Air Purifier VS Fan: Can I Run Both At The Same Time?
Can I Use An Air Purifier And Fan At The Same Time?
Yes, you can use an air purifier and a fan at the same time with no drawbacks. Both complement each other to provide a healthy and comfortable environment. A fan will help move and distribute clean air released from the air purifier. The increased air circulation will boost filtration efficiency, particularly during the winter when the air is cold and dense. There is no need to run an air purifier for a couple of hours prior to running a ceiling fan and vice versa. The only condition is the air purifier must be well-maintained with clean filters. Otherwise, it will be counterproductive as dust particulates remain lingering in the air.
Air Purifier VS Fan
An air purifier and a fan are not the same even though both move air. Both are different appliances with distinctly separate designs and functionality. Air purifiers remove airborne particulates and circulate clean air back into the room. It will not cool the room because of the slow-moving air. On the other side, a ceiling fan cools the room with its fast-spinning curved blades. It will not clean the air because of the positive air pressure that pushes air out rather than drawing it in. A fan also does not contain filters to trap airborne contaminants.
How Does A Fan Work?
A centrifugal and axial fan makes the air feel cooler through convection and evaporation. Electric current passes through the copper windings; the fan motor turns the impeller connected with curved blades to create air pressure and airflow. The fast-moving air removes the warmer air from direct contact with the skin, increasing the convective heat transfer and cooling us down.
Convection is the movement within a fluid where the hot air becomes less dense and rises; cold air becomes denser and sinks due to gravity. Our body will sweat as part of the self-regulation cooling process. Sweat consists of 90 percent water will start to evaporate from a liquid into vapor. The ceiling fan can hasten the evaporation process of transferring the heat out.
How Does An Air Purifier Work?
Air purifiers are electrical devices with built-in electric fan to draw air into the filtration. Air that contains dirty particulates will be forced and trapped through a series of filters, leaving only clean air back into the room. In typical fashion, you have a washable pre-filter that traps larger particles like dust, hair, lint, and fiber while protecting the inner filter from damage. The denser, glass-threaded HEPA filter trap 99.97% of microscopic particles as small as 0.3 microns, including mold, pollen, pet dander, bacteria, and viruses. Activated carbon filters made out of many porous charcoals absorb smoke and odor substances, including VOCs, radon, cigarette, and chemical fumes. Other filtrations, including UV-C light, use ultraviolet radiation to kill biological pollutants. The negative ion generator diffuses millions of negative ions to adhere to positive ion particulates, causing them to fall from the air. There are also the EPA-disapproved, dangerous ozone generators that we will not pay any attention to.
Which One: Air Purifier Or Fan
Get an air purifier if you have breathing issues or are allergic to airborne particulates like mold, pollen, dust mites, or pet dander. An air purifier will alleviate allergy symptoms like cough, nasal congestion, headache, itchy skin, throat, and eye irritation. An air purifier should also be your utmost priority for those with asthma, babies, children, or the elderly at home. Get a ceiling fan to lower room temperature, particularly for those that live in a hot climate area all-year old. There is no harm in getting both, as they serve different purposes. Alternatively, you can get an oscillating fan air purifier like Dyson to cool and clean air simultaneously. A space-saving, expensive product that has the best of both worlds. Click here to find out the best air purifier with a fan combo.
Will Ceiling Fans Help Air Purifiers?
A ceiling fan will not help an air purifier improve air quality, even if it is angled and pointed towards the air purifier. In fact, you risk overstressing the air purifier by sending an overwhelming amount of air particulates towards it. The strong air circulation may increase the air cleaner's workload, thereby shortening the filter's lifespan, reducing the air cleaning performance, or even causing a breakdown.
Do Air Purifiers Work As Fans?
Most air purifiers do not have built-in cooling fans, so the generated slight breeze will not make any difference in cooling a room, particularly during a heatwave.
