Commercial Air Purifiers and Air Scrubbers

Air scrubbers are built for active contamination control on worksites — high CFM output, multi-stage filtration, and often ductable for negative air pressure setups during construction, mould remediation, and water damage restoration. Air purifiers are designed for continuous operation in occupied spaces where the goal is maintaining clean background air quality over time — aged care, healthcare, offices, and schools. Both use HEPA filtration but serve different purposes and are sized differently for their applications.

CFM determines how many air changes per hour a unit can achieve in a given space. The calculation is: room volume in cubic feet divided by CFM equals minutes per air change — multiply to get air changes per hour. For standard commercial air quality management, four to six air changes per hour is the general guide. For mould remediation and high-hazard environments, six to twelve air changes per hour is the professional standard. Give us your room dimensions and application and we'll help you calculate the right CFM before you order.

H13 HEPA captures 99.95% of particles at 0.3 microns — appropriate for most commercial applications including offices, schools, and general healthcare settings. H14 HEPA captures 99.995% at the same particle size — ten times more efficient. For environments with immunocompromised patients, high-risk infection control requirements, or where the highest filtration standard is a compliance requirement, H14 is the appropriate specification. The Rensair unit in our range carries H14 certification.

Negative air pressure is a containment technique where an air scrubber is ducted to exhaust air outside the contaminated work area, creating lower pressure inside than in surrounding spaces. This prevents contaminated air from spreading to adjacent clean areas when doors or barriers are opened. For mould remediation, asbestos removal, and any high-contamination worksite adjacent to occupied spaces, negative air pressure is considered standard professional practice. Not all air scrubbers support ductable exhaust — confirm this before purchasing if negative pressure setups are part of your protocol.

The Rensair combines H14 HEPA filtration with integrated UV-C disinfection — the UV-C light neutralises biological pathogens trapped in the filter rather than simply capturing them. This is a meaningful difference in healthcare, aged care, and any environment where airborne infection control is a genuine operational requirement. Standard HEPA purifiers capture particles but don't inactivate them — pathogens remain viable on the filter. The Rensair's UV-C component addresses this directly. It's also a hospital-grade unit designed for continuous 24-hour operation in occupied clinical and care environments.

Air purifiers with HEPA filtration capture airborne mould spores and reduce their concentration in the air — which helps manage symptoms and reduce spore spread in spaces where mould is present. However, an air purifier is not a substitute for mould remediation. It manages airborne spores in occupied spaces while remediation is pending or ongoing, but it does not address the source. For active mould remediation work, an air scrubber in negative air pressure mode is the appropriate tool. For post-remediation ongoing air quality management, an air purifier is appropriate.

Filter replacement frequency depends on the application and operating hours. In high-contamination worksite environments — active construction, mould remediation, flood restoration — filters load significantly faster than in general office or healthcare use. Most manufacturers provide replacement intervals based on operating hours and contamination level. Running a machine past its filter replacement interval reduces filtration efficiency and can damage the motor. We stock replacement filters for the units in our range — give us a call with your model and operating conditions and we'll advise on appropriate replacement intervals.