If you live in a newer residence in Rio Grande Valley, it was likely made with energy efficiency in mind. This means more insulation and windows and doors with better seals. While these advances are excellent for keeping your energy expenses reasonable, they’re not so great for your indoor air quality.
Your HVAC system needs to work with a filter. But if you have a flat filter, you won’t be receiving adequate filtration. This type only provides the lowest level of protection by blocking dust from infiltrating your HVAC system.
While you can upgrade to a pleated filter or one with a increased MERV rating, it still might not be ample filtration, especially if someone in your house has allergies or other respiratory troubles.
That’s where a whole-house air purifier comes in. These systems are installed within ductwork to provide mighty filtration throughout your home. Depending on the model you select, you’ll be able to get rid of allergens, odors and even some viruses under certain airflow conditions.
Here are our best options 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 top-of-the-line filtration. These filters were first developed to shield scientists as they created the atomic bomb. Today, they’re necessary in hospitals and other medical buildings.
The Healthy Climate HEPA Filtration System has a three-step filtration method. A prefilter attracts significant particles before the HEPA filter captures the remainder of miniscule pollutants. Then, a charcoal filter wipes out odors and chemical vapors.
The PureAir™ S Air Purification System works with all HVAC brands and smoothly links to your smart home. It fights the three key 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, including 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, according to laboratory and field studies, it reduces and eliminates approximately 50% of household odors and chemical vapors within 24 hours.
The PureAir S comes with sensing features that make it easy to keep up. When linked with an iComfort® S30 smart thermostat, you’ll get a notification to change the filter and UVA light.2 This home air purifier must be installed 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 determines how effective filters are at removing contaminants. The greater the number, the finer the filtration.
The Healthy Climate Carbon Clean 16® Media Air Cleaner is ideal for families with allergy suffers and pets. This is a HEPA filter air purifier, because it has a MERV 16 rating for hospital-level filtration. And it eliminates more than 95%3 of irritating particles from your residence’s air.
The Healthy Climate 13 Media Air Cleaner is great for homes who are seeking better protection from viruses and bacteria. This filter catches 99% of larger particles including dust, pollen and lint. And up to 54% of finer particles down to 0.3 microns.4
The Healthy Climate 11 Media Air Cleaner is a an excellent 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 miniscule ones down to 0.3 microns.4 It’s able to deliver this powerful filtration without driving up the cost of operating your heating and cooling system.
These three media air cleaners work with any brand of HVAC system. Regardless, it’s essential to be aware that some of the denser ones, including MERV 16 and 13, may decrease your system’s airflow. This can inflate your heating and cooling expenses.
3. UV Air Purifiers
The sun’s UV rays are to blame when you get a stinging sunburn. But this wavelength of light has a beneficial application when placed in 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 reduce the concentration of airborne microorganisms by 50% in as fast as 45 minutes.5 This light destroys cell structure, which prohibits these microorganisms from flourishing and moving throughout your residence.
And this UV air purifier can also help keep your HVAC system clean and working properly. It wipes out of germs, mold and fungi lurking inside ductwork and your system itself. This UV light air purifier achieves all these tasks without producing lung-inflaming ozone.6
Breathe Easier with the Support of Our Air Purification Pros
Your loved ones’ comfort and health is our top priority at Cytech Heating & Cooling L.C.. We realize there are many options out there. That’s why we make it simple to work with our indoor air quality pros. We specialize in recommending solutions that meet your needs and budget, and we’d love to hear more about your residence and your air quality issues. Reach us at 956-630-3522 now to begin.
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.