Your in your home most of your life. The average person is in there home 12 or more hours a day. The quality of the air inside of it is important. To you and your loved ones. Your homes air quality can be dramatically changed by your air conditioner for better or worse. It can damage your body and it can damage a home. A clean and properly maintained air conditioner can help with these issues
How To Improve Air Quality In Your Home
Contact a licensed HVAC contractor to help you address any problems you may have. With proper maintenance one of these issues can be easily addressed and can lead you to better air quality.
A/C HEPA Filters
Filters are the first line in defense again irritants. It stops the debris, dirt, dust and anything else floating around in the air. The filter protects the air conditioning units evaporator coil from getting dirty and you breathing it in. There are many sizes and types of filters. The MERV rating is important. Higher the MERV the more it will catch. HEPA filters (high-efficiency particulate absorbing) filters are stronger and more effective, and are therefore preferred. HEPA filters can remove up to 99.97 percent of airborne particles and making them extremely effective air sanitizers. The filters are primarily comprised of fiberglass fiber mats, which trap particles as an air stream flows through. The effectiveness of a HEPA filter largely depends on the diameter of the fiber and the filter’s thickness.
HEPA filters trap particles using several different approaches. First, they intercept particles as the air flows through the filter, and particles within close proximity to a fiber are caught and trapped. In addition to catching debris, increasing air-flow and curving the air stream can instigate impaction, as the particles directly collide with the fibers and are caught. Diffusion is a process that uses gas collision to separate the smallest particles, slowing them down as they pass through the filter and increasing their chances of getting caught by a fiber. Because of HEPA filters’ high level of efficiency, they are commonly used in the medical sector to remove bacteria and prevent contamination and are often used in clean rooms and highly sanitized hospital wards. We now use this technology in your home.
Ultraviolet Lights
Germicidal or UV Lights for HVAC systems are used to kill the DNA of germs, viruses, mold spores, bacteria and fungi as they pass through the air handler system.
A strategically placed UV light is very effective at killing close to one hundred percent of these harmful pollutants. Installing a UV HVAC system in your the air handler provides a cost-effective method to clean all the air as it passes through the system.
UV lights for HVAC are designed to use a particular wavelength of light 254 nanometers that is absorbed by the DNA of microorganisms. After exposure to the UV light, the organisms are unable to produce the proteins they need to survive. Although the UV light does not kill the germs immediately, it nullifies their ability to cause harm and shortens their life span considerably. These lights are now being used in hospitals, commercial buildings and even cruise ships.
Air Conditioner Unit With Humidity Control
Rheem have designed air conditioner units that control humidity. Humidity can destroy a home with mold and cause an unhealthy environment. Controlling the humidity can prevent mold and control dust mites. Dust mites are the bane of allergy sufferers. About ten percent of the population is allergic to them, while around eighty percent of those with allergies are allergic to dust mites.
They’re also very difficult to kill. Yet dust mites can be killed by extreme temperatures and humidity levels. Let’s look at what environmental conditions can kill them and how you can use this information to eliminate dust mites in your home.
Dust mites love humidity levels of 75 to 80 percent (relative humidity). They can survive at humidity levels of 55 and 65 percent. Humidity levels below 50 percent kill them. This is because they don’t drink water like most animals we see. Instead, they absorb moisture directly from the air.