Install UV Lights, Boost Germ Control
Whole-house air purification filters capture microorganisms in your air, but only UV lights kill them. Even coarse filters with MERV ratings as low as six can remove most large inorganic particulates like dust. High-efficiency filters rated 16 on the MERV scale can take out 95 percent of living microorganisms that are known allergens, including mold spores, pollen, bacteria and viruses. But these biological pollutants can survive and even thrive inside filter media, then spread throughout your HVAC system, contaminating components and the air quality in living spaces.
Ultraviolet light is a spectrum of light just below what’s visible to humans. It has a proven germicidal effect on microorganisms and has long been used in medical applications. UV light in the C wavelength penetrates the cell walls of microorganisms like airborne mold spores and bacteria, destroying the contaminants outright or disrupting their DNA so they can’t reproduce.
In a whole-house air purification system, UV lamps install directly into the HVAC ducts at the air handler. Unlike portable air cleaners that treat air only in individual rooms, a whole-house system treats all household air with UV light, because the entire air volume of your home circulates through your HVAC system multiple times daily.
The germicidal strength of UV air purification is related to the wattage of the lamps. Most whole-house units are available in low- or high-wattage models. UV lamps may be installed in ducts as individual units or as part of a whole-house filter array. These devices incorporate a high-efficiency MERV 16 filter, a germicidal UV lamp and a photocatalytic screen that breaks down vapors and odors.
Family-owned in Cincinnati since 1910, Apollo Home Heating, Cooling and Plumbing has served generations of homeowners. Call us at (513) 268-8400 for more information on safeguarding your whole-house air quality with UV lights.