Your Central Air System and a Healthy Home
Indoor Air Quality
Our health is dependent on the air we breathe. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), air inside our homes can be more than five times more polluted than the air outside! Dust mites, indoor allergens, everyday household use of chemicals and even damp and cool areas including basements can hinder indoor air quality. Air purification can be achieved through additions such as UV lights and media filters to your heating and cooling system.
UV Lights
Ultraviolet light or UV light has proven to be one of the best ways to increase indoor air quality. UV light is the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that lies beyond the "purple" or visible edge of the spectrum. Both airborne bacteria and viruses can be controlled using this "germicidal range" of the UV spectrum.
How the UV Light process works
- The perfect breeding ground for dangerous molds and micro-organisms is the moist air inside the ducts of an air conditioning unit.
- The stagnant air then spreads throughout the HVAC system, threatening indoor air quality.
- Germicidal UV light penetrates the micro-organism, either killing the cell or preventing additional organisms to spawn. The purified air is circulated through the HVAC system and your home.
Air Purification
There are, however, measures that can be taken to lessen the effects of mold, pet dander, allergens and environmental air pollutants in our homes. Since the home is essentially an enclosed system, we are able to take pollution head-on because the air is artificially moved around in our homes. Through air purification, we can remove many of the pollutants that cause discomfort.
At a basic level, an air purification systems should filter out the particles that cause irritation such as pollen, spores, dust and other contaminates that circulate in our homes everyday. In order for any air cleaner to work correctly, the particles need to pass through it. Hence, if the particles are not in the air stream (i.e., dust on furniture), it is unreasonable to assume that these particles will be removed. However, a good air purifier will:
- Remove allergy-causing particles that pass through it.
- Perform Well Consistently
- Are Economical to Maintain
- Handle a Large Volume of Air Efficiently
Media Filters and Your Health
These units use high efficiency pleated media to remove larger particles with over 99% efficiency, including many allergens. With irritants in the spore and pollen range, they are as effective as HEPA filters. Media Filters differ is in their capability to filter out the super small particulate such as bacteria, viruses and respirable dust. Media filters are cost effective compared to HEPA filters because the media is usually less expensive and generally needs to be replaced only once every one or two years.
