That happy feeling when you take a deep breath of fresh air doesn’t only have to be an outdoor thing. Indoor spaces can get great air quality, too!
We use AC units and furnaces to correct our indoor comfort level, but cleanliness should be equally important. No one wants to breathe dust and mold and other funky smells wafting from your kitchen trash can. Luckily, some quick upgrades to your ductwork can help keep your air healthy.
How It Works: UV Air Purification Light
It kind of like sounds like a mouthful, but UV air purifiers aren’t as mysterious as they might seem. They’re basically special types of lights that work as air cleaners. These versions of ultraviolet rays are used to break up the cell structure of airborne contaminants and remove them from your indoor air. They work great against mold, mildew, and bacteria—plus all those weird home odors that scented candles won’t ever be able to remove.
Some UV lights (also called “germicidal lights”) will even work when your HVAC system isn’t running. This helps ensure that once it’s installed, you can expect an around-the-clock boost in your overall air quality. Because the UV light units are installed right in your ductwork, any air circulating through your system will get treated. And because they don’t have to be compatible with any particular air conditioner or furnace, they’re essentially a universal HVAC upgrade.
No matter what equipment you’re already using, a UV light can be a really smart add-on. They help keep your ductwork clean by killing mold—and yes, even fungi—which can even extend the life of your HVAC equipment and efficiency.
Types of UV Light Air Cleaners
No matter how new or old your home might be, airborne contaminants are always going to be an issue. Air cleaners help you stop the problem from getting worse and let you breathe air that’s nice and clean. Our two favorites are made by Lennox and APCO.
Lennox Healthy Climate UV Light
This air cleaner fights germs without putting any ozone into your home environment. (Other germicidal lights on the market can’t make the same claim.) The Lennox Healthy Climate UV light has also been shown to reduce airborne microorganisms by half, in just 45 minutes.
APCO Fresh-Aire UV Light
This model also reduces bacteria and viruses in your home, helping to eliminate odors for good. A special carbon cell in the APCO system captures the airborne contaminants. It also has a neat method for self-cleaning its inner coil to prevent mold growth.
These UV lights are also great solutions for smaller commercial properties. If your air at the office is a little “off,” you might consider getting one of these units installed. Fresh air can make a big difference in how relaxed and focused your feel throughout the day!
Seasonal Savings for UV Lights
From now until August 31, 2017, we’re offering our Indy-area homeowners a special discount on UV lights. It’s all part of our LCS Heating & Cooling Seasonal Special! We rotate these offers throughout the year to give you great savings on all kinds of home comfort products. Just reach out and schedule your installation before the end of August to get the discount—it’s valid for all new UV air purification light installs.
Any questions in the meantime? Be sure to give our offices a call at (317) 238-3961 or send a message through our Contact Us page. We’d be happy to schedule an in-home consultation to review your current setup and discuss these systems in more detail. Once you make the switch, you’ll be amazed at how refreshing your home's air can be!
People who suffer from seasonal allergies have been hit hard in 2017. Allergy symptoms flared up as early as February, and Indiana Public Media put the blame on our mild winter and early spring weather. So how do you get relief? Load up on allergy meds? Close yourself off to Mother Nature?
There’s no real clear-cut solution, but a lot of homeowners are getting help with whole-home purifiers. Air filters that work around the clock—and in every room—can actually be pretty effective against your toughest allergens.
Air Cleaners vs. Pollen
It would be awesome to have a magic wand that could take away all the pollen in your home. (We’d even be happy with one to get rid of dust!) Of course, this “magic solution” doesn’t exist. Pollen and allergens are part of life and the changing seasons. But having a whole-home air cleaner can help you manage the issues.
You see, the challenge with pollen is that the particles are a lot larger than other airborne contaminants. This means that any pollen from outside often settles in your home—on your bookshelf, couch, windowsill, you name it—before getting carried through to your air filter. But regular vacuuming, dusting, or just walking around your home can then stir these particles into the air again. The upside to this is having an in-duct particle removal system. Having the right air cleaner can help you remove those airborne pollen and dust particles, germs and bacteria, and even odors in your home’s air.
Benefits of Whole-Home Air Purifiers
Typically called whole-home purifiers, these units actually do a great job at removing larger airborne particles. The EPA even notes that high-efficiency filters are good at capturing pollen, dust, dust mites, animal dander, and certain molds.
