How an Air Purifier or UV Light Keeps Indoor Air Healthy
How an Air Purifier or UV Light Keeps Indoor Air Healthy
Because we spend much of our time indoors, keeping indoor air clean is vital to health, productivity, and quality of life. During the hot, humid summer months in the southeastern states, people spend more time in a closed indoor environment. Indoor air becomes polluted from everyday household activities and products, including cooking, household cleaners, wood-burning stoves, furnishings, and building materials. Indoor air also contains viruses and bacteria, animal dander, and pollen.
The Environmental Protection Agency recommends three ways to keep air clean: eliminate sources of pollution, increase ventilation and use effective filtration. Air purifiers and ultraviolet lights work with your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system to keep the air in your home or office clean.
Air Purifiers
Air purifiers circulate air through filters that capture pollutants and send clean air back into the living space. There are two main categories of air purifiers: portable units and those that work with HVAC systems. Portable systems are rated by a clean air delivery rate that correlates with the size of the room. The higher the number, the more pollutants the unit filters and the larger the space it can clean. Higher fan speeds and longer run times remove more pollutants.
Air purifiers work with your HVAC system to remove pollutants before they enter the living space. Standard HVAC filters are designed to capture large particulates to keep the unit clean. The higher the MERV number, the better the filtration. However, you should use only MERV-rated filters that your HVAC system's manufacturer recommends.
Ultraviolet Lights
UV light kills microorganisms and fungal spores. UV lights are installed inside ductwork, usually by the coils, to prevent the growth of microorganisms that can be transported through ducts and into your living space. The exposure time, type of UV wavelength, proximity of the pollutant to the light, and how many times the air is exchanged in a room per hour condition its effectiveness.
Contact the Experts
The "V" in HVAC stands for ventilation, critical to good air quality. The experts at AC Southeast are trained in evaluating indoor air quality needs and recommending products compatible with your HVAC system. Our contractors are trained on state-of-the-art equipment, bringing technological expertise and superior customer service to each customer. For more information about improving the indoor air in your home or office, contact us today.
