It might surprise you to know that the air inside your home is significantly more polluted than the air outside. From pollen and dust to allergens and dirty air from your HVAC, many nasties are circulating around your home at any one time. Fortunately, there’s an effective and efficient way to help maintain clean and healthy indoor air quality — UV light systems.
In this article, we’ll delve into the features and benefits of UV lights and how they work alongside your HVAC system to deliver cleaner and purer air. If you’ve been considering an indoor air quality (IAQ) system for your home, a UV system might be the perfect solution.
How Do UV Light Systems Work?
UV light technology is used in a range of different settings and applications. From disco lights to sterilization devices used in science labs, UV lights are one of the most versatile light sources around. Did you know that UV-C lights have germicidal properties? These lights are able to emit wavelengths of between 100 and 280 nanometers and can destroy many different microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, and mold. Quite simply, they neutralize the DNA and RNA structure of these tiny troublemakers, rendering them useless and unable to cause health problems around your home.
How Do UV Lights Work With HVAC Systems?
So, now you know how UV lights combat pathogens and contaminants in the air, let’s take a look at how they work alongside your HVAC system. There are two configurations that we use when fitting UV lights — coil sterilization and air sterilization.
Coil Sterilization
One of the most common applications for UV lights is to install them near the evaporator coil of your air conditioning system. Placing them here helps to prevent the growth of mold on the surface of the coil. This, in turn, helps prevent contaminated air from circulating around your home.
Air Sterilization
We can also place UV lights within the return ducts or air handling units of your system. As air passes through these components, the UV light system sterilizes it and removes impurities. This type of installation ensures that the air circulating through your home is continuously cleaned as it passes through your AC system.
The Benefits of Integrating UV Lights and HVAC Systems
Your HVAC does a great job of cooling and heating your home throughout the year. Adding a UV light system to your HVAC is an effective way to improve your air quality. Let’s take a look at the benefits of UV lights and HVAC systems working in harmony and how you can get the best from this type of configuration.
- Microbial Control
- Odor Control
- No More Bulky Standalone Systems
Microbial Control
The problem with microbial contaminants, besides the health issues they can cause, is that they cannot be seen with the naked eye. Right now, as you read this, millions of microbes could be circulating through your home and potentially causing health problems for your family. When UV light systems are integrated with HVAC systems, they help neutralize these minuscule pests and reduce the spread of airborne allergies and diseases in your environment.
Odor Control
If you’ve noticed unpleasant moldy odors around your home, a UV light system can help to eliminate them and make your house a more pleasant place to be. These odors often originate from mold growth on HVAC components. UV lights help take care of this mold and the odors it causes, leaving your home smelling fresh again.
According to the EPA, indoor air pollution is often more polluted than outside air. Even while indoors, business owners and homeowners may still be inhaling airborne contaminants such as mold, bacteria, and odor-causing, and VOCs (or volatile organic compounds). That’s where APCO® products come in. They feature a unique combination of UV-C light and activated carbon in order to achieve microbial and odor reduction. This product is effective at reducing odor in VOCs. This may include toxic harmful vapors such as formaldehyde and toluene.
APCO® provides safe and effective indoor air products that have been tested numerous times to ensure its effectiveness. UL Labs validated these systems as ozone-free, and they have been certified by CARB, ETL & CE. These products have also been awarded the AHR Innovation Award for outstanding indoor air quality.
- Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) can accumulate in interior spaces. APCO® is installed.
- V.O.C. molecules pass through the APCO system. They are captured and held by the carbon matrix.
- Light from the UV lamp shines on the carbon/titanium dioxide surface creating a photocatalytic reaction which breaks down VOCs.
- After the photocatalytic process all that remains is simple water-vapor and carbon dioxide. These re-enter the air leaving the carbon matrix clean and regenerated.
If you have any questions about the quality APCO® systems and indoor air technology we provide, don’t hesitate to contact us.
No More Bulky Standalone Systems
The great thing about combining UV lights with your HVAC system is that together they provide continuous air purification to every room. If you rely on bulky standalone air purifiers, a whole-home UV light system offers better efficiency, improved convenience, and excellent results.
How to Get the Best From Your UV Light Installation
When we arrange UV light installation for our customers, we take many factors into consideration to ensure you get the best from your installation.
The Placement of Your UV Lights
It’s really important that your UV light system is placed in the optimum position. This will ensure it works effectively and delivers the best results. Our technicians work closely with system manufacturers to not only understand their products intimately but also to understand how to get the best results from them in customers’ homes.
Regular Maintenance
Although the UV system does not require maintenance, the bulbs require periodic replacement. Whether you purchase a 2 year bulb or a 3 year bulb with your system, we’ve got you covered.
- Optimal Performance
- Energy Efficiency
- Cost Savings
- Improved Air Quality
- Expert Assistance
- Peace of Mind
Speak to Us About UV Light Installation Today
Poor indoor air quality can only be combated by the most powerful and efficient IAQ systems. That’s exactly what we have to offer at Metro Air Limited. We’ve been cleansing the air in Brampton homes since 1954. We’d be delighted to tell you more about our UV light systems and the air-purifying and energy-efficiency benefits they have to offer. Speak to our team today to get started.
