If you have a newer house in Manassas, it was likely constructed with energy efficiency as a priority. This means greater amounts of insulation and windows and doors with improved seals. While these improvements are excellent for keeping your utility expenses economical, they’re not so excellent for your indoor air quality.
Your HVAC system needs to operate with a filter. But if you have a flat filter, you won’t be getting enough filtration. This type only delivers the smallest amount of protection by blocking dust from infiltrating your HVAC system.
While you can install a pleated filter or one with a higher MERV rating, it still might not be ample filtration, particularly 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 throughout your home. Depending on the kind you choose, you’ll be able to remove allergens, odors and even some viruses under certain airflow conditions.
Here are our favorite options 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 shield scientists as they worked on the atomic bomb. Today, they’re essential in hospitals and other medical applications.
The Healthy Climate HEPA Filtration System features a three-step filtration procedure. A prefilter catches larger irritants before the HEPA filter captures the remainder of smaller pollutants. Then, a charcoal filter eradicates odors and chemical vapors.
The PureAir™ S Air Purification System is compatible with all HVAC brands and easily connects with your smart home. It fights the three key varieties of indoor air irritants:
- Airborne particles
- Chemical odors and vapors
- Germs and bacteria, under certain airflow conditions
This air purifier can remove 99.9%* of pollutants, such as mold spores, pollen, dust and pet dander. It’s also capable of reducing or eliminating 90%1 of flu and cold viruses under certain airflow conditions. And, according to laboratory and field studies, it reduces and destroys approximately 50% of residential odors and chemical vapors within 24 hours.
The PureAir S comes with sensing features that make it uncomplicated to maintain. When used with an iComfort® S30 smart thermostat, you’ll get a notification to replace the filter and UVA light.2 This home air purifier must be linked 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 determines 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 recommended for households with allergy suffers and pets. This is a HEPA filter air purifier, as it has a MERV 16 rating for hospital-grade filtration. And it eliminates more than 95%3 of irritating particles from your residence’s air.
The Healthy Climate 13 Media Air Cleaner is suggested for homes who want improved protection from viruses and bacteria. This filter traps 99% of larger particles such as dust, pollen and lint. And up to 54% of smaller particles down to 0.3 microns.4
The Healthy Climate 11 Media Air Cleaner is a a fantastic air purifier for allergies and in residences with pets. It eliminates more than 87% of bigger particles down to 3 microns and more than 28% of miniscule ones down to 0.3 microns.4 It’s able to offer this strong filtration without driving up the cost of operating your HVAC system.
These three media air cleaners are compatible with any brand of HVAC system. However, it’s essential to know that some of the denser ones, including MERV 16 and 13, may decrease your system’s airflow. This can increase your energy bills.
3. UV Air Purifiers
The sun’s UV rays are the reason why you get a blistering sunburn. But this wavelength of light has a useful application when installed in your ductwork. It’s also powerful enough to reduce germs, mold and fungi under certain airflow conditions.
In actuality, the Healthy Climate UV Germicidal Light can decrease the amount of airborne microorganisms by 50% in as quickly as 45 minutes.5 This light destroys cell structure, which prohibits these microorganisms from growing and moving around your residence.
And this UV air purifier can also help keep your heating and cooling system clean and operating like it should. It wipes out of germs, mold and fungi lurking in ductwork and your system itself. This UV light air purifier does all this work without creating lung-inflaming ozone.6
Breathe Healthier Air with the Support of Our Air Purification Professionals
Your loved ones’ comfort and health is important to us at Woody's Sudden Service. We realize there are lots of solutions out there. That’s why we make it easy to work with our indoor air quality professionals. We specialize in making solutions tailored to your needs and budget, and we’d love to hear more about your residence and your air quality challenges. Reach us at 703-278-2036 right away to start the process.
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.