Air purifiers are essentially systems that can remove odors, dust, different kinds of airborne particles, and even ozone from the air. These systems are sometimes found to be sparking or popping. While an occasional spark won’t hurt, it’s a matter of concern if the purifier sparks repetitively.
Wondering – why does my air purifier spark? Well, if it’s sparking continuously, perhaps there’s a large particle inside it. However, there may be other reasons too.
In this article, we’ll discover all the different reasons that can cause this, and we’ll also discuss the relevant fixes.
Why Is My Air Purifier Sparking?
Air purifiers mainly spark because of their design and the way they function. It’s to be noted that not all air purifier doesn’t function in the same way. This problem is found mostly with purifiers that generate ions.
For example, the Oreck air purifier. So, if you’re thinking, why is my Oreck air purifier sparking, then the answer would be because it’s an ion-generating air purifier.
While drawing air and airborne particles into the purifier, these systems create an electric field. This field charges the particles, which in turn can be drawn easily into the system by the fan.
Once they’re inside the grille, the particles are directed toward an internal chamber. This chamber contains a metallic plate with a charge opposite to the particles. So, the particles are attracted to the plate.
This is how the plate collects the particles from the air. However, once the particles hit the plate, they create an energy burst. As the particles are usually minuscule, the sound generated from the burst isn’t audible. With big articles, an electric zap can be heard.
The sound heard from this process is similar to the sound made by bug zappers.
How to Prevent My Air Purifier from Sparking?
While it’s okay if they spark occasionally, repetitive sparks can be concerning. Here are some quick fixes that may aid you.
Clean the Filter
You may hear excessive popping when the air is too dusty. Fortunately, this can be fixed with a few simple steps. In this case, you need to disassemble the system and take out the filters. Cleaning the filters should solve the problem.
However, it’s to be noted that every system is assembled differently, and reassembling them might be a hassle. So, we highly recommend referring to the manual of the particular model. You can also take pictures in every step of disassembly so you can figure out how to put them back up.
Clean the Electrodes
Another thing that may cause this is high humidity. If the air is too humid, the moisture may condense on the electrodes and the wires. This sometimes can short-circuit and damage the system.
In these cases, you need to plug the system off. Then, carefully wipe the electrodes and the surrounding wires with a dry cloth. This should stop the crackling.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you now know why does your air purifier spark. Although it’s not an issue if the purifier sparks occasionally, it’d be concerning if the unit crackles constantly. So, in the latter case, we’d recommend following the steps mentioned above. With a few simple actions, you’ll be able to stop the sparking and prevent any accident from happening.
Last Updated on January 1, 2023
