Now that APS has started to deliver 1,450 portable air cleaners to classrooms, we have a few tips for any teachers or staff trying to figure out where to place them.
When positioning the air purifiers in the classroom:
- A single air cleaner should ideally be placed centrally.
- If several purifiers are installed, the instruments should be distributed evenly in the room, so one on each side.
- If placing in corners, against walls, or under tables will obstruct the air intake on the filter, it can “reduce the efficiency of the purifier substantially.” In this case, these filters are designed to take in air from all four sides, so placing near a wall or in a corner will decrease their effectiveness.
- The Clean Air Delivery Rate (or CADR) for how much air cleaning that the units can do is based on being run on high. If they are not run on high, they will not deliver as expected.
- Ideally, these cleaners would not be on the ground, and would be elevated, such as sitting on a table.
- The cleaners that APS purchased were designed for smaller rooms. Larger rooms need two cleaners, as do rooms that have low amounts of Outdoor Air to begin with.
References:
- Testing mobile air purifiers in a school classroom: Reducing the airborne transmission risk for SARS-CoV-2
- Testing of an Indoor Air Cleaner for Particulate Pollutants under Realistic Conditions in an Office Room
- School education during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic – Which concept is safe, feasible and environmentally sound?
- Harvard-CU Boulder Portable Air Cleaner Calculator for Schools