If you have a newly built home in Wilkes Barre and Scranton, it was probably built with energy efficiency as a priority. This means more insulation and windows and doors with better seals. While these advances are good for keeping your energy expenses affordable, they’re not so excellent for your indoor air quality.
Your heating and cooling system needs to operate with a filter. But if you have a flat filter, you won’t be receiving ample filtration. This style only gives the smallest amount of protection by blocking dust from infiltrating your HVAC system.
While you can get a pleated filter or one with a increased MERV rating, it still might not be adequate filtration, even more so if someone in your house has allergies or other respiratory issues.
That’s where a whole-house air purifier can be a great solution. These systems are installed within ductwork to provide powerful filtration around your house. Depending on the type you go with, you’ll be able to remove 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, provides premium filtration. These filters were first developed to protect scientists as they made the atomic bomb. Today, they’re a staple in hospitals and other medical applications.
The Healthy Climate HEPA Filtration System has a three-step filtration process. A prefilter attracts larger particles before the HEPA filter captures the remainder of smaller irritants. Then, a charcoal filter takes care of odors and chemical vapors.
The PureAir™ S Air Purification System connects to all HVAC brands and easily links to your smart home. It combats the three leading varieties of indoor air pollutants:
- Airborne particles
- Chemical odors and vapors
- Germs and bacteria, under certain airflow conditions
This air purifier can get rid of 99.9%* of pollutants, such as 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 removes and destroys approximately 50% of your home’s odors and chemical vapors within 24 hours.
The PureAir S includes sensing features that make it simple to maintain. When linked with an iComfort® S30 smart thermostat, you’ll be notified when 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 effective filters are at trapping contaminants. The greater the number, the better the filtration.
The Healthy Climate Carbon Clean 16® Media Air Cleaner is recommended for homes with allergy suffers and pets. This is a HEPA filter air purifier, because it has a MERV 16 rating for hospital-strength filtration. And it removes more than 95%3 of irritating particles from your house’s air.
The Healthy Climate 13 Media Air Cleaner is recommended for households who want improved protection from viruses and bacteria. This filter removes 99% of larger particles including 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 homes with pets. It traps 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 deliver this effective filtration without running up the price of operating your heating and cooling system.
These three media air cleaners are compatible with any brand of HVAC system. However, it’s essential to realize that some of the more substantial ones, including MERV 16 and 13, may limit your system’s airflow. This can hike up your utility expenses.
3. UV Air Purifiers
The sun’s UV rays are the fault of why you get a stinging sunburn. But this type of light has a useful application when installed inside your ductwork. It’s also tough 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 little as 45 minutes.5 This light destroys cell structure, which stops these microorganisms from flourishing and moving across your house.
And this UV air purifier can also help keep your home comfort system clean and running like it should. It eliminates of germs, mold and fungi that are hidden within ductwork and your system itself. This UV light air purifier achieves all this work without developing lung-inflaming ozone.6
Breathe Easier with the Help of Our Air Purification Pros
Your loved ones’ comfort and health matters to us at GLR Mechanical. We are aware there are a lot of options out there. That’s why we make it uncomplicated to partner with our indoor air quality professionals. We specialize in making solutions that meet your needs and budget, and we’d love to hear more about your residence and your air quality challenges. Reach us at 570-309-0403 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.