How Does an Electric Air Cleaner Work?

Electric Air Cleaner Basics

Traditional air filters work by passing the air through a fine filter, which traps particles while allowing the air to flow. An electric air cleaner works differently. It uses electricity to eliminate small particles such as dust, mold and pollen from the air. Because an electric air cleaner has no filter, it has no parts that need to be replaced. Like other types of air purifiers, however, electric cleaners do occasionally need to be cleaned.

Trapping the Pollutants

Electric air cleaners use a fan to blow air between negatively charged plates. When particles of dust and other indoor pollutants pass by these plates, they absorb some of the negative charge from them. The air then passes by a positively charged plate and finally flows out of the air cleaner. Opposite electric charges attract. The pollutants, which have a negative charge, are pulled onto the positive plate as they pass by. They then stay on that plate until someone comes along to wipe them off with a rag and throws them away.

Ion Generators

Some electric air cleaners called ion generators work differently. Instead of trapping particles that go through the room, they ionize the air itself. Molecules of air going past get a jolt of negative electricity. They then circulate through the room, transferring that electricity to air pollutants they run into. Those charged particles tend to stick to other particles, falling out of the air and settling on the floor and other surfaces, where they can be cleaned up.

References

• How Air Cleaners Work

Resources

• Ion Generator Plans