Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q. How do I know when to change my filter?
A. There are 3 parts to the filter that will need to be changed. Depending on your product and usage will depend when the filter needs changing. That information can be found at the bottom of the product page or at Filter Replacement Information
Q. How does a bypass system work? How is it better than an inline system?
A. A bypass HEPA system works by taking a portion of the air from your return air duct cleaning that air and dumping it back into the return air duct. The amount of air the system filters is dependant upon the CFM of the Bypass HEPA and the CFM of the forced air system. We recommend at least 40% of the air. For best results the furnace fan should remain on circulate and the HEPA system should run 24/7. The benefit of this set up is that it does not affect the warranty on your forced air system and since it has its own fan the unit can run and still filter the air even if the furnace is not running.
Q. How do I know when my carbon filter is used up?
A. First thing to remember is that clean air has no smell. This will be your first indication that your carbon filter is past its life span. You will start to smell odors coming from the filtration system. Carbon is a sponge for the air and once it fills up it can continue to soak up the VOC’s that are in the air but in order to do so it has to make room for it. It makes room by off gassing what it had previously absorbed.
Q. Should I buy a whole house or portable unit?
A. You should pick a unit based on the square footage of the area you want protected. Using our CFM formula, you can determine what
Q. Which air filter should I buy?
A. This is a simple answer you buy the least complicated filter possible. HEPA filters use 3 stages of filtration. Stage 1 is a prefilter which captures large particulates and protects your HEPA so it can look after the important particles. 2nd stage Perfect Seal HEPA filter capturing 99.98% of particles at .3 microns and 99.96% at .1 microns. 3rd stage VOC filter soaking up odours and gases. There are a lot of filtration companies out there that think the more stages the better and that is what they are selling you on. If a good mechanical filtration system is removing particulates and VOC’s and virtually nothing is getting through why do you need the other stages?
Q. Why is bottom flow better than a top flow unit?
A. Bottom flow means clean air is exhaust out of the bottom of the unit and top flow is the opposite clean air is exhausted out of the top of the unit. Dust settles on the floor which means it is not airborne so your air filter can not filter that dust. It is not a vacuum cleaner. Activity from humans and pets disturbs that dust and puts it back into the air. The reason for blowing the clean air out of the bottom is to try and keep the dust from settling on the floor and airborne so that the filter can do its job and remove it from the indoor air. We do recommend when you first turn our portable unit on in a room that you give it 30 minutes to an hour as it disturbs the particulates on the floor. Note that some dust particles are to heavy to stay airborne. These generally are large enough that our own internal filter system such as nose hairs are able to keep it from reaching our lungs.
Q. What is the recommended number of air changes?
A. We recommend at least 1 air change per hour and 2 or more if you have a respiratory illness. This is the guideline for a typical residential application for commercial, industrial and medical uses these are determined based on a case by case basis. It is best to call to discuss before determining which unit and how many air changes are required.
Q. Why is the light blinking on my portable 2500 or 3000?.
A. This is the question that I get quite often and I will admit I mutter to myself did you read the manual? Or the website? The lights on the model 2500 and model 3000 are filter change indicator lights. These are timers and will start to blink when it is time to change the filters. Once you change the filters you have to manually reset them. They do not automatically stop blinking once the filters have been changed. You reset them by holding the button down for 3 to 5 seconds. They will then stop blinking and start the timer again.
Q. Can I install the Whisper units on their side?
A. The whisper units can be oriented in any direction. Left side, Right Side, UP down on an angle etc..
Q. What makes the perfect seal HEPA better than other HEPA systems?
A. The biggest advantage of the perfect seal HEPA system is the ease of the filter change. You simply place the o-ring over the filter adaptor and then twist the HEPA filter in like a Jar lid to the right and the HEPA is installed and sealed. With other system they rely on compression and in some cases bolts and fasteners in order to create the seal. This means that if everything is not positioned correctly or a screw is not tightened properly you can end of with leaks in the seal and now you have a HEPA filter that is being bypassed because it is not installed properly.
Q. What is the actual delivered CFM of your units?
A. Amaircare gives the delivered air flow of its units with all filters in place. In some cases other manufacturer will list the airflow of the fan they use in their system not the actual delivered airflow of the unit once that fan is installed in the unit along with the filters. One of our competitors lists the airflow of one of their models at 750 CFM but the actual delivered air flow of that unit is only 270 CFM. This is a pretty deceiving tactic.