Vacuum cleaners equipped with HEPA filters tend to be more expensive, but they deliver high efficiency in indoor dust suction. To help consumers better understand what HEPA filters are, their structure, working principles, purposes, and how to maintain them, follow this article by Mytour!
1. What is HEPA Filter?
HEPA filter, short for High Efficiency Particulate Air, is a standard for efficiency in air filtration developed by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission since the 1940s. Originally designed to filter radioactive molecules causing pollution.
However, in the 1950s, HEPA filters were commercialized for air purification. According to European standards, HEPA filters can clean up to 99.95% of particles with a size of 0.3 micrometers and above, providing a clean and safe environment.
2. Types of HEPA Filters in Vacuum Cleaners
HEPA filters today consist of 3 types: HEPA, EPA, and ULPA according to the European standard EN 1822: 2009. This standard is built to measure the filtration levels of air and dust based on flow rate and airflow speed. EN 1822 standard is also applied to evaluate the efficiency of HEPA, EPA, and ULPA filtration levels.
2.1. With EPA Filters
EPA (Efficient Particulate Air Filter) with 3 indices can filter dust up to 99.5%.
- - E12 filters over 99.5% of dirt.
2.2. Màng lọc HEPA
Bộ lọc HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) có 2 chỉ số có khả năng lọc đến 99.995%:
- H13 captures more than 99.95% of dust particles.
- H14 captures more than 99.995% of dust particles.
2.3. ULPA Filter Membrane
ULPA - Ultra Low Penetration Air Filter (also known as Ultra - Hepa) with the ability to filter up to 99.999995% of various particles such as pollen, smoke, dust, with sizes 0.3 micrometers and below.
- U15: captures more than 99.9995% of dust particles.
- U16: captures more than 99.99995% of dust particles.
- U17: captures more than 99.999995% of dust particles.
3. Structure and Operation Principles of HEPA Dust Collector Membrane
In terms of structure, the HEPA filter consists of numerous glass fibers with small diameters ranging from 0.5 - 2 micrometers (equivalent to 0.0025 diameter of a hair strand) arranged randomly to form a mesh. Due to its small size, this filter membrane easily captures ultra-fine particles such as pollen, fungal spores, smoke, or animal fur …
Regarding the operational principle, when dust is drawn into the machine, it first encounters the coarse HEPA filter and then continues to be deeply drawn into the mixed filter. Here, four filtration processes take place: yellow dust filtration, Aldehyde air filtration, odor removal, and scent filtration. This effectively retains large bacteria, allergy-causing molecules, harmful to HEPA filters that regular dust extractors cannot capture.
4. What is the function of the HEPA filter in a dust extractor?
As mentioned earlier, the HEPA filter can filter almost all bacteria or ultra-small molecules sized up to 0.3 mm. Therefore, pollen, fungal spores, animal fur, smoke, and more are easily filtered from the air. Thus, using a dust extractor with a HEPA filter is an excellent and useful solution for households with young children, individuals with respiratory diseases, asthma, or pets.
A dust extractor with a HEPA filter also helps increase dust extraction efficiency and distribute clean air into the living space, reducing the spread of fine dust particles during the dust extraction process. Currently, there are many dust extractor models equipped with HEPA filters from reputable brands that consumers can consider, such as: Hitachi Dust Extractor, Panasonic Dust Extractor, Roler Dust Extractor ….
5. How to clean the HEPA filter membrane
Despite its effectiveness in dust and bacteria filtration, a HEPA filter, when used for a long time, can still accumulate many layers of dust and bacteria. Therefore, it may reduce the ability to filter dirt and make the machine consume more electricity. Therefore, during use, you should clean the filter membrane according to the following instructions:
- Step 1: Remove the filter from the dust extractor and use a small brush to clean the dust compartment as well as the HEPA filter.
- Step 2: Empty the dust layer in filter B and take the filter for washing.
- Step 3: Allow the components to dry and finally reassemble.
This article by Mytour has shared useful information about HEPA filters in dust extractors. We hope this article has provided valuable insights for you when choosing a dust extractor. Thank you for following the article