If you have a newer house in Elk River, it was in all likelihood made with energy efficiency as a priority. This means increased insulation and windows and doors with enhanced seals. While these enhancements are great for keeping your energy expenses in check, they’re not so good for your indoor air quality.
Your heating and cooling system needs to run with a filter. But if you have a flat filter, you won’t be experiencing enough filtration. This type only provides the lowest level of protection by stopping dust from getting into your heating and cooling system.
While you can get a pleated filter or one with a increased MERV rating, it still might not be enough filtration, especially if someone in your home has allergies or other respiratory problems.
That’s where a whole-house air purifier comes in. These systems are installed within ductwork to provide powerful filtration around your house. Depending on the kind you choose, you’ll be able to get rid of allergens, odors and even some viruses under certain airflow conditions.
Here are our top styles 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 created to protect scientists as they created the atomic bomb. Today, they’re a staple in hospitals and other medical applications.
The Healthy Climate HEPA Filtration System features a three-step filtration process. A prefilter draws bigger particles before the HEPA filter traps the remainder of smaller pollutants. Then, a charcoal filter takes care of odors and chemical vapors.
The PureAir™ S Air Purification System is compatible with all HVAC brands and seamlessly links to your smart home. It fights the three major varieties 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, such as mold spores, pollen, dust and pet dander. It’s also effective at reducing or destroying 90%1 of flu and cold viruses under certain airflow conditions. And, based on laboratory and field studies, it reduces and eliminates approximately 50% of residential odors and chemical vapors within 24 hours.
The PureAir S comes with sensing features that make it easy to keep up. When used with an iComfort® S30 smart thermostat, you’ll get a notification to install a new filter and UVA light.2 This home air purifier must be used with communicating Lennox systems and the iComfort S30.
2. Media Air Cleaners
Lennox Healthy Climate® Media Air Cleaners are made in a variety of MERV ratings to fit your needs. This rating measures how good filters are at removing contaminants. The greater the number, the better the filtration.
The Healthy Climate Carbon Clean 16® Media Air Cleaner is recommended for families 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 gets rid of more than 95%3 of aggravating particles from your house’s air.
The Healthy Climate 13 Media Air Cleaner is recommended for families who are seeking stronger protection from viruses and bacteria. This filter removes 99% of larger particles such as dust, pollen and lint. And up to 54% of miniscule 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 eliminates more than 87% of bigger particles down to 3 microns and more than 28% of smaller ones down to 0.3 microns.4 It’s able to provide this effective filtration without driving up the price of turning on your home comfort system.
These three media air cleaners can be used with any brand of HVAC system. However, it’s important to be aware that some of the denser ones, including MERV 16 and 13, may decrease your system’s airflow. This can increase your energy expenses.
3. UV Air Purifiers
The sun’s UV rays are the reason why you get a painful sunburn. But this kind of light has a useful application when installed in your ductwork. It’s also tough enough to eliminate germs, mold and fungi under certain airflow conditions.
In reality, the Healthy Climate UV Germicidal Light can decrease the concentration of airborne microorganisms by 50% in as short as 45 minutes.5 This light wrecks cell structure, which stops these microorganisms from multiplying and infiltrating throughout your residence.
And this UV air purifier can also help keep your heating and cooling system clean and running like it should. It takes care of germs, mold and fungi lurking in ductwork and your system itself. This UV light air purifier accomplishes all this work without producing lung-irritating ozone.6
Breathe Healthier Air with the Assistance of Our Air Purification Specialists
Your household’s comfort and health is important to us at Home Comfort Heating & Air. We are aware there are many options out there. That’s why we make it simple to partner with our indoor air quality specialists. 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 issues. Call us at 763-276-0617 today 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.
