Winter is a time of low temperatures, but also a time filled with joy and celebrations. Unfortunately, something that comes along with the cold temperatures and more people gathering in homes is the rapid spread of illnesses. Yes, it’s cold and flu season once more.
Aside from medical precautions against getting sick this winter, you have other methods to make your house a healthier one. We recommend a basic indoor air quality improvement that can make a big difference for household health—installing a UV light to your HVAC system. These UV air purifiers provide multiple benefits to your home.
How UV Lights Work in Your House
A UV air purifier consists of a set of ultraviolet lights set up inside the ventilation system. In most cases, these lights are targeted at the indoor coil of the air conditioner, where all air must pass to reach the supply ducts. (Even when you’re running the furnace, air still moves past the evaporator coil.) The UV rays from the lamps are harmful to the cellular structure of organic pollutants. The rays either kill cells outright or render them inert and unable to reproduce, making them harmless. The UV light isn’t powerful enough to cause harm to people or pets (and it’s hidden from sight), but it can eliminate bacteria, viruses, germs, mold spores, and a whole range of other microorganisms.
The UV Light Benefits
There are several advantages to installing a UV light:
- Protection in Cold/Flu Season and Allergy Season: A UV air purifier is an all-around solution for poor air quality due to organic pollutants. It stops viruses and germs from circulating through the house to spread illnesses. It also stops mold spores, organic allergens, and asthma triggers during spring allergy season.
- Safe for Air Quality: A problem with using chemicals to stop organic pollutants is that they release other contaminants into the air. A UV air purifier is a clean way to scrub air free from the most harmful pollutants using nothing other than light wavelengths. It’s simple and won’t lower your IAQ in other ways.
- Mold Control: UV lights are often used to control the growth of mold and mildew inside ductwork. Mold and mildew are not only sources of air pollution, they can damage the ventilation system. UV lights kill off mold and mildew and prevent them from coming back.
- Better AC Efficiency: Because an AC’s evaporator coil has high moisture levels along it when the system is running, it’s easy for it to attract mold. Not only is this mold growth possibly unhealthy for the household, it reduces the efficiency of the AC. The light from a UV air purifier directed at the evaporator coil stops this mold growth, helping to keep the air conditioner running at peak efficiency.
- Odor Control: Eliminating mold and mildew from the ventilation system stops your house from experiencing “dirty sock syndrome,” an extremely smelly situation.
For the best in indoor air quality for Fresno, CA homes, call our expert staff today. We offer many solutions for better IAQ, including UV light installation.
At Purl’s Sheet Metal & Air Conditioning, “Quality Is the Cornerstone of Our Success” since 1952. Schedule service today.