Understanding the difference can help protect your family’s health this season.
A guest blog post by
Tony Valentino, Director of Sales and Marketing, with Webb Supply, and the
second article in our two-part series on home indoor air quality.
Once again another winter falls upon us and with that we
start to close up our homes, at least in most parts of the country. Either way it’s
time to start thinking of our heating systems to get ready for the season. If you’ve been thinking about your heating system at all (many do not), you’ve
probably been thinking of changing the filter and maybe getting a proactive
‘tune up.’
Why do we do these things?
First, to help the system run optimally/efficiently. Second, to preserve the unit’s lifespan. And third, to help remove ‘bad stuff’ from
the air in our home. It’s this last
dimension I’d like to focus on today.
Now that subject “indoor air quality” can be taken into many
directions and can mean a number of different things to the average homeowner
but, for this conversation I’m going to break it down into two areas: Air
Filtration (aka Air Cleaning) and Air Purification. Most people think these are the same thing,
but they are very different.
Air Filtration (aka
Air Cleaning) Methods
Let’s start with the most common, air filtration. A typical
home or apartment has a forced air heating & cooling system, blowing
conditioned air through ductwork and out air vents located in various rooms of
the home. All these systems have some sort of air filter, whether it is the
most basic filter you buy for a couple bucks at the local hardware store or, a
more efficient air filter such as a media style or electronic air cleaner.
The primary purpose of any filter is to keep your heating
and cooling system cleaner internally, maximizing it’s efficiency and in the
process will also help in reducing airborne
particulate (dust, dander etc.) from being recirculated throughout the home.
No matter how efficient the filtration or, regardless of
the cost to install, these units will only clean what the heating and cooling
system brings back through it via the duct system.
Air Purification
Methods
Air purification systems on the other hand, are designed for
a different purpose with different results. Most common among these is the UV
Light (Ultra Violet). Installed in the system ductwork, these units can be very
effective at killing bacteria, molds and fungus but, will only destroy these
organisms when in very close contact to the UV light for a determined amount of
time.
One alternative to the standard UV light are units that use
advanced
oxidation technology (Photohydroionization). This utilizes a type of UV light technology
to produce “friendly oxidizers” (Hydroperoxides) that travel through the air
ducts to kill or reduce microbes and gases in the conditioned space. The best analogy
to describe the difference is a mouse trap verses a cat: one waits for the
mouse the other goes out and hunts for it.
The latest UV air purifiers that use this technology
literally go throughout your home and ‘hunt down’ the bacteria, mold and fungus
that can be making your family sick.
It’s difficult to describe in this short blog all of the
different products on the market today but, what I can provide you is my
personal and professional preference for indoor air quality. On typical forced
air heating and cooling systems I recommend a media style air filter with a
high Merv rating (this measures the filters effectiveness, the higher the
number the higher the efficiency). In addition to this filter I would add a
unit that utilizes photohydroionization to proactively kill microbes and purify
the air in my entire home while keeping my ductwork free of these microorganisms.
Question for
Tony? Feel free to contact him at
216-289-7400 or tony.valentino@webbsupply.com