Air conditioners and air purifiers are two valuable appliances for almost every home. As these appliances are similar in sound, a question may arise in your mind: Do air purifiers work just like air conditioners? Well, air conditioners let the warm air out of your room and release the cold air. This machine is able to control your indoor humidity, temperature, and air quality.
Conversely, an air purifier circulates the air in your room through a set of air filters or neutralizes them through a process called ionization. With this process, dust and airborne particles, known to reduce air quality, are removed. To learn more about air purifiers and air conditioners, read the entire article.
Air Purifier Vs. Air Conditioner
Air purifiers are mainly used for health reasons that help remove pollutants such as dust, smoke, bacteria, and many more. It uses two methods to improve the air: HEPA uses a series of filters, and ionizers use electrostatics to remove particles.
On the other hand, Air conditioners are essentially used for comfort purposes. It ensures that the hot air in your room is being replaced with cooler air. This appliance creates a comfortable indoor environment that is good for respiratory problems who cannot handle high humidity levels.
Thus, air conditioners are not made for air purification, and air purifiers are not designed for cooling. But if you want to get both functions in one device, experts have Recommended Air Purifier & Conditioner Combos for purchasing that provide cooling systems with air purification.
Does Air Purifier Function Same as Air Conditioner
Air purifiers and Air conditioners are two home appliances made for two different purposes. Below we have made a comparative discussion about these two devices.
The key function of an air purifier is to increase the air quality in your room. It effectively filters airborne contaminants and particles that can worsen air conditions and even cause breathing problems with serious health issues. Typically, air purifiers use HEPA filters or ionizers to purify the air.
A HEPA system is designed to filter air and get rid of various particles or contamination. Some filters may have an activated charcoal system that helps to reduce odors. On the other hand, an ionizer is designed to clean air that effectively binds unwanted air particles, weighs, and throws them to the ground.
In addition, some air purifiers are equipped with a UV light that grabs bacteria and viruses when they pass through the system. It breaks down the molecular structure of germs and pathogens to not be harmful to your health.
Air conditioners are designed to cool air effectively. It has four units that work together to remove the hot air in your room and pump cool air. These units are compressor, fan, condenser, and evaporator. The condenser, compressor, and fan are the external units; the evaporator is the internal unit.
The warm air is pumped outside through the compressor unit and condenser, which turns it back into a cool liquid. It helps to decrease the ambient temperature of your room. This device is not only able to produce cool air but also dramatically reduces humidity levels throughout your room.
In addition, air conditioners are usually equipped with some basic filtration functions that can clean the air and improve the air quality in your room. You’ll find air conditioners in various styles, from whole house systems to Windows units and even portable air conditioners.
Which Is a Better Choice: an Air Purifier or Air Conditioner?
As we said earlier, air purifiers and air conditioners are designed for different purposes. Check out the below points that will help you to get which one is better for whom.
An air purifier may be better for:
- Who have respiratory illnesses such as asthma, COPD, or allergies and need clean air.
- To decrease the amount of pollen, dust, or pet dander inside the room.
- Get rid of indoor odors like cooking, smoke, pets, mold, and mildew.
- An air purifier is a good option if you want a healthy environment floating fewer bacteria and virus particles around.
An air conditioner might be a good option for:
- If you want to control your indoor temperature better.
- Manage the humidity levels inside the home.
- Breathing problems such as asthma or COPD flare-up when too high humidity levels.
Can I Use an Air Purifier With an Air Conditioner?
You can use the air purifier and air conditioner at the same time, even in the same room, without any problems. An air purifier will improve the air surrounding you, and an air conditioner will cool it.
The good news is that some air conditioners come with an air purification function that can remove dust particles from the air. So it is better to have an air purifier and conditioner combo that will work both air purification and air cooling.
Why You Need Both an Air Purifier and Air Conditioner
The air conditioner helps to remove excess heat from the indoor air, thus lowering the indoor temperature to a comfortable environment. On the other hand, the indoor air contains impurities from dirt to dust and allergens; air purifiers can easily remove these contaminants.
- Reduce harmful chemicals from the indoor environment.
- Neutralize unpleasant odors and volatile organic compounds(VOCs)
- Make your room cooled and control the humidity levels.
- Improve sleep by reducing the disruption of fungi, bacteria, and mites.
- Remove hazardous asbestos and radon particles.
- It cools down your room and enables you to control the humidity level.
Why Need Air Purifier Air Conditioner Combo
An air conditioner can keep your house cool, but it cannot completely decontaminate your home. Thus, an air conditioner combined with an air purifier can be an excellent option to get the best outcomes. Getting a combo is much more effective in saving your energy bill because two separate units are more expensive than one. Also, you can save more space if you use an air purifier and AC combos unit. Another good thing is that the air purifier and AC combos are more convenient to move or transfer to another room.
Considerations When Buying an Air Purifier and Air Conditioner Combo
Before buying an air purifier and air conditioner, you have to keep in mind several factors. However, consider prioritizing the following.
- Size: The first thing you have to consider is a perfect size; you need about 20 BTUs per square foot for the AC.
- Noise Levels: Most air purifiers and air conditioner combo noise generated range is 35 decibels to 70 decibels. Ideally, you can buy an appliance rated 58 decibels or lower.
- Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR): The CADR rating measures the air purifier’s average cleaning speed. For an average size (250 sq ft) room, you will need about 400 CFM CADR.
- Air Change Per Hour (ACH): ACH measures the amount of indoor air filtered per hour. If anyone has asthma at home, they will need 3x ACH and 4-5x ACH.
Through this article, you might have understood that air conditioners are mainly used for cooling, ventilation, and achieving a comfortable indoor environment, but they cannot purify the polluted air in your room. An air purifier could be the ultimate solution to purify the dust particles from your room. Thus, air conditioners and air purifiers are two completely different devices with separate functions.
To get the complete purification along with cooling, using a combo air purifier and air conditioner is the only way. So buying an air purifier and conditioner combo could be a good solution for those who want both air cooling and purification in one structure. It will add the advantage of cooling your home as well as reducing health risks.