How should schools select the best air purifiers for their classrooms?

By GAMA Healthcare Australia
Community contribution / March 25, 2022

By now we all know that air purifiers are a critical part of the safe return-to-school plan. However, with so many types of air purifiers available in the market, which one is the most effective in reducing potentially harmful airborne particles such as COVID-19?

Schools should consider selecting air purifiers that have true HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filters. The higher the HEPA filter number, the more efficiently the filter removes unwanted particles in the air. HEPA 13 and HEPA 14 are considered medical grade quality.

Filter efficiency

Let’s look at the HEPA 14 air purifiers which removes at least 99.995% particles down to the size of 0.3* microns (µm). What kind of particles does it remove?

Pollen
Dust
Bush fire smoke
Mould
Aerosols
Bacteria
Viruses
Glue*
Paint*

* Removes odours

Pre-filters

Additional prefilters can protect and prolong the life of the HEPA filters, whilst carbon and charcoal pre-filters will reduce unwanted odours and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). Another thing to check is whether the air purifiers contain dual HEPA 14 filters. An air purifier such as Rediair is10x more effective than HEPA 13, as they have incorporated two carbon composite HEPA 14 filters, which work in tandem with the dual intake fans to trap 99.995% airborne particles and odours.

Space volume in the room

Ensure your air purifier is the correct size for the room. Dual or larger intake filters provide efficient air entry to the filtering system. For optimum efficiency, ensure inlets and outlet vents are unobstructed when placing the unit within a room.

Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) is also an important metric when considering an air purifier. The higher the CADR, the better the purifier's performance. In the case of the air purifier, Rediair, it has a high clean air delivery rate (CADR) of up to 600m3/h.

Managing air quality in your classrooms

Other consideration include:

Have a strategy in place to identify the current air quality – some air purifiers will have a particulate sensor that can identify the current air quality in the classroom.
Know when your filters must be changed – invest in an air purifier that will have an indicator when the air filter changes are due.
Cleaning and replacing filters – before purchasing your air purifier, look at whether the pre-filters are easy to remove, clean and replace.
Create a safe disposal plan – make sure your school has a plan to replace and dispose of used filters in place.

Learn more: https://gamahealthcare.com.au/rediair