Every time you walk into your house, airborne allergens are hitching a ride on your clothing. Further, indoor sources of pollution, such as dust and chemicals from cleaning solutions, can also degrade indoor air quality. Having a good air-purification system can greatly reduce the number of particles circulating in your home.
Even though most forced-air systems come equipped with a filtration device, it is generally not designed to remove allergens and restore indoor air quality to healthy levels. An air-purification system, however, can filter particles down to 0.01 microns in size. In general, these types of systems are comprised of three separate components that filter air near to the standards of hospitals and surgical wards.
An air-purification system attaches directly to your existing forced-air equipment. As air is drawn in, it is filtered by a pleated media device designed to remove particles, including pollen and pet dander. The air then passes over ultraviolet (UV) lights to destroy bacteria and mold. The final component, a catalyst, works in combination with the UV lights to take care of odors and chemical vapors.
A whole-house air-purification system pulls allergens from every inch of your home, and some systems are capable of reducing up to 50 percent of the allergens within 24 hours of installation. A portable system, on the other hand, is much less efficient and can generally clean the air in just one room.
With these allergy-causing particles removed from your home, you will experience fewer bouts of sneezing and coughing. This will reduce the stress on your immune system so it can better fight off germs, bacteria and viruses. And if you are one of the approximately 25 million Americans that suffer from asthma, an indoor air purification system can significantly reduce the number of attacks you experience.
For more expert advice about air purification and other issues related to home comfort, please contact us at T.F. O’Brien Cooling & Heating. Serving the Long Island area, we’re always happy to help.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Air quality image via Shutterstock