If you’re worried about the indoor air quality (IAQ) in your Plainfield, IL home, your HVAC system is the first place to look. It has a significant role in the quality of air your family breathes. Not only does it regulate humidity and filter your air, but it’s also capable of harboring many common pathogens. It can either help or harm you. With the proper integrated HVAC UV sanitizer, you can ensure that your HVAC system supports a healthy household. These units can also increase the efficiency of your heating and cooling equipment.
1. Minimize Allergies and Limit the Spread of Illness
Germicidal UV lights halt the growth of airborne pathogens like viruses, mold, and bacteria and have been used for more than a century in laboratory and healthcare settings. When installed in HVAC air ducts or air handlers, they eliminate harmful germs as they pass over their sanitizing, ultra-violet (UV) bulbs.
For those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, or allergies, mold and mildew formation are constant concerns. UV lights break these aggressive fungal growths down before they permeate the indoor air, irritate the airways, and trigger a host of unpleasant symptoms.
You might have problems with mold and mildew in your home if you recently had a:
- Roof or ceiling leak
- Foundation damage
- Crawlspace leak
- Flood
On the other hand, many houses are simply mold-prone, especially if you have a busy household. Dailey activities like cooking, showering, and generating moisture in other ways can leave you with condensation-covered windows and damp drywall. Moreover, mold isn’t always an indoor issue. Heavily shaded homes and properties with damp leaves and other organic materials on the ground are often surrounded by mold spores. These spores enter your living space whenever a household member opens a window or door. With a UV air sanitizer installed, you can make sure that these unwanted invaders don’t take root.
When it comes to communicable illnesses, your HVAC system could be circulating airborne germs from room to room. If one person in your household gets ill, this doesn’t necessarily mean everyone else must follow suit. UV sanitization systems can eliminate the viruses, bacteria, and other pathogens in a sneeze’s or cauph’s micro-fine aerosols. Adding a UV air sanitizer to your home is a great way to prevent or minimize the spread of illness from one family member to the next.
2. Freshen Your Indoor Air
UV sanitizing lights can also make your home smell more pleasant. Not only will UV lights get rid of mold and mildew, but they’ll also eliminate the foul odors that typically accompany these growths. If your indoor air constantly smells earthy, sour, or downright pungent, you can safely freshen it without scented candles, plug-in air fresheners, or room freshening sprays. Moreover, unlike many products with thick, heavy, cloying smells, the air-freshening benefits of UV lights aren’t obtrusive.
While UV lights don’t actually eliminate volatile organic compounds (VOCs), they do contribute to a process known as photocatalytic oxidization that breaks them down and greatly minimizes their concentrations in indoor air. These include chemicals that are off-gassed from paints, flooring, floor adhesives, and other building materials. Chemicals from heating and cooking with oils, smoking, and residual exhaust gases from vented appliances are broken down as well.
3. Improve Airflow Throughout Your HVAC System
Even micro-sized allergens and contaminants will eventually impact your HVAC system’s performance if you don’t have a way to filter them out or otherwise eliminate them. Unfortunately, many ultra-fine particulates pass right through standard HVAC air filters. They go on to coat the internal components of your central air conditioner and furnace. UV light sanitization will minimize the amount of grime that builds up inside your heating and cooling system, including your ductwork. These units can ensure that your system does not experience air-flow issues.
4. Lower Your Heating and Cooling Costs
Improved airflow throughout your HVAC system can have a beneficial impact on your wallet. With optimal airflow, heaters and air conditioners use much less energy to keep your house comfortable. This results in lower heating and cooling costs from month to month. It can also mean less wear and tear on your HVAC system, fewer repair costs, and longer equipment lifespan.
5. Limit Your Cleaning
With UV lights eliminating airborne pathogens during times of illness, you’ll have a lot less work to do when sanitizing your indoor surfaces. UV sanitizing lights are one of several integrated HVAC accessories that make it easy to slow the spread of illness. If you’ve been rushing from counter to counter and from doorknob to doorknob with sanitizing wipes or bleach-based sprays, you can relax a bit and let your HVAC system play a role in keeping germs out of your living space.
6. Keep Your AC Condensate Line Clean
In addition to inhibiting airflow, build-ups of mold and mildew in HVAC systems can also affect condensate drainage. As excess moisture is collected from your indoor air, your HVAC system routes it through a condensate drain line to the outside. Build-ups of fungi in any of these components can result in excess humidity, foul odors, leaks, and equipment malfunction. If poorly maintained, condensate drain lines can also develop fast-growing algal blooms. UV light sanitization can prevent this from happening by eliminating fungi and algae before they spiral out of control.
Important Things to Know About HVAC UV Light Sanitization
Homeowners install UV lights in their HVAC systems for their sanitizing effects. They work well in overly humid homes that are prone to experiencing problems with mold and mildew development. They’re also an important HVAC addition for building residents with compromised immune systems, terminal or chronic illnesses, or other serious health issues. However, if dirt, dander, pollen, or other airborne particulates are a concern, you may need a supplementary IAQ solution. There are whole-home air purifiers specifically designed to deal with airborne particulates. The only way to know which integrated HVAC accessory is best for your home is by scheduling an appointment with an IAQ expert.
It’s additionally important to note that UV lights don’t eliminate the need for clean, high-functioning HVAC air filters. You’ll still need to maintain these components and inspect them monthly. Experts suggest that you should replace your filters every three months at a minimum. However, you may have to change them out more often when your HVAC system is working hard during peak heating and cooling seasons.
In addition, UV lights themselves require regular maintenance. UV light bulbs become increasingly less effective as they acquire their own accumulations of dust and other grime. These bulbs should be wiped clean every three to six months with a soft cloth, and you need to replace them at least every three years.
Contact the Professionals
Since 2008, TR Miller Heating, Cooling & Plumbing has been serving Plainfield, IL residents with outstanding workmanship, innovative products, and unbeatable prices. We offer heating, cooling, and plumbing services. In addition, we provide cutting-edge indoor air quality solutions. To learn more or to schedule an appointment, get in touch with TR Miller Heating, Cooling & Plumbing today.
