Air Cleaner For Aviary - 5 Best Features To Have

Air Cleaner For Aviary - 5 Best Features To Have

by Debbie Davis

Birds in captivity really thrive when an air purifier is used to keep the air clean. A cleaner that has the following 5 features will help you choose the right unit so there are no surprises when it meets your birds.

Self-sustaining---Whether your aviary has one or 20 birds or more, you need an air purifier to remove the pollutants that have the potential to cause health problems for you and the birds. Being able to rely on it to do the job without a lot of fuss over it from you is invaluable. The minute you stop filtering the air, the air quality suffers as pollutants are allowed to hang around and accumulate.

Since filtration is not an instant process but requires time to effectively remove the pollutants, you and your pets will be forced to breathe air that is less than healthy until the cleaner catches up.

Non-stop Cleaning Capability---This is such an important feature to have in a unit. Since the slightest movement by birds or people can stir up light-weight particles, effective filtration must be continuous.. It is the only way air quality can remain healthy. A split-capacitor motor listed in the technical specifications will confirm that it can run 24 hours a day without having to rest.

Healthy Emissions---It's really important to avoid units that emit ozone, and/or ionized particles. Both of these filtration methods continue to be controversial. Different studies yield different results about how much or how little of either of these by-products cause potential health problems.

Why take a chance on by-products that may be risky? There's no reason to do that when HEPA filtration has a known track record of being safe. It's so safe that hospitals use it to keep their air healthy.

Multiple Filtration Stages---Since particulates in the bird room come in all shapes and sizes, the filters in the cleaner should closely match the sizes that it will need to remove. Stay away from a unit that only contains 1 filter. Relying on a single filter means that you will either stop filtration in order to clean the filter or increase the cost of running the unit by having to replace the filter frequently. Neither of these are good choices.

There should be filters that trap large and medium size particles that can be seen in the air. These should be the first line of defense in the unit because they are relatively cheap. It will also save you money because the pre-filter can be changed cheaply and will save the more expensive microscopic filter from filling with particles that the cheaper filter can trap.

HEPA (abbreviated as high efficiency particle arresting) filters are safe and efficient. Any filter with this title must have shown that it can remove all but 3 out of every 10,000 airborne particles that are.3 microns or greater.

And lastly, there should be a filter that can effectively eliminate gases and airborne chemicals. Otherwise, you will need 2 filters---one for particles and one for gaseous pollutants. It makes sense to have both these filters included as a way to save space, money, and your time.

Rugged Construction---Birds explore things that they are curious about with their beaks and feet. Taking this into account before you make a decision will save you money and possibly heartbreak.

Steel is tough and can withstand the attention that strong beaks and claws can dish out. Cleaning is also easy. Particles can be removed easily by vacuuming it, and anything not removed easily with the vacuum can be wiped off with a damp cloth.

The other advantage with steel is that, unlike many plastics, it will not off gas noxious fumes should the motor heat up the case. This is a huge advantage since birds are highly sensitive to gases and odors.