Your AC keeps you cool. It does not clean your air.
We run ACs for 8 to 10 months a year. Understanding what they actually do is one of the most important things for your family's health.
In brief
- AC filters are G3/G4 grade, designed to protect the machine, not your lungs. PM2.5, mould spores and VOCs pass straight through.
- Most split ACs recirculate indoor air with no fresh outdoor exchange. Whatever is in the air stays in the air.
- The evaporator coil is cold and wet, a mould accumulation site. Between annual cleans, mould spores distribute every time it runs.
- Indian homes seal ACs for 6 to 10 months a year. Combined with gas cooking and outdoor infiltration, this is exactly the condition H13 HEPA filtration was designed for.
What your AC actually does
Yes, your AC does this
Cools the air. Dehumidifies, partially. Filters large dust particles above 10 microns.
No, your AC does not do this
Filter PM2.5 (2.5 micron particles). Remove VOCs or formaldehyde. Kill mould spores or bacteria. Bring in fresh outdoor air.
AC filter vs. H13 HEPA: not the same category
| AC filter | H13 HEPA | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | G3 / G4 | Medical grade |
| What it catches | Particles above 10 microns, large dust and lint | 99.97%+ of particles down to 0.3 microns, including PM2.5, pollen, mould and bacteria |
| Built for | Protecting the AC unit. PM2.5 passes straight through. | Protecting your lungs. |
What happens when your AC runs without purification
Recirculation seals pollutants in
Most split ACs recirculate indoor air. Any PM2.5, VOC or allergen present keeps cycling through the room, hour after hour.
AC units accumulate mould
The evaporator coil is cold and wet, ideal for mould growth. Most Indian ACs are cleaned once a year. Between cleans, mould spores distribute every time it runs.
Sealed rooms concentrate every indoor source
Cooking particles, VOCs from furniture, CO2 from breathing. Concentration rises steadily all day with no ventilation and no filtration.
The India-specific problem
Indian households run ACs for 6 to 10 months a year. Open-flame cooking, incense, high outdoor PM2.5 infiltration and monsoon mould combine to make an Indian AC-sealed home substantially worse than global standards assume.
The solution is not to stop using your AC. It is to add H13 HEPA filtration for what the AC was never designed to handle.
Common beliefs, and the reality
“My AC has an antibacterial, ioniser or UV mode, so I am covered.”
Antibacterial coatings degrade within months. Ionisers can produce ozone, itself a lung irritant. UV requires long contact time to be effective. None of these match certified H13 HEPA for particle removal in real conditions.
“I keep my house clean, so the air is fine.”
Cleaning disturbs settled particles and temporarily raises PM2.5. Cooking, breathing, pets and furnishings generate pollution continuously. Surface cleanliness does not address airborne particulates.
Your AC and KyoAir work together
Keep the AC for comfort. Add KyoAir Vortex for H13 HEPA filtration of PM2.5, VOCs and allergens: the part your AC was never built to handle.