Air Purifier VS Air Conditioner: They Are Not The Same!
Air Purifier VS Air Conditioner
The functionality is the key difference between an air purifier and an air conditioner. Air purifiers clean indoor air by removing airborne particles and allergens. It is possible through various technologies like mechanical air filters, ionization, ultraviolet light, or electromagnetic fields. It does not cool the air. Air conditioners are the air-cooling appliance that manages an indoor space’s temperature, humidity, and ventilation. Not only will AC not capture airborne pollutants, but it may assist in spreading them.
If you still can’t separate the two, below are a side-by-side comparison table between air purifiers and air conditioners.
| Benefits | Air Purifiers | Air Conditioners |
|---|---|---|
| Cleans the air | YES | NO |
| Reduce room temperature | NO | YES |
| Reduce humidity level | NO | YES |
Can I Use An Air Purifier Along With An Air Conditioner?
You can run an air conditioner and air purifier simultaneously without any issues. They both complement each other in providing a healthy and comfortable environment.
In fact, we recommend getting a plug-and-play air purifier for a home, office, nursery home, and school. It is the cheapest and fastest way of getting clean air than replacing your existing air conditioner. You will reap all the health benefits of clean air and chill during the summer.
Which One To Get?
Two different devices with different technology and benefits to the users. Clean air is vital to our health, yet indoor air is 5 times more polluted than outdoors. Best suited for pet owners, smokers, and hypersensitive people, get a HEPA air purifier if you have respiratory issues like asthma, COPD, or lung infection. It will safely remove allergens and relief you from nasal congestion, cough, headache, red eyes, itchiness, or throat irritation. Get an air conditioner to help manage your home’s indoor temperature and dampness. Air conditioners focus on cooling comfort, and air purifiers focus on improving indoor air quality. Run them together for the best of both worlds.
About Air Purifiers
If you don't own an air purifier, get one as it will improve your overall wellness. Whether it is a console, tower, whole-house, or portable, in general, there are a few types of air purifiers in the market:
- Mechanical air purifiers - Draws air into its multi-filtration to trap airborne particles and release clean air in a single room. Depending on the filtration, a HEPA filter captures dust, dust mite, pet dander, bacteria, viruses, mold spores, mildew, and pollen. An activated carbon filter absorbs smoke and odors from cooking, cigarette fumes, VOCs, formaldehyde, and radon. The higher quality of the mechanical filters, the more effective it is in getting rid of airborne pollutants.
- Electronic air cleaners - Diffuse millions of electric negatively charged ions that cling to positive airborne contaminants. The heavier contaminants will fall from the air circulation and adhere to surface areas. Standard models include air ionizers, electrostatic precipitators, and unsafe ozone generators.
- UVGI/ UV air cleaner - Irradiates short wavelength rays to eradicate mold, bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms. The affected pathogens' DNA cells will be permanently damaged with no chance of growth.
- HVAC system/ Whole-house air purifiers - An air cleaning system exists in the AC or HVAC to assist in trapping airborne particles. The more advanced the technology or MERV air filters, the more effective it is in filtering the air.
Besides lacking the ability to affect room temperature, air purifiers cannot remove contaminants that are non-airborne. There are also pros and cons to each type. For example, portable air purifiers are cheaper and take up less space but can only cover small areas and need filter changes. Electronic air cleaners require frequent maintenance that involves disassembling and cleaning the metal plate. Whole-house air purifiers are powerful but expensive and hard to maintain.
About Air Conditioners
The air conditioner draws the room's hot air and exhausts it outside while it pumps cold air back into the room. The cooling cycle helps regulate the existing air in the room. In general, there are three types of air coolers in the market. Whole-house central AC systems, portable and window-mounted. Portable and window AC have front grilles with a filter that draws warm air out from a room while cooling the air. Best used in a small room with limited space. A central AC system filter is installed in the ceiling to cool the house. It is powerful but comes at a premium cost. Most air conditioners come with basic filters that don't purify the air to the fullest extent. You will still need an air purifier to remove harmful microscopic particles.
