Purifying the air, what does it bring us in its renewal?

Ventilation has become essential in homes and buildings. The necessary renewal of air cleans the environment of impurities and is fundamental for achieving good health indoors. Thanks to ventilation, we can eliminate humidity or smoke from the rooms we inhabit, as well as promote the necessary air when we are in highly thermal insulation homes. But, beyond the ventilation needs, we can purify the air, which, while not mandatory at a regulatory level, provides us with a much higher quality of life, thanks to the possibility of breathing air of much better quality.

Although sometimes confused, the phenomena of ventilation and air purification are different, although compatible. Ventilation is a need contemplated by the Technical Building Code in Document Basic HS3, and with the high airtightness of current construction, it is necessary to guarantee air flow, as well as its renewal to avoid problems indoors such as stale air. In contrast, purifying the air focuses on cleaning the impurities and pollutants that dirty it, and it is highly efficient when we introduce air into interiors coming from outside.

We can estimate both concepts as follows:

1. Ventilation. As we have mentioned, the need for mechanical ventilation arises from the requirement to renew the air. We spend most of our time indoors, and if the air is not renewed, it loses quality and can be very harmful to health. Likewise, with buildings of great airtightness, it is necessary to be able to introduce air from outside, either by pushing it into a dual flow ventilation system or allowing its entry through ventilation grilles that connect to the exterior. In addition, ventilation eliminates smoke, dust mites, or humidity, which, besides being a threat to health, are also threats to buildings.
2. Air purification. The functionality of purifying the air consists of eliminating the contaminating elements that are suspended, such as toxins, smoke, and particles present in the air. To purify the air, it is necessary for it to pass through a filter.

While ventilating means renewing the air, eliminating the one that has lost quality and introducing air from outside, at no time is the air cleaned. The purification of the air, on the other hand, is indeed dedicated to that. For the air to pass through a filter, there are several options. One very simple option is to use an air purifier in the rooms, but that does not prevent the entry of contaminated air.

The most efficient way to purify the air is by having a dual flow ventilation system capable of pushing air from outside, controlling what enters at all times indoors. In this way, it is impossible for the introduced air to contain impurities. The air purification filters are placed in the ducts through which air is pushed. This is undoubtedly the best way to purify the air.

Benefits of purifying the air

[caption id="attachment_5419" align="alignnone" width="845"] On the left, the problems of contaminated air that can affect us, and on the right the ISO ratings and their effectiveness.[/caption]

The most important thing for air purification is the type of filter used, as it will be responsible for trapping the contaminating particles, both PM2.5 -often used to calculate air quality- and all the others. The new ISO 16890 filter regulations guarantee that the requirements are met to ensure maximum air quality indoors.

There are options for purifying the air that can clean it of remaining impurities by up to 99%. Some of the benefits of purification are the following:

• Allergies are reduced, and it is a relief for those affected by pollen.
• Constant tearing or skin dryness are problems derived from poor air quality. Purifying it eliminates them.
• We can relieve congestion and nasal drip, dryness, throat pain, or even sneezing.
• Contaminated air indoors can cause chest pressure, a feeling of suffocation, dry cough, or bronchitis. It is possible to avoid it by purifying the air.
• Sleeping much better is possible, and one can relax more thanks to clean air. It also improves productivity and makes us less irritable.
• The most common illnesses, such as flu or colds, are easily preventable by breathing quality air.
• Additionally, bad odors from the home are eliminated thanks to clean air.

For all these reasons, it is worth not only opting for mechanical ventilation to clean the environment of our rooms but also trying to purify the air to improve health and quality of life, as we spend most of our time breathing indoor air.