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If you’re concerned about the air quality inside your home, upgrading your HVAC system with an air purifier is a great way to go. The EPA estimates that the quality of the air inside a typical home is anywhere from two to five times worse than the air outside the home. Mold spores, pollen, dust mites, combustion fumes and formaldehyde are just a few of the allergens and pollutants that you’re breathing in daily. While there is no way to stop these contaminants from being present in the home, an HVAC air purifier can filter them out so that you don’t have to constantly breathe them in. With this in mind, here is everything you need to know about the different HVAC air purifiers and how they work to keep indoor air clean.
Whole-Home Air Filtration Systems
The most common type of HVAC air purifier is a whole-home air filtration system. These units work with your HVAC system to filter the air inside the home and offer much better protection than your HVAC air filter alone. A typical HVAC air filter is most only effective at trapping dust and other large airborne particles to prevent them from damaging your HVAC equipment. However, they are mostly ineffective at filtering out smaller particles, such as dust mites, bacteria, gas fumes, secondhand smoke and VOCs (volatile organic compounds).
A whole-home filtration system adds an extra level of protection and ensures that you’re not constantly breathing in these potentially harmful particles. These systems use a filter or series of filters that are far more effective than a typical HVAC air filter at trapping even the smallest airborne particles. For instance, the Lennox Pure Air filtration system uses a hospital-grade MERV 16 filter that traps 99% of larger particles like dust, pollen and pet dander and over 90% of bacteria, viruses and other smaller airborne particles.
Best of all, a whole-home air filtration system provides these benefits using no additional energy or making any noise. Instead, these units rely on your existing HVAC system to force air through the filter. This means that they work whenever your air conditioning, heating or fan are running.
Ionizing Air Purifiers
Ionizing systems like the iWave air purifier can also clean your home’s air. Instead of using a filtration system, these units use ionization technology. These units produce a constant flow of positively and negatively charged ions, and these ions react with airborne particles. When the ions come into contact with an airborne particle, they automatically attach themselves to it. This increases both the size and the weight of the particles.
Making the particles larger makes it so that your home’s HVAC air filter will trap much more of them than it would otherwise. Increasing the weight of the particles also causes them to sink to the floors and surfaces. This ensures that you don’t have to breathe them in. It also helps you to rid your home of these pollutants and contaminants every time you wipe down your countertops, vacuum and mop your floors, etc.
Air Scrubbers
An air scrubber is another type of air purification system that is essentially a combination of the previous two and gives you the best of both worlds. These units contain both an extremely efficient air filter and an ionizer that works in tandem to eliminate up to 99% of all airborne particles in only 24 hours. As with an ionization system, the unit sends out charged ions that can actually deactivate or kill most bacteria and viruses. They also use an electrostatic air filter that attracts the charged particles to make them easier to filter out.
As with air filtration systems, an air scrubber uses a hospital-grade filter that provides the highest level of residential air filtration available. However, these units also have an ionizer, which means they eliminate particles not only from the air but also from all the surfaces in your home.
Professional Air Quality Solutions and Services
At Simmons Heating & Cooling, we are experts in indoor air quality and carry a range of air purifier systems, including the Lennox Pure Air, iWave and Air Scrubber systems. As a full-service HVAC contractor in Chesapeake, VA, we specialize in a wide range of heating and cooling services. Some of the equipment we work on includes ductless HVAC systems, geothermal systems, heat pumps, furnaces and air conditioners. We also work on boilers, water heaters, radiant heating, generators and more. To learn more about the benefits an air purifier can bring to your home, contact the pros at Simmons Heating & Cooling today.
