If you own a newer residence in Manassas, it was likely made with energy efficiency in mind. This means increased insulation and windows and doors with improved seals. While these enhancements are excellent for keeping your heating and cooling costs affordable, they’re not so good for your indoor air quality.
Your home comfort system needs to run with a filter. But if you have a flat filter, you won’t be getting adequate filtration. This type only delivers the lowest level of protection by stopping dust from getting into your HVAC system.
While you can upgrade to a pleated filter or one with a better MERV rating, it still might not be enough filtration, especially if someone in your residence has allergies or other respiratory problems.
That’s where a whole-house air purifier comes in. These systems are attached within ductwork to provide strong filtration across your residence. Depending on the model you choose, you’ll be able to filter allergens, odors and even some viruses under certain airflow conditions.
Here are our best systems from Lennox®, an industry leader in air purification.
Best Air Purifiers from Lennox
1. HEPA Air Purifiers
A HEPA air purifier, like the Healthy Climate® High-Efficiency Particulate Air Filtration System, delivers top-of-the-line filtration. These filters were first made to protect scientists as they created the atomic bomb. Today, they’re essential in hospitals and other medical facilities.
The Healthy Climate HEPA Filtration System includes a three-step filtration process. A prefilter attracts significant pollutants before the HEPA filter catches the remainder of miniscule particles. Then, a charcoal filter eradicates odors and chemical vapors.
The PureAir™ S Air Purification System is compatible with all HVAC brands and seamlessly integrates with your smart home. It combats the three key kinds of indoor air contaminants:
- Airborne particles
- Chemical odors and vapors
- Germs and bacteria, under certain airflow conditions
This air purifier can eliminate 99.9%* of pollutants, like mold spores, pollen, dust and pet dander. It’s also potent at removing or destroying 90%1 of flu and cold viruses under certain airflow conditions. And, according to laboratory and field studies, it decreases and eliminates approximately 50% of residential odors and chemical vapors within 24 hours.
The PureAir S includes sensing features that make it simple to serviced. When linked with an iComfort® S30 smart thermostat, you’ll be notified when to change the filter and UVA light.2 This home air purifier must be installed with communicating Lennox systems and the iComfort S30.
2. Media Air Cleaners
Lennox Healthy Climate® Media Air Cleaners are available in a variety of MERV ratings to work with your needs. This rating calculates how good filters are at trapping contaminants. The better the number, the finer the filtration.
The Healthy Climate Carbon Clean 16® Media Air Cleaner is great for homes with allergy suffers and pets. This is a HEPA filter air purifier, because it has a MERV 16 rating for hospital-level filtration. And it removes more than 95%3 of unhealthy particles from your home’s air.
The Healthy Climate 13 Media Air Cleaner is great for homes who are seeking stronger protection from viruses and bacteria. This filter catches 99% of larger particles such as dust, pollen and lint. And up to 54% of finer particles down to 0.3 microns.4
The Healthy Climate 11 Media Air Cleaner is a a great air purifier for allergies and in houses with pets. It catches more than 87% of bigger particles down to 3 microns and more than 28% of finer ones down to 0.3 microns.4 It’s able to provide this powerful filtration without increasing the cost of turning on your heating and cooling system.
These three media air cleaners are compatible with any brand of HVAC system. Regardless, it’s essential to know that some of the denser ones, such as MERV 16 and 13, may decrease your system’s airflow. This can inflate your heating and cooling expenses.
3. UV Air Purifiers
The sun’s UV rays are to the reason why you get a blistering sunburn. But this wavelength of light has a beneficial application when installed within your ductwork. It’s also powerful enough to decrease germs, mold and fungi under certain airflow conditions.
In fact, the Healthy Climate UV Germicidal Light can lower the amount of airborne microorganisms by 50% in as short as 45 minutes.5 This light destroys cell structure, which prohibits these microorganisms from growing and spreading around your home.
And this UV air purifier can also help keep your HVAC system clean and running properly. It wipes out of germs, mold and fungi lurking within ductwork and your system itself. This UV light air purifier accomplishes all this work without creating lung-aggravating ozone.6
Breathe Easier with the Assistance of Our Air Purification Specialists
Your household’s comfort and health is our top priority at Woody's Sudden Service Inc. We realize there are lots of options out there. That’s why we make it simple to work with our indoor air quality specialists. We specialize in creating solutions that fit your needs and budget, and we’d love to find out more about your home and your air quality problems. Reach us at 703-278-2036 today to get started.
1Based on laboratory and field studies.
2PureAir™ S requires the iComfort® S30 and a communicating indoor unit.
3Leading consumer magazine, January 2012. Based on the published CADR, which is the standardized measurement system to determine the cubic feet of clean air produced per minute. Particles captured range in size down to 0.3 micron. One micron = 1/25,000 of an inch in diameter.
4Based on lab tests conducted on filters with conditions included in ASHRAE standard 52.2 for E1 and E3 size ranges.
5Based on constant circulation of air in the home, 3,000-square-foot home with a 5-ton air handler.
6U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "Ozone Generators that are Sold as Air Cleaners: An Assessment of Effective and Health Consequences," August 2006.