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Frequently Asked Questions Concerning
Dynamic Filters
Does the dynamic Air Cleaner produce Ozone?
No. Dynamics are a non-ionizing air cleaner that does not create
or produce any ozone.
How do Dynamic Air Cleaners work?
Rather than ionizing or passively collecting particles, Dynamics
work by assigning polarity to both the particles in the air and the
fibers of the media pad. This gives each a negative pole and a
positive pole, essentially turning them into magnets. The particles
are then attracted to other particles (making them easier to catch)
and to the media fibers. Just as paper clips on a magnet attract other
paper clips, the dirt captured becomes a part of the collecting
surface, giving the air cleaner increasing efficiency as it loads.
Is the Dynamic Air Cleaner Panel hard to
install?
No. In most homes, the Dynamic will install in an existing 1"
filter slot. In rare instances, a filter track may need to be
installed. Dynamics require a 24 volt power input. This can be taken
either off the 24 volt system on your furnace, thermostat, or from a
plug-in transformer supplied by Aire Care Technologies. For commercial type air
handlers, the 1" or 2" panels and tandem panels will retrofit to
existing equipment orthey can be custom designed as needed.
What is involved in the maintenance of the
Dynamic and how often must it be done?
This will vary a little from house to house or business to
business. Generally, we recommend that the media be changed 3 times a
year. Conditions such as excessive dust, humidity and tobacco smoke
can shorten this time. The media pad is disposable and changing it
takes only a couple of minutes. When changing the media, you should
also check for face-loaded dust on the Panel's outer screens. If this
has built up, it can be brushed or vacuumed off to keep in clean.
Can I use any media?
No. A Dynamic will not work with standard filter medias. While our
pad may look like a plain piece of media, if you look closely you will
see that there is an activated carbon center screen bonded into it.
This patented configuration not only adsorbs odors, but also conducts
the electrical charge that creates the polarizing field. Standard
media cannot do this and will not work with the Dynamic Air Cleaner's
technology.
Is the replacement media expensive?
Not really, it costs less than $5 per month to insure clean,
fresh, safe, healthy air in your home or business (per air cleaner or
air cleaner panel). And when compared to the time and expense of other
high efficiency alternatives, it is very economical. Electronic air
cleaners must be cleaned monthly, and with the presence of tobacco
smoke much more frequently. While the manufacturer may tell you to
wash it in the dishwasher, the manufacturer of the dishwasher will
tell you not to. This means you must take the cells to a car wash of
have a service clean them. The cells should also be chemically
stripped each year, which generally costs about $50. If the unit is
equipped with a carbon panel for odor control, these can cost $100 to
$160 per year to replace. High efficiency passive filters, such as
HEPAs, cost hundreds of dollars to replace and may also have carbon
inserts that further add to the cost.
If I don't have allergies, why do I need an
air cleaner?
The EPA says that indoor air is on average 7 - 10 times worse than
outdoor air, even if you live in a city. Air has a direct pathway
into our bodies and a direct effect on our health and well-being.
Besides allergies, poor air quality is linked to a number of problems:
fatigue, asthma, respiratory ailments, the spread of flu and other
diseases, and even cancer.
What's wrong with the furnace filters that I
buy at the store?
A furnace filter is just that: a filter to help your furnace
equipment stay clean. In fact, most filters are in heating and cooling
systems to protect the equipment not the people. They do almost
nothing to improve the air quality from a health standpoint. Even the
"30%" filters you see at the stores are extremely inefficient in that
they are unable to capture the smallest particles most dangerous to
human health.
What is the difference between a portable
room air cleaner and the Dynamic Air Cleaner panel?
Most supplemental room air cleaners can help clean the air in a
room or two. However, by installing the Dynamic Air Cleaner in your
home's central forced air system, you will clean the air in the entire
house. Further, many room air cleaners use high-efficiency passive
filters, which require powerful - and therefore loud - fans to move
the air. The portable Dynamic Air Cleaners however, are very quiet
because they utilize the same 3 methods of air cleaning that the
panels use. These allow the filter media to become very effective
without requiring much power to push the air through the filter. This
keeps noise level to a minimum and saves on energy costs.
Why not buy one of those electrostatic
filters advertised on the radio by Paul Harvey or Rush Limbaugh, or
that I can buy at a discount store?
