Frequently Asked Questions
Concerning Dynamic Air Cleaners

(Click question to see answer)
 

Q: If I don't have alleriges, why do I need an air cleaner?

Q: What's wrong with the furnace filters that I buy at the hardware store?

Q: What about a room air cleaner?

Q: Why not buy one of those filters advertised on the radio by Paul Harvey or Rush Limbaugh?

Q: What is a micron & why should I care about small particles?

Q: Does the Dynamic Air Cleaner create a snapping sound or produce ozone?

Q: I have had an electronic air cleaner before and noticed a thin coat of dust on a lot of surfaces, especially on my TV screen. Will this air cleaner do the same thing?

Q: Is the Dynamic Air Cleaner hard to install?

Q: I currently have an electronic air cleaner, does it need to be removed?

Q: What is involved in the maintenance of the Dynamic and how often must it be done?

Q: Can I use any media?

Q: Is the replacement media expensive?

Q: How do I know my air cleaner size?

Q: How long has the Dynamic Air Cleaner been around?

Q: How should we operate the Dynamic Air Cleaner?
 

If I don't have alleriges, 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 ailment, the spread of flu and other diseases, and even cancer.

What's wrong with the furnace filters that I buy at the hardware store?
A furnace filter is just that: a filter to help your furnace equipment stay clean.  In fact, most filters are in most heating and coolings systems to protect the equipment not the people.  They do almost nothing to improve the air quality from a health standpoint. 

What about a room air cleaner?
Most supplemental room air cleaners can help clean the air in a room or two.  However, by installing an air cleaner in your home's central forced air system, you will clean the entire house.  Further, many room air cleaners use high-efficiency passive filters, which require powerful - and therfore loud - fans to move the air.  This can be an annoyance.

Why not buy one of those filters advertised on the radio by Paul Harvey or Rush Limbaugh?
These are called 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 better than the $2 throwaway 1" filters, but they can cause some problems in residential systems.  As a passive electrostatic filter load 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 larger particles in the air, over 5.0 microns.  Further, in order for a passive electrostatic filter to work, it must be dense and therefore restrictive to airflow.  In many homes this 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 do damage.  In fact, some electric utilities tell their customers not to use passive electrostatic filters.  Because Dynamic Air Cleaners use a controlled high voltage/low amp charge to create an active electrostatic field inside the Dynamic Panel, they are able to use a very sparse media that is not restrictive to airflow or furnace equipment.  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 residential furnace system, like the one in your home, a Dynamic Air Cleaner collects over 97% of the particles that are 0>3 microns and larger!

What is a micron & why should I care about small particles?
A micron is 1/25000th 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 5.0 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 1.0 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.  As an allergy sufferer can tell you, what you can't see can hurt you.  To effectively clean the air 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 & Welfare 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 99% of the particles larger than 0>5 microns.  Efficiency actually increases as the Dynamic Air Cleaner loads with pollutants.

Does the Dynamic Air Cleaner create a snapping sound or produce ozone?
No.  Dynamic Air Cleaners are a non-ionizing air cleaner that creates no nuisance noises or produces harmful Ozone.  Rather than ionizing, Dynamic Air Cleaners operate by assigning polarity to both the particles and in the air and the fibers of the media pad.  This gives each a negative pose and a positive pose, 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 part of the collecting surface, giving the air cleaner increasing efficiency as it loads.

I have had an electronic air cleaner before and noticed a thin coat of dust on a lot of surfaces, especially on my TV screen. Will this air cleaner do the same thing?
No. Dynamics do not create charged particles that will cling to grounded surfaces in the home.  Electronic air cleaners to date have worked by ionizing (positively charging) the particles in the air.  Dynamic Air Cleaners are a NON-IONIZING patented technology. They then try to capture them on negatively charged or grounded collection plates.  This works fairly well at initially, but as the plates load up with positive particles, they lose their attraction quickly and the ionizing air cleaner loses its efficiency.  The positively charged particles then will stick to any grounded (walls and ductwork) or charged (a TV screen) surface.

Is the Dynamic Air Cleaner hard to install?
Not at all.  In most homes, Dynamic Air Cleaners will install in the standard existing 1" filter slot.  In a few cases, a filter track may need to be installed.  The additional cost for this rack will be about $50 from most contractors.  Dynamic Air Cleaners require a 24 volt power input.  This can be taken either off the 24 volt system of your furnace or from a plug-in transformer supplied by Dynamic Air Cleaners Inc.

I currently have an electronic air cleaner, does it need to be removed?
No.  A Dynamic Air Cleaner can fit right into where the existing two main cells currently are located.  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"x25" Dynamic Air Cleaner and works very well.  To check this, measure the size of the two cells side by side.

What is involved in the maintenance of the Dynamic and how often must it be done?
This will vary a little from home to home.  Generally, we recommend that the media be changed 3 times a year sometime more often depending on your environment.  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.

Can I use any media?
No.  Dynamic Air Cleaners will not work with standard filter medias.  While our pad may looks similar to a plain fibre media, if you look closely you will see that there is an activated carbon center screen bonded into it.  This patented configuration not only absorbs odors, but also conducts the electrical charge that creates the polarizing field.  Standard media is not capable of doing this.

Is the replacement media expensive?
No.  It costs about $5 a month to insure clean, fresh, safe, healthy air in your home.  And when compared to the time and expense of other so called 'high efficiency' alternatives, it is very economical.  Electronic ionizing air cleaners must be cleaned regularly.  Their manufacturers tell you to wash it in the dishwasher, while dishwasher manufacturers will tell you not to!  This means you must take the cells to a car wash or 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 effeciency passive filters, such as HEPA's cost hundreds of dollars to replace and may also have carbon inserts that further add to the cost. All this for a system which is nowhere as practical and effective as a Dynamic Air Cleaner. Now you can see why we call it "The NEXT Generation In Air Filtration".

How do I know my air cleaner size?
Slide out your current furnace air filter; the size should be written on the side of it.  If your filter is media only and does not indicate the 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?
Dynamic Air Cleaners have been manufactured for over twelve 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 available to clean the air that is most important to you - the air that you and your family breathe.

How should we operate the Dynamic Air Cleaner?
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.  This will give continuous air cleaning.  This takes only a small amount of electricity, but makes a significant difference in the air quality in your home.  It will also greatly reduce the amount of dusting required in your home.  Otherwise, the Dynamic Air Cleaner will only be cleaning when you are heating or cooling.  In the spring and fall when your air conditioning system is not on very often, you won't be cleaning the air very often either.  The only exception to the "fan on" recommendation is in very high humidity areas.  If you live in such an area, please consult your Dynamic dealer for operating recommendations.

 

Commercial and Industrial Air Cleaners:
Panel filters for commercial and industrial applications such as cigarette smoke removal in casinos and microcontaminant control in manufacturing.

Overhead Units:
Stand-alone consoles for homes and offices.

Console Units:
Stand-alone consoles for homes and offices.

Germicidal Systems:
Germicidal systems to remove and kill airborne pathogens in homes, hospitals, food processing, and other critical applications.

For more information on any of these please contact: