Air Purifiers

[Synomenon]

I've been shopping around for air purifiers and noticed something odd about many of them. The intakes are usually on the back of the unit.

Shouldn't the air intakes be on the front of the units? I would like to get a tabletop air purifier like one of those Holmes brand mini tower units, but if I put it on my desk, the intake will be facing the wall unless I turn the unit around so the intake is facing the rest of my desk / the direction facing the center of my room. If I do turn it around so the intake is not facing the wall the power cord will be facing outwards and be visible.

This doesn't seem to be just Holmes brand air purifiers, the others I have seen in stores also have their intakes on the back with air blowing out the front.

 

[RCN]

Do you plan to slam it against the wall and seal it up?

 

[Howard]

I'm guessing they're easily to sell if the clean breezy air effect is more obvious?

 

[jagec]

Fans move air in a linear direction, so it's more efficient (and quieter) to make air purifiers with a "flow-through" design.

 

[Howard]

Originally posted by: jagec
Fans move air in a linear direction, so it's more efficient (and quieter) to make air purifiers with a "flow-through" design.

That doesn't discount designs where the intake is in the front and the fan blows out the back.

 

[Synomenon]

Yeah, just wondering why they all seem to have the air coming into the back of the unit. You'd think that it would suck air in the front as most people would have their unit near a wall.

 

[DivideBYZero]

This is such a non-issue it's not even funny.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: IsLNdbOi
I've been shopping around for air purifiers and noticed something odd about many of them. The intakes are usually on the back of the unit.

Shouldn't the air intakes be on the front of the units? I would like to get a tabletop air purifier like one of those Holmes brand mini tower units, but if I put it on my desk, the intake will be facing the wall unless I turn the unit around so the intake is facing the rest of my desk / the direction facing the center of my room. If I do turn it around so the intake is not facing the wall the power cord will be facing outwards and be visible.

This doesn't seem to be just Holmes brand air purifiers, the others I have seen in stores also have their intakes on the back with air blowing out the front.

Which way the air flows is irrelevant. What matters is you get an air cleaner sufficiently large for the room you are in.

Also, you WANT an air cleaner to pull air from one side and send it out another. Why? So it isn't cleaning the same air over and over in a loop and leaving the rest of the air to be basically unmoved in the room.

Finally, the most efficient place for a portable air cleaner is as near to the center of the room as possible.