If you live in a newer residence in Buellton, it was likely made with energy efficiency as a priority. This means increased insulation and windows and doors with better seals. While these advances are fantastic for keeping your utility expenses economical, they’re not so fantastic 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 ample filtration. This style only provides the smallest amount of protection by stopping dust from getting into your HVAC system.
While you can upgrade to a pleated filter or one with a higher MERV rating, it still might not be enough filtration, especially if someone in your residence has allergies or other respiratory troubles.
That’s where a whole-house air purifier can be a good option. These systems are attached within ductwork to provide strong filtration across your house. Depending on the model you choose, you’ll be able to remove allergens, odors and even some viruses under certain airflow conditions.
Here are our best 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 the best filtration. These filters were first created to protect scientists as they developed the atomic bomb. Today, they’re a staple in hospitals and other medical settings.
The Healthy Climate HEPA Filtration System features a three-step filtration method. A prefilter catches significant irritants before the HEPA filter traps remaining smaller pollutants. Then, a charcoal filter wipes out odors and chemical vapors.
The PureAir™ S Air Purification System connects to all HVAC brands and smoothly integrates with your smart home. It combats the three major varieties of indoor air pollutants:
- Airborne particles
- Chemical odors and vapors
- Germs and bacteria, under certain airflow conditions
This air purifier can remove 99.9%* of pollutants, like mold spores, pollen, dust and pet dander. It’s also potent at removing or eradicating 90%1 of flu and cold viruses under certain airflow conditions. And, as the result of laboratory and field studies, it decreases and eradicates approximately 50% of residential odors and chemical vapors within 24 hours.
The PureAir S is equipped with sensing features that make it simple to maintain. When used with an iComfort® S30 smart thermostat, you’ll receive an alert 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 made in a variety of MERV ratings to match your needs. This rating calculates how capable filters are at trapping contaminants. The greater the number, the greater 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, as it has a MERV 16 rating for hospital-level filtration. And it eliminates more than 95%3 of aggravating particles from your residence’s air.
The Healthy Climate 13 Media Air Cleaner is suggested for households who are seeking enhanced protection from viruses and bacteria. This filter removes 99% of larger particles like 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 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 deliver this powerful filtration without increasing the cost of operating your home comfort system.
These three media air cleaners work with any brand of HVAC system. But despite that, it’s essential to realize that some of the more substantial ones, such as MERV 16 and 13, may restrict your system’s airflow. This can hike up your energy costs.
3. UV Air Purifiers
The sun’s UV rays are the fault of why you get a blistering sunburn. But this type of light has a helpful application when concealed in your ductwork. It’s also strong enough to eliminate germs, mold and fungi under certain airflow conditions.
In fact, the Healthy Climate UV Germicidal Light can decrease the amount of airborne microorganisms by 50% in as fast as 45 minutes.5 This light damages cell structure, which stops these microorganisms from multiplying and infiltrating around your home.
And this UV air purifier can also help keep your HVAC system clean and operating efficiently. It takes care of germs, mold and fungi that are hidden in ductwork and your system itself. This UV light air purifier achieves all these things without making lung-aggravating ozone.6
Breathe Healthier Air with the Support of Our Air Purification Professionals
Your household’s comfort and health is important to us at Allstar Heating & Air Conditioning. We realize there are a lot of options out there. That’s why we make it simple to partner with our indoor air quality pros. We specialize in creating solutions that meet your needs and budget, and we’d love to learn more about your residence and your air quality problems. Reach us at 805-242-9638 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.