If you have a newly built home in Moline, it was in all likelihood made with energy efficiency at the top of the list. This means more insulation and windows and doors with improved seals. While these advances are excellent for keeping your utility expenses under control, they’re not so good for your indoor air quality.
Your HVAC system needs to run with a filter. But if you have a flat filter, you won’t be experiencing ample filtration. This kind only delivers the bare minimum of protection by blocking dust from infiltrating your HVAC system.
While you can upgrade to a pleated filter or one with a better MERV rating, it still might not be enough filtration, particularly if someone in your residence has allergies or other respiratory troubles.
That’s where a whole-house air purifier comes in. These systems are placed within ductwork to provide mighty filtration around your residence. Depending on the kind you choose, you’ll be able to filter allergens, odors and even some viruses under certain airflow conditions.
Here are our top systems from Lennox, an industry leader in air purification.
Best Air Purifiers from Lennox
1. HEPA Air Purifiers
A HEPA air purifier, like the Healthy Climate® High-Efficiency Particulate Air Filtration System, provides top-of-the-line filtration. These filters were first developed to protect scientists as they worked on the atomic bomb. Today, they’re a staple in hospitals and other medical facilities.
The Healthy Climate HEPA Filtration System features a three-step filtration method. A prefilter catches significant irritants before the HEPA filter catches remaining miniscule particles. Then, a charcoal filter wipes out odors and chemical vapors.
The PureAir™ S Air Purification System works with all HVAC brands and seamlessly works with your smart home. It combats the three major kinds of indoor air irritants:
- Airborne particles
- Chemical odors and vapors
- Germs and bacteria, under certain airflow conditions
This air purifier can remove 99.9%* of pollutants, such as mold spores, pollen, dust and pet dander. It’s also capable of reducing or destroying 90%1 of flu and cold viruses under certain airflow conditions. And, as the result of laboratory and field studies, it removes and destroys approximately 50% of your home’s odors and chemical vapors within 24 hours.
The PureAir S comes with sensing features that make it simple to maintain. When used with an iComfort® S30 smart thermostat, you’ll receive an alert to install a new filter and UVA light.2 This home air purifier must be linked with communicating Lennox systems and the iComfort S30.
2. Media Air Cleaners
Lennox Healthy Climate® Media Air Cleaners are made in a variety of MERV ratings to match your needs. This rating determines how effective filters are at trapping contaminants. The greater the number, the greater the filtration.
The Healthy Climate Carbon Clean 16® Media Air Cleaner is recommended for families with allergy suffers and pets. This is a HEPA filter air purifier, since it has a MERV 16 rating for hospital-grade filtration. And it eliminates more than 95%3 of aggravating particles from your home’s air.
The Healthy Climate 13 Media Air Cleaner is recommended for households who desire improved protection from viruses and bacteria. This filter captures 99% of larger particles like dust, pollen and lint. And up to 54% of miniscule particles down to 0.3 microns.4
The Healthy Climate 11 Media Air Cleaner is a a fantastic air purifier for allergies and in homes with pets. It eliminates more than 87% of bigger particles down to 3 microns and more than 28% of smaller ones down to 0.3 microns.4 It’s able to offer this effective filtration without increasing the cost of using your home comfort system.
These three media air cleaners work with any brand of HVAC system. But despite that, it’s critical to know that some of the thicker ones, like MERV 16 and 13, may decrease your system’s airflow. This can inflate your utility bills.
3. UV Air Purifiers
The sun’s UV rays are the reason why you get a painful sunburn. But this kind of light has a beneficial application when concealed within your ductwork. It’s also tough enough to reduce germs, mold and fungi under certain airflow conditions.
In fact, the Healthy Climate UV Germicidal Light can reduce the concentration of airborne microorganisms by 50% in as short as 45 minutes.5 This light damages cell structure, which halts these microorganisms from flourishing and moving across your home.
And this UV air purifier can also help keep your home comfort system clean and working efficiently. It eliminates of germs, mold and fungi that are hidden in ductwork and your system itself. This UV light air purifier does all these things without making lung-aggravating ozone.6
Breathe Better with the Help of Our Air Purification Professionals
Your household’s comfort and health is our top priority at Freed Heating & Air Conditioning. We know there are many possibilities out there. That’s why we make it easy to collaborate with our indoor air quality pros. We specialize in recommending solutions that meet your needs and budget, and we’d love to hear more about your residence and your air quality problems. Call us at 309-323-9584 right away to start the process.
1Based on laboratory and field studies.
2PureAir™ S requires the iComfort® S30 and a communicating indoor unit.
3Leading consumer magazine, January 2012. Based on the published CADR, which is the standardized measurement system to determine the cubic feet of clean air produced per minute. Particles captured range in size down to 0.3 micron. One micron = 1/25,000 of an inch in diameter.
4Based on lab tests conducted on filters with conditions included in ASHRAE standard 52.2 for E1 and E3 size ranges.
5Based on constant circulation of air in the home, 3,000-square-foot home with a 5-ton air handler.
6U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Ozone Generators that are Sold as Air Cleaners: An Assessment of Effective and Health Consequences,” August 2006.