IQAir is a Swiss-based air quality company providing homes and organizations with clean air through their high-efficiency filtration systems. Unfortunately, like any other air purifier technology, your IQAir machine’s filter can get clogged over time and will require replacement. However, how do you suppose you can change your IQAir filter?
My best suggestion is to consult your specific product manual as there are different models of IQAir filters. Nonetheless, in the absence of a manual, you can follow the simple instructions using your device remote control.
The IQAir company has been one of the leading technologies since its inception in the 1960s. Keep reading this article to find out more about your IQAir system. You’ll also learn how to perform a reset after changing your filter.
How Often Do You Change IQAir Filters?
IQAir air purifiers, especially the HealthPro Plus series, use a unique filtration technology known as a HyperHEPA filter. These filters are said to be 100× more efficient than True HEPA filters and 30x superior to medical-grade H13 HEPA filters.
Overall, you should replace your IQAir HyperHEPA filter approximately every two to three years. Notwithstanding, this duration isn’t static and will solely depend on your IQAir model and which filter is replaced. Other factors that determine filter replacement frequency include the actual fan speed, level of usage, and pollution concentration.
You must change your filter when due to avoid overworking the system. When your filters get clogged, your unit’s motor works double to force air through the little spaces available. Unfortunately, this also leads to more power usage, increasing your electricity bills.
Changing your filters helps your air purifier function efficiently and maintain maximum airflow per time. Failure to do so won’t only produce poor air quality but also negatively affect your machine’s durability.
As your filter’s replacement time draws near, it can experience several reverse performance changes. Let’s discuss some of these counter-functions in detail.
1. Increased Electricity Usage
The more dirt block your filter pores, the more difficult it becomes for air to get drawn into the machine. When this happens, your filter will experience what’s known as “Pressure Drop”.
This refers to the level of resistance polluted air encounters while flowing through any system’s filter media. In this case, it’s the opposition your dirty indoor air experiences when drawn into the HyperHEPA fibrous filter.
The dirtier the air and the more particles your filter traps, the higher the pressure drop encountered by the incoming air. Pressure drop occurs due to rising resistance that compresses airflow.
When the filter is clogged with numerous contaminants, the limited airflow space increases the pressure drop.
Such action can also translate into more power consumption because an increased pressure drop means double work for your machine. The reason is that your device will require more electricity to pass air across the purification media.
So when you delay in changing your dirty filter, remember that you could incur additional electricity charges.
IQAir purification systems are configured initially to use as little energy as possible. This includes vital components such as the 3D UltraSeal casing feature and the decentralized fan. These essential components are designed to help your IQAir produce 100% filtration efficiency synchronously.
Asides from effective air filtration, these devices are also expected to keep electricity usage at the barest minimum. So under normal circumstances, a standard IQAir system uses approximately a similar wattage as light bulbs. Depending on the speed at which your system is running, this is anywhere between 28 to 210 watts.
2. Damage of Essential System Components
Overworking a clogged filter produces strain in the essential machine parts like the motor and fan. Straining these components will, in turn, cut short the active lifespan of your filter. When the motor is amped-up for long, the entire system could also experience a premature function failure.
So you can see that this seemingly simple negligence can result in a more severe problem. Buying a new device isn’t the same as simply changing filters and will cost you a lot more.
3. Less Clean Air Available in the Room.
Clogged filters mean that your air purifier will experience difficulties performing its filtration function. This is because it’s unable to handle new impurities constantly introduced into the atmosphere effectively. The implication is that your machine can no longer produce sufficient clean air for circulation and breathing.
When filters are clogged with pollutants, air purifiers can’t produce as much clean air, making it hard for the purifier to keep up with new pollutants constantly being introduced into the air.
Two standard principles determine the active life of most air purifier designs. It includes their hourly air changes (ACH and cubic feet per minute (CFM ratings).
CFM refers to airflow in relation to the speed and amount of air your device can pass through its system per time. On the other hand, ACH refers to the amount of air filtered in a particular room per hour.
Both acronyms are just industrially coined terms. They’re used to show how effective and fast a machine pulls, purifies, and releases air back into a given space.
Overall, these actions fulfill two purposes:
- First, harmful airborne particles are constantly eliminated as new contaminants are released into the atmosphere. These new impurities come from diverse sources, both indoor and outdoor.
- Second, clean and fresh air is constantly released into the room’s air.
Air can freely flow across the filter media when system filters are clean, allowing for uttermost CFM and ACH. Otherwise, if your filter gets swamped with dirt, your machine releases less clean air, reducing the CFM and ACH ratings.
With lowered CFM and ACH ratings, your indoor air will stay dirty and unhealthy even though your machine is running.
Bottom line, constant filter replacement guarantees peak filtration benefits and durable functionality.
How Do I Change My IQAir Filter?
You need to pull out the old and replace it with the new filter. If, for any reason, you don’t have your manual handy, here’s how you can reset a new filter life after replacement:
- Press and scroll through the menu button to locate the “new filter” display option.
- Press and hold down the Enter button for about three to five seconds. You’ll see the number “1” showing just below the “new filter” display option. The number displayed is to help you choose which filter you want to change.
- Filter number one means pre-filter, filter number two means the V-5 gas filter, and filter number three means the HEPA filter. You’ll then choose the specific filter number by pressing the arrow button facing upward. When you get to the particular filter number, press the enter button.
- The control settings panel will show a question sign beside the monitor’s “new filter”. Below these words, you’ll see the options “E = Yes” and “M = Cancel”.
- If you don’t want to proceed with the operation and reset your new filter life, press the Menu button. Then, press the Enter button to continue the reset filter life operation for the new filter. Once you’ve done this, the filter light should switch to green, indicating that the new filter is set to run.
- You can confirm this by checking the remaining filter life on the control panel for the particular filter you just replaced. If the operation was successful, you should see the hours indicated by the newly added filter life.
How Long Does IQAir HyperHEPA Filter Last?
Although there are estimated durations for different models, the ultimate determinant is the usage level. Your active filter life is a function of the total number of hours you run your unit in a year.
Here’s an estimated breakdown of how long each IQAir purifier filter will last under normal circumstances. For example, let’s assume your machine is up and running on speed three for a maximum of 10 hours per day:
- V5-Cell™ Gas & Odor Filter- two years
- HyperHEPA Particle Filter- four years
- PreMax™ Rough Particle Filter- A year and six months
Models like the GC™ MultiGas machine for odors and gases, the estimated lifespan is a bit different:
- GC HyperHEPA Pre-Filter- One year
- GC Gas & Odor Cartridge Filters- Two and half years
- GC Post-Filter Sleeves- three years
The IQAir GC MultiGas series also features a HyperHEPA pre-filter. GC HyperHEPA pre-filters act as preliminary filtration mechanisms. This means that they can eliminate various sizes of airborne particles like mold, dust, and coarse pollen.
They also filter fine and ultrafine particles as little as 0.003 microns flowing into the system. Whereas, the HealthPro Plus HyperHEPA filters act as the final filtration phase in the air purifier.
They only screen air that has already passed through the PreMax pre-filter and V5-Cell filter. Pre-filters help to extend the primary filter’s lifespan by trapping the fine and ultrafine particles.
With IQAir purification technology, you need not worry about keeping track of your filters active lifespan. The machines are designed to signal when the filters are due for replacement. When the filter is due for replacement, the filter life-monitor will show a constant red light.