Anti- Bacterial Filter In Air Conditioner (AC) – Detail Explanation
You must have heard of the term “Anti Bacterial Filter”? What does it exactly mean? Come on, join us for a better understanding about anti Bacterial Filter.
We think that we are breathing in safe air just because we are inside the home. But according to studies, the air pollution level in homes can be up to 10 times that of outdoor pollution. It is because of the lifestyle we follow every day.
The air we breathe in and out is not just Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide. It is loaded with microbes and other impurities. We cannot prevent it, it is a part of life. So the air in the home is also full of some impurities and bacteria also.
Today almost every house has air conditioners in its rooms. These air conditioners have some filters in them.
What Is A Filter In AC?
An air conditioning filter in the house or offices is used to remove solid contaminants such as smoke, pollen, dust, grease to ensure better air quality on the surface. These filters are usually placed on the return air of the air conditioning system.
The air that contained the contaminants is trapped here. The antibacterial filter is one of those filters in the air conditioners. In the article, we will talk about anti-bacterial filters and their importance.
What Is The Antibacterial Filter?
There are different types of air filters that are used in an air conditioner. The anti-bacterial filter is one of the prevalent air purifying filters in use today. It acts as a correlative to the other kinds of filters in an air conditioner.
This filter affects the energy efficiency and lifespan of your AC as well as your health. It is commonly installed at the return air of most air conditioners whether it may be a window AC, a split AC, An inverter AC, or a non-inverter AC.
The Function Of The AC Filter:
Antibacterial filters are come in a single piece or with the HEPA filters. They have the ability to destroy all the bacteria, anti-allergen, and dust from the indoor air. These filters appear like the crumble carton but nemesis for the microorganisms spread across the indoor. They destroy germs and bacteria by using ultraviolet rays.
The design of the anti-bacterial filter is such that it removes the particulates and harmful irritants from the air and purifies it before recirculating them into the rooms.
The absence of dust and other particulars improves the overall cooling performance of air conditioners.
The Working Process:
The process is a straightforward one. The device is a contraption designed to trap the dust particles and kill the microorganisms by using positively charges elements to attract the negatively charged particles.
These AC filters strain the particles through microscopic pores and fibers, thus effectively trapping the dust and other pollutants.
These anti-bacterial filters have a life of around 3-6 months after which you should replace them.
Mechanical Principles Of Antibacterial Filtration
There are five mechanical principles of particle capture and their contribution to the retention of particles of different sizes.
Straining :
Straining occurs when the opening between the media components like fibers is smaller than the diameter of the particle the filter is designed to capture. This principle spans across most filter designs and is entirely related to the size of the particle, media spacing, and media density.
Interception:
An interception occurs when a large particle, collides with any fiber in the filter that an air stream is passing through.
Diffusion:
Diffusion occurs when the random motion of a particle causes that particle to come into contact with a fiber. When a particle moves out from an area within the media, by attraction and capture. it creates an area of lower concentration within the medium into which another particle diffuses, only in turn to be captured itself.
To increase the attraction of particles filters use high concentrations of microfine fibers.
Inertial separation:
Inertial separation is based on a rapid change in air direction. The principles of inertia separate particulate matter from the air stream.
Particles moving at a certain velocity tend to remain at that velocity and roam in a continuous direction. This principle is normally applied when there is a high concentration of coarse particulate matter.
Electrostatic attraction:
Electrostatic attraction can be gained by charging the media as a part of the manufacturing process. After fiber contact is made, smaller particles are retained on the fibers by a weak electrostatic force. The force may be created through a manufacturing process or be dependent upon airflow across media fibers.
The force is removed as media fibers collect contaminants that act as an insulator. Electrostatic filters, which are composed of polarized fibers, may lose their collection efficiency over time. A decrease in pressure in an electrostatic filter generally increases at a slower rate than it does in a mechanical filter of similar efficiency.
Advantages Of Antibacterial filter
The antibacterial filter is so much beneficial for indoor air as well as for health also.
- The most significant advantage is that it traps the particles including dust, pollen, spores, bacteria, and viruses.
- The regular use of the anti-bacterial filter in the air conditioning units can improve the quality of indoor air. Hence, it benefits asthma patients and children a lot by providing significant relief from air pollution related problems.
- By removing the dust particles and other irritants like microbes, these filters enhance the lifespan of your air conditioning units and improve their performance.
- The enhanced performance levels of your air conditioning units end up saving a lot on your electricity bills.
- These anti-bacterial filters are economical to use and easy to install
- They are easy to clean using a simple vacuum cleaner.
- These filters give your AC a longer lifespan. As a result, it saves you from thousands of money in system replacement costs.
- The indoor air remains clean and pollution-free due to the less dust floating in the air.
- This filter results in fewer system malfunctions and a cleaner AC performs better and is less likely to breakdown.
- The filter has a major power to enhance or decrease the cooling capacity and electric bill of your AC.
Also Read: Best Vacuum Cleaners In India
Disadvantages of Antibacterial filter :
- The filter has lots of benefits but on the other hand, it has some disadvantages too…
- Though the filter gives your AC a longer lifespan the filter has a short lifespan of three to four months. They need constant replacement.
- As you can clean and wash them, but it is always better to replace them at regular intervals for improving the performance of your air purifying appliances.
- If you don’t change your filter, it will begin to fail. It will no longer be able to filter the air properly, letting dust and contaminants get into the AC. Dust jams the moving parts of an AC such as fan motors and valves. This is how dust makes the unit less energy efficient.
Criteria For Selection Of Filter For Air conditioner:
To Select Filter for your Split or Window AC
- You have to select the particularly-sized filters as per the size of your AC.
- Choose a specific brand or pore size of filter for your AC lest you void the warranty.
- Do not compromise with your health by choosing a mid-grade filter to save money. Rather choose a higher efficiency filter available for your system.
Conclusion:
Almost since 1990, our indoor environment has got so polluted that lots of diseases arise due to pollution. Generally, we spend more than 80% of the time indoors where there is a higher chance of inhaling impure air and pollution.
The filter in Air conditioners plays an essential role to save us from these possible diseases caused by air pollution. The antibacterial filter in an AC is one of the vital parts that plays the leading role in the cleansing of air and airflow. They are used to remove solid contaminants like dust, pollen, smoke, and grease to enhance the quality of the indoor air and we can breathe dust-free air.
