You can’t really compare this two filters because they are not the same. Each of them has advantages and disadvantages and each of them is used for a different thing. That is the reason why many air purifiers have both of this filters in their systems. Because by using the both system you make sure that your air purifier will do a complete air filtration process and remove all unwanted things from the air.
HEPA Filters are Used for Airborne Particles Removal
HEPA filters are extremely efficient against air particles. Some of the HEPA filters can remove microorganisms like bacteria and viruses from the air. But most of the HEPA filters will remove everything that is larger of 0.03 microns. All pollen, dust and mold spores will be eliminated from the air without a problem. Because of that, it is recommended to get a HEPA air purifier if you suffer from allergies or have asthma or bronchitis problems.
Some HEPA filters can get kind of expensive but if you check how good of work they do you will see that for such money you are getting a filter that will remove all the bad things from the air that your lungs don’t want to breathe.
Carbon Filters Remove Bad Odor
You would think that HEPA filter is all you need, but you also need Charcoal Activated Carbon Filter. Carbon filter job is different. Carbon filters remove bad smells and bad odors from the air (room). The technology behind this system is very different than the one used with HEPA filters. In HEPA filters fiber is put together to catch, intercept and trap air particles that move through the filter. But in Carbon filters, there is no trapping. Smoke, gas and bad odor are removed by carbon which reacts with unwanted odor and just sucks on it. The output is clean, fresh air with bad odor removed. But there is one little problem.
To have an effective air purifier which can eliminate all kinds of bad smell and even some hazardous chemicals you need to have a large carbon filter which is capable of sucking on significant amounts of bad odor. Some air purifiers just have too small carbon filters, and then you have a problem when air purifier does not remove all bad odors from the room. 3 lbs of the carbon filter is just not enough. This is too small even for smaller rooms. It is highly recommended to have a 10 lbs or larger carbon filters because that will guarantee that all bad odor is removed from the room.
I am not sure if there are air purifiers without carbon filters, maybe there are some, but the standard is that carbon filter is built in the air purifier. So if you have HEPA filter in an air purifier, you probably have a carbon filter too. But if you have the carbon filter that does not mean there is a HEPA filter also. Some air purifiers come without HEPA and are just built for removing a bad odor from the room. For example making your office more breathable and fresh you don’t require expensive air purifier with HEPA filtration system, you can get air purifier with a carbon filter and make your air fresh.
Final Verdict
There is no comparison of this two filters. If you ask me, I can suggest using both of them. One will remove viruses, bacteria’s, spores, dust, pollen and other allergens from the air, while the other will eliminate bad odor, bad smell, sweat, gas, smoke and even some hazardous chemicals. So you need both of them to make sure your health is not penetrated by the pollution in the air. Carbon filters are used in the gas mask as a protection if there is some bio chemical gas in the air that may hurt people’s health.
That technology was collected from gas mask products and moved to air purifiers, and the output is no smoke in the rooms with a smoker, no bad smell in a kitchen and no pet odor in a room with pets. Everything to make the air in your room clean and your lungs safe from pollution.
Raising awareness to air pollution, stemming in large part from our societies lack of concern of air quality over consuming, is to possibly frighten the population. Making secondhand smokestack and Fossil fuel I have been told that even by environmentalists. Glad you are trying . I am pretty much at the point of the consumer becomes the consumed. Hopefully consuming for personal health of action, rather than being consumed in the herd of reaction familiar to our society.