Every spring, the air is filled with allergens of all varieties, as well as mold and bacteria spores that can make your life miserable. Allergens and germs can also cause problems for newborns and the elderly, who may be more vulnerable to colds and illnesses. You can’t keep your home safe from them by closing the doors or windows, but there are methods you can use to stop those microscopic intruders cold.
We recommend the installation of UV air purifiers in any home worried about biological contaminants like germs and mold spores, as well as cutting down on allergens. How do they work and what kind of benefits do they provide? Read on for the answers.
Ultraviolet Light Is a Powerful Weapon Against Germs
UV or ultraviolet light exists beyond our eye’s ability to perceive, but we can definitely spot the effects it has. It appears in sunlight, which is what causes our skin to tan or burn when we spent a lot of time outside. UV lightbulbs use much smaller levels of the light, and can be used to make white clothes glow in the dark at rock concerts and on amusement park rides. (The light interacts with chemicals in our laundry detergent.)
It’s harmless to multicellular organisms like humans and pets. However, against germs and other biological contaminants, it is absolutely lethal: either killing them outright or rendering them unable to replicate and spread. That makes it a potent weapon in helping you keep your air clean. The only question is how.
Placement Is Key
Obviously, you can’t cover your entire home in UV lights and trust that to do the job. You need to place the lights in a single spot where it can do the most good. The apex of your heating and cooling ducts is the ideal spot. As your furnace or air conditioner runs, it cycles through the air in your home, pushing it through the ducts at the apex. UV air purifiers shine the UV light across the width of the ducts, forming an impenetrable barrier through which germs, mold spores and allergens cannot help but pass. As they do so, they are rendered inert and the air in your home becomes cleaner.
UV air purifiers are effective because they’re always functioning. So long as the fan in your HVAC system is blowing – in other words, so long as your air conditioner runs in the summertime and your furnace runs in the wintertime, the air in your home will cycle through the UV air purifier, keeping your home safe from germs and other contaminants.
Furthermore, UV air purifiers have very few moving parts. So long as the light bulbs are periodically replaced when they burn out, the system can be expected to do its job not just this allergy season, but for many more seasons to come.
If your Havertown, PA home could benefit from the installation of a UV air purifier, call on the friendly professionals at Wm. Henderson Plumbing, Heating & Cooling Inc. to schedule an appointment!