What Is a HEPA Filter, and Why Is It Effective Against COVID-19?
Watch our ISO-Aire expert identify and describe the top 3 considerations when selecting a HEPA filter.
There’s a lot to talk about when it comes to HEPA filters – short for high-efficiency particulate air filters – especially when seeking a sound solution to improve indoor air quality (IAQ). The hefty HEPA has earned bragging rights, offering top-of-the-line protection when it comes to capturing a majority of tiny airborne contaminants and keeping occupants safe in an indoor pocket of space.
Premium HEPA mechanical air filters have been around for decades. And particularly today, after everything learned in the COVID-19 pandemic, the multi-layered component maintains a stellar reputation as an effective & proven clean air solution.
In fact, both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and ASHRAE have released COVID-19 guidelines that recommend improving indoor air with in-space HEPA units to protect school communities and day care centers with clean, purified air. Specifically in schools, the CDC ventilation guidance recommends portable air cleaners engineered with HEPAs to safeguard students and teachers in classrooms, around high-traffic spaces such as gymnasiums and lunchrooms, and the nurse’s office.
The HEPA’s multi-layered filter design – a medium of fiberglass or synthetic matted fibers – traps microscopic particles invisible to the human eye. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states a HEPA can remove at least 99.97% of airborne viruses and emerging variants as well as bacteria, mold, dust, pollen, and other airborne contaminants.
A detailed HEPA filter diagram illustrates the complex innerworkings of the high-efficiency particulate air filters, the preferred workhorse of many COVID combating in-space air purifiers. All commercial ISO-Aire models, ranging from 300CFM to 2000CFM, are equipped with a medical-grade HEPA to deliver clean, healthy, and safe air to classrooms, day care centers, fitness studios, senior living centers, business offices, and more.
According to Kevin Albers, developer of ISO-Aire, the 12-inch deep HEPAs deployed inside the line of powerful commercial-grade air purifiers takes it up a notch. “ISO-Aire is engineered with a medical-grade HEPA which captures 99.99% of potentially harmful airborne particles. This is the same type of clean air technology installed in hospital surgical rooms or clean rooms,” Kevin noted. “HEPAs are effective, reliable, and require minimal maintenance with a two- to four-year life cycle. When we add a prefilter that also helps extend the HEPA’s longevity. Economically this saves on HEPA filter replacement and maintenance costs.”
On the left, the ISO-Aire RSF500 utilizes a 12-inch deep, high capacity, medical-grade HEPA filter to capture and destroy 99.99% of airborne contaminants such as viruses and emerging variants, bacteria, mold, pollen, dust, and other pollutants. The competitor brand, pictured right, features a small, 1.5-inch deep HEPA, which contain less of the protective filter media and requires more frequent filter changes.
Albers explained that a HEPA is the first line of defense serving as the workhorse of clean air technology. “They’re the preferred filtration solution because almost nothing can pass through. The HEPA is the most important component to understand when researching air purifiers. When comparing one HEPA with another, focus on the rating, the amount of filter media, and the lifespan.”
Want to learn more? Check out our elite line of commercial, medical-grade HEPA air purifiers that are engineered to provide the healthiest air to your building.