A fan is a simple device with a simple function to blow and circulate air. It is one of the most common and everyday used devices. It hasn’t had any special purpose other than blowing air for years. We as a whole has not just made progress in medicine or technology or any other domains but we have also started implementing these technologies in different everyday objects. One of the simple examples is the ionizing fan.
A Cooling fan, an essential for every home. Ionized means it is Ion capable then it is a valuable addition. Many fans come with many other features and an additional Ion feature.
So what does “ION” mean on a fan? To put it simply, it is a feature that helps you provide clean and pure air. Not all the fans in the market have this feature. It works best for the areas which don’t have heavy dust particles.
What exactly does ION mean on a fan?
“ION” stands for the ionizer function or the negative ions generator of any device. Which in our case is a fan.
Usually, the ION feature is present on fans in form of a button. It indicates its feature to remove the dust particle. It is up to you to use this feature or not by activating it or not.
The ionizing fan has two functions. It is used to clean and cool the air at the same time. The cleaned feeling is often described as the one a person feels after a thunderstorm when the air is fresh and light. There are many ionizing fans out of which the Lasko Ionizer fan is most common.
Negative Ions
Negative ions are molecules with charged electricity and float in the air. They have multiple benefits which include:
- Reduces depression and stress
- Help uplift mood
- Help with the immune system and metabolism
- Also helps with sleep
- It also helps with seasonal affective disorder
- Help reduce the indoor air pollution
Ionizing process
For a better understanding of ions and ionizing fans, it is necessary to understand the process of ionization. Ionization is a process that happens when air comes in contact with any energy source. This process results in the release of positive and negative ions in the atmosphere where we breathe in.
According to some research, these ions affect a person’s mood and stress level. It is for this reason that some experts and therapists recommend using these kinds of products to release stress and improve mood to even cure depression. These kinds of products are also recommended by many doctors and medical experts to those who have dust allergies.
The process of ions and the production of ions into the atmosphere shouldn’t be confused with ozone production. Even if the fan has the feature of ozone production, you will have the authority to control it for safety reasons. In the case of ozone production, it is always advised to have it at the lowest setting possible or not use it at all.
Working mechanism
To put it simply, Ion means that the fan is capable to release negative ions into the atmosphere. By doing so, these negative ions interact with the positive ions and both get combined into a single air particle.
They both attract the impurities and eliminate them which helps in cleaning the air from these impurities. These impurities could be moulds, dust, pollen, etc…
The attraction process is done because it combines with air particle forms a cluster with the pollutants which as a result becomes heavier than the pure particle. This as a result couldn’t float in the air any longer and falls. These heavier particles fall down on different surfaces which include walls, ground, and different objects.
For using the ionizing fans, it needs to be turned on which means it gives you the choice whether you want to use the fans with the ionizer or as a regular fan.
Uses
There are multiple benefits of using an ionizer fan. Some of its uses and advantages are listed below.
- It is used by many people who have different allergies like pollen or even dust. This Ion feature in a fan enables them to minimize these impurities content in the air and allow them to breathe in fresh and clean air.
- It is used as a stress reliever. It helps in providing a good night sleep.
- These ionized fans are not expensive compared to different air purifiers.
- They are easy to use and clean.
It doesn’t claim to remove the dust particles 100% but the percentage is reduced to a minimum level of dust particles and impurities.
Cons
From any advantages, the ionizer fans have some disadvantages which are listed below.
- They are famous for creating a “grey wall syndrome”. It means that the walls get dustier and requires more cleaning than usual.
- The ionizer gets dirty faster than normal fans as it produces the ionization process.
- Any electronic and magnetized device attracts the heavier dust particle and requires to be cleaned more often.
- If the ionizing fan is not cleaned often, the dust will build up which will affect its performance.
- These ionizing fans are not useful in an environment where the pollutants are large.
- It might cause breathing problems to some people rather than improve it.
- The speed of these kinds of fans is low.
- It cannot be used against viruses.
Ionizing Fans- Safe to use…
After understanding the working mechanism of these ionizing fans the next question that most people have and want an answer for is Whether these ionizing fans safe to use? What are these negative ions and what exactly happens if a person inhales these negative ions?
This is a legitimate question as negative ions are released into the air. According to experts, these ions are safe to inhale. In reality, these ions are already present in the air which we breathe in without these ionizing fans.
These fans are safe to use if they only have the ionization feature. Fans that have the ozone production capability, are a big NO.
You should purchase fans that only produces ions and not ozone. As the ozone can be lethal.
As the ionization process, ozone is created to a minimum to zero level which is not dangerous. The simple task that you can do to check if the ozone content is increased in the air is that you will experience a weird smell which is due to ozone. The weird smell that ozone has a resemblance to is the thunderstorm scent but it might be similar to pungent, bleach, and even antiseptic like smell for you to identify.
The reality behind its working mechanism- Final Verdict
A lot of people doubt the fact that does these ionizing fans work as commonly defined? and what does ION means on a fan? These fans are not common as other fans out in the market and cost more. Are they worth it or not?
All these questions are legit and should be cleared. All these questions are answered in this article “What does Ion mean on a fan?”
The answer to all the doubts is the quality of these ionizing fans. Different manufactures produce these fans. Some good and some bad experimental results.
If you want to experience these ionizing fans, then you should go for the one with the maximum capability to remove these impurities from the air. Finding the best ionizing fan might be hard but not impossible.
One of the opinions that exist and does has some reality to it is that these fans do have low speed and the ionizing power is also not strong enough. Upon research of these fans, the results are average for those ionizing fans which have high ionizing power whereas, ionizing fans with average power are of no use.
It is often noted in different researches and experiments that these fans have their effect near them or to a small distance which is not very impressive.
There are much different air purifying and ionizing portable and other gadgets that people use for more lasting and large distance effects.
It is also to note that these ions have a short life which also raises the questions of their usage. It is often recommended to use air purifiers than ionizing fans but still, there is no harm in using these fans. They do contribute to removing the impurities from the air to some extent.
Summary
The simple answer to the question “What does Ion means on a fan?” is that it means that your fan produces ions into the air that attract the positive ions already present in the air. This process is called ionization and it helps in reducing the impurities in the air.
There are multiple advantages of using it. Out of which the biggest advantage is that it helps you breathe in cleaner air. It also gives a cooling effect to the people.
There are still some measures that you must keep in mind if you are using an ionizing fan. These fans require more cleaning than any ordinary fans. Secondly and most importantly, one should avoid purchasing the fan with ozone production. As it can be dangerous, if not controlled carefully.
With the increasing percentage of air pollution, it is highly recommended to use a fan with the ionizing feature. It helps you breathe cleaner air by removing impurities to some extent.