Best Commercial Air Purifiers For Grow Rooms

Looking for the best commercial air purifiers for grow rooms? We know that indoor growing is a tricky business. It’s not just about the best grow lights for your plants, but also how to keep air quality high and stay safe while you’re doing it. This blog post will explore what makes an air purifier great for cannabis facilities. Air purification is one of the fundamentals in growing cannabis. Here are some commercial air purifiers that will make your indoor grow room a lot healthier and cleaner.

UV Air Purification 

One of the ways to kill germs, bacteria, and mold spores in your space is by using UV light. There are many kinds of UV air purifiers in the market today that you can purchase, but one thing in common with all of them is their ability to kill many microorganisms without using chemicals. The downside, though, is that once the UV starts to get dusty, which can happen quickly, it will lose efficiency and significantly impact the light bulb’s irradiation. The dust that is covering the UV bulb will cause it to be less effective in sanitizing. Shadowing is a common issue with UV technology. Distance and exposure time to the light is required to be effective. They are using a short-wave of ultraviolet light, which reacts with those pathogens and kills them. The best way to explain UV is to liken it to a candle. You have a flame on the top of the candle. If you run your hand through it slowly, you’ll get burned. If you go fast, you will not. If you put your hand slowly but way above the candle, you also won’t get burned. UV is very distant and time-based,(see image below) so many times; you have to have many UV bulbs in a duct system to ensure that it touches all the air, especially if you’re moving a high amount of air or it takes much time.

Ionizers/Bipolar Ionizers

Most purifiers that use Ionizers produce negative ions (see image below). It helps activate a lot of negative ions, which help balance out the positive ions (like pollen) already in the air. By doing so, it creates a healthy environment for people and plants alike. However, They do reach out like they will get out of their duct system or get into an area to do surfaces, but it’s a very short distance. They usually have a very short half-life. And we have seen tests with these in the real world, and in some cases, they don’t reach everywhere they believe it’s getting. So it’s crucial to size these correctly, put them in locations correctly, move the air quickly enough, and be the most effective use of an ionizer. There is sometimes some additional manual cleaning needed. Like I mentioned with dust, some of them require high power, others. It’s primarily in ducts for incoming air. That’s the usual place we see it in.

Charcoal Filters In Grow Rooms

Charcoal works by absorbing unwanted odors, gases, and particles from the air than getting rid of them from your indoor growing facility. It is an all-natural way to get great smelling air without harsh chemicals and pollutants.

Air Purifiers Developed By NASA.

NASA used many of the air purifiers used today to clean the air in their space stations. The advantage of this is that it has been proven to work and has many positive reviews. Some of these kinds include ionizers, HEPA filters, and UV lights, among many others. The way it works is they use titanium dioxide to treat air by taking in air and then reacting with UV light to produce hydroxyl radicals and superoxide ions. The majority of these reactive oxygen species cannot produce ozone, and some occasionally do. However, for the most part, they do not have that output that is long-lived. Therefore, they treat in the air ducts or the air that’s coming to the purifier itself. It is not reaching surfaces when it comes to long distances. So some of them will claim surface treatment, but you have to be careful. It’s not in a lab at a set distance from the purifier, whereas it may not reach a door in a larger environment. 

PCO (Photo-Catalytic Oxidation)

This powerful technology uses oxidation to get rid of organic contaminants in your indoor growing facilities’ air quality. Although some of them will claim they do surfaces, they only produce hydroxyl radicals & superoxide ions for surfaces that do NOT reach very far to destroy pathogens, including viruses. It is similar to the NASA air purifiers. 

PHI Photohydroionization

PHI is another technology made for purifying indoor growing facilities’ air quality using some UV-based system. It works by breaking down metals, VOCs (volatile organic compounds), odors, and other common contaminants in your indoor growing facility’s air. PHI is also very similar to NASA air purifiers and PCO. For surfaces, it releases hydro-peroxides, superoxide ions, and hydroxide ions. These are friendly oxidizers. However, they are short-lived and will not reach long-distance surfaces.

Ozone Generators

Ozone generators use a process that creates ozone from oxygen. The upside to this is that it’s very effective at getting rid of odors and other particles in the air and surfaces. However, it is not safe to use when people and plants are present in the room, and after a few minutes, the ozone dissipates, and you have to keep reintroducing it. So this is most commonly used as a shock treatment.

ROS Purifiers (Reactive Oxygen Species)

They are one of the most effective purifiers not only in the air but in surfaces especially. These purifiers destroy pathogens and reduce cross-contamination by using a process that creates a total of 7 (ROS) cleaning agents. Five short-lived highly Reactive Oxygen Species 

• atomic oxygen 
• singlet oxygen 
• hydroxyl radical 
• superoxide 
• peroxynitrite

And two long-lived Reactive Oxygen Species; 

• gas-phase H2O2- hydrogen peroxide, 
• and levels of O3-ozone 

That further sanitize room air and long-distance surfaces. This air purifier technology is the only one that can provide odor control, long-distance surface treatment, and purify the air all at once. As a bonus, this can replace using a charcoal filter as well. Amazing right!

Best Commercial Air Purifier’s Checklist For Grow Rooms

Here is a checklist to help you guide to find the best commercial air purifiers for grow rooms when you are doing your research for your cannabis facility

• Treat all surfaces with the purifier. (not just near the purifier, but all surfaces)
• Require low electricity usage
• Monitor the levels of the unit’s production 24/7
• Have a sanitizer created and output from the purifier itself, or only the air is being treated.
• Organic and no-chemicals consumed.
• Be safe while people are present
• Offer manual adjustments to the unit’s power

It is essential to invest in a high-quality air & surface purifier, or else you might have a chance of risking your subsequent yield to pathogens!

Finding the best commercial air purifiers for grow rooms can help you create a cleaner environment and keep your cannabis facility healthier. With that in mind, we’ve taken the time to put together this checklist of questions for you to ask yourself when looking at potential options so that you can find the best one possible. If you want to jump to the front of the line, we’ve done all your research for you! AirROS surface and air purifiers are the only kinds that can sanitize surfaces (including long-distance) and airborne germs organically without using chemicals. AirROS can also provide odor control too and replace your charcoal filters! If you want a FREE consultation with an expert who can help you protect your cannabis facility from pathogens, schedule a call here or feel free to submit a form to us. We’d be happy to answer any of your questions and provide assistance in finding the right solution that will suit your needs for a cleaner environment.