a few of the IQAir GC air purifiers to purify the air. These air purifiers have a large gas phase filter that allows it to be able to handle even the highest amount of chemical concentrations.

IQAir Air Purifiers Help With Asthma and Allergies

There are millions of people who are very sensitive to airborne allergens such as dog or cat dander, pollen, mold spores, dust mite excrements which are found in the home, and many other things that can irritate an individual. IQAir has their own personal health series called IQAir HealthPro series. The HealthPro series have advanced performance and specific features that makes them the first choice to anyone who is looking for something that can take control of an allergen situation.

As we all know that allergens tend to trigger reactions in the bodies in numerous ways of those who are more sensitive to them than those who are not. They can be triggered by direct contact with the skin, by being inhaled, or by ingesting it. If you are allegoric to a particular food, it is easy to avoid it and not have an allergic reaction to it. It is not so easy for those who are allergic to things in the air. That's where the IQAir HealthPro series of air purifiers comes into play. We spend more than 90% of our life living indoors and this is where it makes it very hard to control indoor allergens.

IQAir Air purifiers are designed to make a major difference in reducing a person's exposure to indoor airborne allergens. Unfortunately not all air purifiers can efficiently clean the air. If you suffer from allergies you should look for air purifiers that can offer an overall high efficiency air purifier and not just look at the filters that are designed for the machine. You should be sure that there are no releases of particles from the activated carbon filters or from the fans inside the unit. Low noise level is always a plus when it comes to air purifiers. Many are very loud and make it an uncomfortable environment while they are running. Be sure that there is no water that is used in the air purifier. It promotes mold to grow within the unit, in turn putting mold spores out into the air.

The IQAir air purifiers are specifically designed for allergy control. IQAir air purifiers were tested up against ten other air purifiers on the market and the IQAir HealthPro Plus was discovered as the one to remove the most airborne allergen particles the fastest and most efficiently. This was the only air purifier that got the award of very good in removing particles and basically a good rating overall. Hyper HEPA filtration and the patented 3D sealing technology are what make IQAir be able to filter out more of the allergens than the basic filtration systems.

When it comes to what helps the IQAir HealthPro series to be able to top other systems, it is the HealthPro Plus' V5 Cell filter that helps to contain the contaminants and the odors in the air. This specific unit is highly recommended for anyone who suffers from asthma, because their asthma attack is usually set off by gaseous irritants in the air and their respiratory reacts when exposed to such allergens.

The IQAir HealthPro system series is configured to clean the air using recirculation. There are accessories that are recommended for those who suffer from pollen and any other outdoor allergens; they should use the InFlow W125 accessory to help convert the system from just taking indoor air and recirculation it into bringing in outdoor air and purifying it before it is released into the room. By doing this, it removes the chance of having to ventilate your home or office by opening up a window. The HealthPro system can ventilate it for you.

The IQAir Air Purifiers

The IQAir Company offers a large selection of different types of air purifiers to the public as well as to hospitals, doctor offices, and dentist's offices around the world. The products that follow range from your basic air purifying needs to your very powerful purifications needs. Each one is different in its on way.

Cleanroom H13 Air Purifiers

The Cleanroom H13 is part of the IQAir Cleanroom Series. It is for use in hospitals and is specially designed for such things as infection control. These air purifiers can be found in the TB isolation rooms where it is crucial to have a dependable particle control unit. The IQAir Cleanroom H13 is also used to clean research areas in labs, pharmaceutical laboratories, and production areas.

Each IQAir Cleanroom H13 comes with two filters, a pre filter and a HEPA filter. The pre filter 32 square feet is a mini pleat find dust filter. The HEPA filter is efficient at 99.7% at 0.3 microns and filters abut 44 square foot. The HEPA filter has a life up to two years depending on its environment and the pre filter has a life of six to 18 months, this also depending on its environment. These air purifiers include a six foot long detachable power cord, an IQAir owner's manual, and a certificate that guarantees its performance. This IQAir unit offers a much higher air flow rate unlike the other air purifiers because it has no gas filtration involved which would reduce the air flow into the room.

IQAir Cleanroom H13 air purifiers have five different fan speeds. The air delivery varies depending on the fan speed which as follows: Speed one is 45 cfm, speed two is 70 cfm, speed three is 90 cfm, speed four is 155 cfm, and speed five is 270 cfm. This unit covers about 1200 square feet on its maximum fan speed setting. The efficiency of the system is 99% at 0.3 microns and for particles that are much smaller it is 99.7%.

The maximum energy consumption on this unit is 195 watts, and the stand by consumption is 2.5 watts. The power requirements are as follows; 115 VAC 50-60 Hz. The IQAir Cleanroom H13 weighs in at 33 pounds. It includes a one year warranty on the unit and the fan motor. This doesn't include the filters.

The fan type is a centrifugal fan that is a single outlet with a backward curve. The steel ball bearings are maintenance free within the unit. The electronic control panel is made of a polyester overlay and the main display is liquid crystal. The control panel displays the timer, the filter life, and the fan speed, displaying it in English, Spanish, German, French or Italian.

CleanZone Series Air Purifiers

The IQAir Clean Zone series offers four different air purifiers in their series. The IQAir CleanZone HVAC 2000, the CleanZone HVAC 3000, and the CleanZone HVAC 5000 are all included in this series. Each of these IQAir air purifiers claims to be fully compatible with most all HVAC systems. Each system is designed to work with many already existing as well as new forced air systems. These air purifiers are for residential as well as commercial. They are designed to filter out 100% of the air that passes through their filters. Each unit has a filter efficiency of 99.5% at 0.3 microns.

These air purifiers offer one of the highest rates of filtration for smoke, soot, pollen, mold spores, viruses, dust, aerosols, and other contaminates that aren't good to be breathing in. The features differ slightly for each unit and they are as follows.

The IQAir CleanZone 2000 offers the same filtration as the other air purifiers in this series. It offers 100% filtration and in a 2 ton HVAC system the system provides 1,000 cfm. It has stainless steel housing with the depth being 27 inches, the width at 20 inches, and the height at 38 inches. This unit weighs in at 110 pounds. It includes a CR H13 HEPA filter that has a life expectancy of about 5 years.

The IQAir CleanZone 3000 has 100% filtration and in a 3 ton HVAC system it provides 1,350 cfm. The dimensions of this unit are width is 37 inches, height is 38 inches, depth is 27 inches and it weighs 130 pounds. This unit also includes the CR H13 HEPA filter.

The IQAir CleanZone HVAC 5000 has the same 100% filtration as the previous air purifiers and up to 5 ton HAVC the system provides 2,000 cfm. It contains the same stainless steel housing as the other air purifiers. The dimensions are as follows, height is 38 inches, width is 40 inches, and the depth is 27 inches. This unit uses two CR H13 HEPA filters. Each one has a life span of about 5 years.

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To view detailed technical and pricing information about one of the IQAir Air Purifier please click on the pictures below.

IQAir HealthPro Compact Air Purifiers

IQAir HealthPro Air Purifiers

IQAir HealthPro Plus Air Purifiers

IQAir GC MultiGas Air Purifiers

 
IQAir GC VOC Air Purifiers

IQAir GC AM Air Purifiers

IQAir GC Chemisorber Air Purifiers