These are passive electrostatic filters. Their fibers have a
slight static charge. As airborne particles move through them, they
can be attracted to the fibers, the way rubbing a balloon on a sweater
will make it stick. They are a lot better than the $2 throwaway 1"
filters, but they can cause some problems in residential systems. As a
passive electrostatic filter loads up with contaminants, its fibers
become coated with particles and the "balloon effect" stops. This can
happen quickly and then the filter is only effective against the
larger particles in the air, over 5 microns. Further, in order for a
passive electrostatic filter to work, it must be dense and therefore
restrictive to airflow. In many homes this air can cause poor heating
and cooling in the upper level of the home or in the rooms farthest
from the air handling equipment. As the filter loads up, it becomes
even more restrictive. This not only makes the air conditioning
equipment work inefficiently, but can actually damage it. In fact,
some electric utilities recommend their customers not to use passive
electrostatic filters. Because Dynamic Air cleaners use a high voltage
to create an active electrostatic field inside the Panel, they are
able to use a very sparse media that is not restrictive to airflow.
Dynamic Air Cleaners also improve in efficiency as they operate, while
capturing the very smallest particles in the air such as bacteria,
smoke, mold spores, pollen and many more. In a recirculating air
system, like the one in your house, a Dynamic Air Cleaner collects
over 97% of the particles that are 0.3 microns and larger.
What is a Micron and shy should I care about
small particles?
A micron is 1/25,000th of an inch. A human hair is
about 150 microns; the smallest thing that can be seen with the naked
eye is about 10 microns. It is the largest particles, above 5 microns,
that cause equipment problems and are what most filters are able to
catch. However, 98% of the particles in the air are smaller than 1
micron. These "sub-micron" particles are not caught by most filters
and can get through our bodies' natural defenses when inhaled.
Further, they can stay suspended in the air for days until they are
breathed in. An increasing number of studies have found these
sub-micron particles to be a significant health hazard. To effectively
clean the air from a health point, the sub-micron particles must be
removed. Dynamic Air Cleaners will remove up to 98% of these
particles on a multiple pass basis. For example, when tested by the
Canadian Department of Health in a test house, after 10 hours of
operation, a Dynamic Air Cleaner was able to remove 97% of the
particles in the 0.3 - 0.5 micron range and 98.6% of the particles in
the 1 - 3 micron range. And our efficiency actually increases as the
filter loads with pollutants.
Does the Dynamic Air Cleaner create a
snapping sound?
It is possible that the Dynamic Air Cleaners may produce a few
faint snapping sounds when a new filter is put in place. This is
normal and will subside shortly as the filter begins to load with
contaminants. They do not create the constant snapping or crackling
sound that electrostatic precipitators and other electronic air
cleaners produce.
I have had an electrostatic air cleaner
before and noticed a thin coat of dust on a lot of surfaces,
especially on TV screens. Will this air cleaner do the same thing?
No. Dynamics do not create charged particles that will cling to
grounded surfaces in the home or elsewhere. Electronic air cleaners to
date have worked by ionizing (positively charging) the particles in
the air. They then try to capture them on negatively charged or
grounded collection plates. This works fairly well at first, but as
the plates load up with positive particles, they lose their attraction
and the air cleaner loses its efficiency. The positively charged
particles then will stick to any grounded (walls and ductwork) or
charged (a TV screen) surface.
I currently have an electronic air cleaner;
does it need to be removed?
No. A Dynamic Air Cleaner can fit right into where the two main
cells are. A spacer will need to be installed to provide a 1" track
and the power to the old air cleaner should be turned off or
disconnected. This type of retrofit generally takes a 20" x 25"
Dynamic. To check this, measure the size of the two cells side by
side.
How do I know my air cleaner size?
Pull your current air filter out of your air handler; the size
should be written on the side. If your filter is media only and does
not indicate size, measure the media. If you have a filter that is
wrapped around the bottom of the air handler, please call for
instructions.
How long has the Dynamic Air Cleaner been
around?
Dynamics have been manufactured for over 12 years and used
extensively in Canada, Japan, and commercial applications around the
world. They are used in "clean" manufacturing, casinos, hospitals, and
food processing and are now available to clean the air that is most
important to you - the air you and your family breathe. Dynamic Air
Cleaner panels come in 19 standard sizes; generally 1" thick are used
in homes and either 1" or 2" for commercial type applications. Dynamic
Air Cleaners can be custom designed and configured for almost any
application.
Does the Dynamic Air Cleaner consume much
electricity and how should it be operated?
Dynamics draw only 2 watts of energy to create the 6,000 volts
inside the panel. They are very efficient and cost effective to
operate. For operation, any air cleaner can only be effective if air
is moving through it. Therefore in most areas, for maximum
effectiveness, we recommend that your thermostat be turned to the fan
"on" position rather than the "auto" position at times when you are
using neither heating nor cooling such as the spring and fall. This
will give continuous air cleaning. This takes only a small amount of
electricity, but make significant difference in the air quality in
your home or business. It will also greatly reduce the amount of
dusting required in addition to the health benefits. The only
exception to the "fan on" recommendation is in very high humidity
areas. If you live in such an area, please contact us for
operating recommendations. In a commercial establishment, your HVAC is
controlled by its current settings and subsequently, so is your
Dynamic Air Cleaner.
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