The real benefit of whole-home air cleaners is that they help address air quality issues everywhere in your home. Unlike portable units, you’re not limited to one room. Because in-duct units connect right to your furnace, they’re able to treat the air as it cycles throughout your home. With these kinds of systems, it’s a lot easier to tackle tough air problems whenever they arise.
Lennox PureAirTM Systems
When it comes to indoor air purifiers, we love working with the Lennox PureAir systems for homeowners. Because they filter your air in multiple stages, you’re able to address the top three airborne issues in your home. This includes airborne particles, germs and bacteria, and chemical odors. These systems come with a lot of other perks, too:
- Whole-Home Application
- Reduces and destroys ozone
- Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV): MERV-16
- Compatible with all HVAC system types
- 5-Year Limited Warranty on covered components
The Lennox PureAir Cleaner also uses a carbon catalyst filter and UV bulbs. The UV light cleaners are key for these units because they kill bacteria and mold when the air passes through your system. You can even get a Lennox UV Light on its own—without the full PureAir system. The UV light installs directly on the furnace and goes to work right away.
All in all, air cleaners can offer some great benefits for homeowners who are serious about kicking their allergy issues and finding some relief. When your indoor air is regularly cleaned and fresh, it’s a lot easier to kick back and relax!
If you’ve been struggling with allergies this season or poor indoor air quality, give LCS a call. We’re always happy to consult with Indy-area homeowners on the best units for their lifestyle! Plus, we’ve got some great deals going for UV Air Purification Lights, available now through August 31, 2017.
People will sometimes associate their indoor air quality with things like scented candles, carpet refreshers, and fragrance plug-ins. We all want to live in homes that don’t “smell bad,” but those scented store products won’t actually take care of any air problems. According to the EPA, the level of air pollutants we’re exposed to indoors is often five times higher than any outdoor pollutant levels, so it’s especially important that our indoor air is properly filtered. Forget the fancy perfumes—if you want a clean and fresh-smelling home, the key is that it shouldn’t smell like anything!
When you’re looking to get your house smelling better, your filtration system is a good first line of defense. It catches dust and other particles in the air to keep your home’s ventilation system from blowing extra contaminants throughout. Replacing your filters regularly will help boost your home’s air quality, but if you really want to neutralize odors, you’ll need more than a good air filter.
In order to tackle the allergens and mold in their indoor air, a lot of homeowners end up adding a UV light to their whole-home filtration system. Think of these lights as special, powerful air cleaners. The UV unit tackles air quality problems that are too complicated for your filter—things like odors and pathogens. We like installing the APCO UV light because it doesn’t create any ozone indoors as it attacks the mold, airborne bacteria and viruses, and odors in your air. The light filters your air by transforming the contaminants into CO2 and water vapor. And with the air contaminants eliminated, you get an unscented home!
The “unscented” part of home air quality is key. A filter can help with dust, but addressing any lingering smells requires a more advanced system, like a UV light. We don’t want the cat’s litter box, stale smoke, pungent cleaning solutions, that fresh coat of paint, or the smell of last night’s dinner wafting into our bedrooms (no matter how delicious it was). Air solutions that truly neutralize odors won’t just mask other smells, they’ll eliminate them. And they won’t leave any scent behind either. That’s the whole point of a UV filter—it takes care of the air pollutants that a filter can’t handle alone.
Independent studies from an allergy testing lab have proven that our go-to UV light removes microbes and VOCs and other air pollutants in your home, but the APCO manufacturer has other perks too. We already mentioned it’s ozone-free. Another bonus is that the APCO’s carbon cells don’t ever get dirty in the air purification process. Unlike other electronic air filters, this one doesn’t have parts that need to be cleaned or replaced every month or two. There’s even a lifetime warranty on the unit itself, plus it has a 2-year bulb rather than just a 1-year bulb like
most other UV units.
By effectively removing airborne pathogens like mold, bacteria, viruses, and other smelly odors, this special kind of filtration helps you get fresh air circulating in your home every day. UV systems are easy to uninstall too—so if you ever end up moving, you can take your current system with you and keep that good air flowing at your new address!
A great UV light keeps your home smelling nice and neutral. If you have any questions about the right type of filtration system for you home, please give us a call or leave us a message below. For the best air quality, unscented is definitely the way to go!