If you’re concerned about your indoor air quality (and you should be, considering the fact that Americans spend more than 90% of their time indoors) you may have questions about the systems that are available to help keep your air clean and healthy. What is the difference between an air filter and a purifier? How do air purifiers work? And what benefits might you enjoy once your air is cleaner? We’ve got the answers for you right here.
Air Filtration Systems
Of course, your HVAC system already has an air filter in place. But it’s not there to improve your indoor air quality, it’s there to prevent dust and pet hair from gumming up the works of your heater and air conditioner. Additional filtration can be added to your HVAC system to help reduce the particles that are able to recirculate into the air you breathe. The filters are made of many folds or layers of a material that allows air to pass through but captures particles, and are often constructed from cellulose, paper, cloth, or fiberglass.
Where Filtration Falls Short
While a filter can easily trap larger particles like pet hair, and will cut down on dust, there are smaller particles that can slip through the filter and stay in the air. Some of these very small contaminants are the ones that are the most dangerous to your health: pollen, mold spores, bacteria, and viruses. This is where a UV air purifier can really shine.
How UV Air Purifiers Work
In addition to a filter, these systems utilize ultraviolet light at a very specific frequency. As particles pass through, they are inundated with this light. Tiny organisms cannot withstand this frequency of light: it literally disconnects the chemical bonds that hold them together. Once they’re unraveled, they cannot reproduce, and they definitely cannot infect you.
UV Safety
Because they’re so good at destroying these tiny pathogens, people often worry that UV lights are dangerous. And if you held it to your face for an extended period, it would not be great for you, just like sun exposure. But tucked away in your HVAC system, it’s absolutely safe. In fact, these lights have been used for decades, and can safely sanitize anything from a municipal water supply to a hospital operating room.
Air Purifier Benefits
In addition to cutting down on the dust, pet hair, and pollen accumulating on surfaces in your home, a UV air purifier in Cook, MN can dramatically improve your well-being. Higher indoor air quality means fewer allergy symptoms, fewer asthma attacks, and fewer illnesses, which means fewer missed days of work or school. When people purify their air, they report an increase in energy, a decrease in headaches, and even getting better sleep at night.
If you have any questions about your options for improving your indoor air quality, we’d love to hear from you.
Reach out to Mesaba Heating & Air Conditioning today. Service to you is success to us!