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Filters in a Large Commercial Unit
HVAC Indoor Air Quality Solutions - There are many different types of HVAC air filters. The most common type of HVAC air filters is the fiberglass disposable filter that you buy at most hardware or retail stores. Other types of HVAC air filters include the metal or plastic fiber type filters, which are washable.
These HVAC air filters save you money because they are washable, but some are not as efficient at filtering the air as the disposable kind, so they are not as good for HVAC indoor air quality as other alternatives.
HVAC Indoor Air Quality Solutions
Particulates & Compounds in the Air We Breath
By far, in my opinion, from my experience in the field, the most efficient air filters at providing the best HVAC indoor air quality with the least amount of maintenance cost are the Electronic Air Cleaners. EAC’s with UAC’s offer a good pair for cleaning your air.
The objective is to get the purest and freshest air possible for the best HVAC indoor air quality for our health. The filtering media are less expensive than the electronic air cleaners but have a higher maintenance cost associated with them because they also have disposable air conditioner filter media’s inside them.
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- Pollen
- Lint
- Mildew
- Mold
- Fungi
- Virus’s
- Spores
- Dirt
- Pet Odors
- Dust
- Dander
- Dust Mites
- Smoke
- Cooking Odors
- Formaldehyde
- Bathroom Odors
- Chemical Smells
- Tobacco Odors
- Many Other Volatile Organic Compounds
Removing these things is the job of your air filter. The standard air filters you can buy at the hardware store, the fiberglass stranded air filters, are the cheapest and most ineffective air filters for removing these particles and odors. The cheap air filter will remove less than 10 percent of these particles and none of the odors from the air that you breathe. Many people are surprised to learn the contents of the air they are breathing from the list above.
The question they most often ask themselves is, what can I do to filter these things from the air my family, coworkers, and I are breathing? The answer to that question is easy but based on what you want to spend and the level of cleanliness you want.
HVAC Indoor Air Quality Solutions - The Electronic Air Cleaner (EAC)
The best is the Electronic Air Cleaner used in conjunction with a mechanical filtering media and the UV air cleaner. The Electronic Air Cleaner, when used with the UV air cleaner, will ensure the eradication of bacteria, mold, fungi, and mildew. It is the ultraviolet light that kills these things and is in the return duct near the EAC (Electronic Air Cleaner).
When these two devices, the electronic air cleaner, and the ultraviolet air cleaner, are combined with the mechanical air filter, you can have the assurance that you have the best indoor air quality available in your dwelling. Additionally, if you had the electronic air cleaner and the ultraviolet air cleaner installed in your dwelling, changing the mechanical filters will come on a less frequent basis. That is triple protection for your families and coworkers health through increased HVAC indoor air quality.
HVAC Indoor Air Quality Solutions - Ultraviolet Air Cleaners
Ultra Violet Air Cleaners - Many of us know that ultraviolet rays are harmful to our skin if we are overexposed to the sun’s rays. That is the reason most of us use sunblock in the summer. Why are UV rays so harmful to us and most biological organisms? UV rays penetrate the cells and break down the molecular bonds in the cells. That can cause mutation of the cells and change their biological make-up. This process can be used to our advantage to improve the indoor air quality of our living and working spaces.
UV lights can be installed in your ductwork so that it may wash the air from harmful bio-organisms that live in the air and ductwork of your home or business. When the air containing these microorganisms pass through the UV light in the ductwork, the light penetrates the organism and breaks down its molecular bonds. That causes cellular and genetic damage that renders these microscopic critters harmless.
It also robs them of their ability to reproduce. Many of the items listed above can be eradicated from your system if you have one of these lights installed in your ductwork. There is an additional benefit to having UV light protection installed in your ducts. A few years back, I was reading an engineering trade journal concerning HVAC.
UV Air Cleaners in Ductwork
In this article, a contractor installed UV lights in the ducts of a huge building. In addition to the people occupying the building reporting less illness, the power bill for the building saw a reduction because the UV light eradicated mold, mildew, and other organisms that tend to grow. These things grow on the coils and reduce and restrict airflow. That causes the motors to work harder to push and pull the air where it is supposed to go.
The UV light eliminated these restrictions allowing the motors to use less power to move the air. The secondary benefit of this is reduced maintenance costs because the motors are not working so hard all the time. Therefore, they have a longer lifespan or require repair as often. A UV light installed in your ductwork can benefit more than your health; it can benefit your checkbook also.
HVAC Indoor Air Quality Solutions - Conclusion
In addition to all these things, you can also have your home tested for Radon and other harmful things. For a list of things that can be harmful to your health see the EPA website listed below. They also list ways to help HVAC Indoor Air Quality for better health.
Here is a link to the EPA website that will help you learn more about HVAC Indoor Air Quality. EPA Website.
HVAC Indoor Air Quality Solutions
