If you own a newer house in Pocatello, it was likely made with energy efficiency as a priority. This means greater amounts of insulation and windows and doors with improved seals. While these enhancements are good for keeping your energy expenses under control, they’re not so great for your indoor air quality.
Your heating and cooling system needs to operate with a filter. But if you have a flat filter, you won’t be receiving adequate filtration. This kind only delivers the smallest amount of protection by stopping dust from getting into your HVAC system.
While you can install a pleated filter or one with a higher MERV rating, it still might not be adequate filtration, even more so if someone in your home has allergies or other respiratory troubles.
That’s where a whole-house air purifier comes in. These systems are attached within ductwork to provide effective filtration around your home. Depending on the kind you select, you’ll be able to remove allergens, odors and even some viruses under certain airflow conditions.
Here are our top 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 the best filtration. These filters were first created to protect scientists as they created the atomic bomb. Today, they’re essential in hospitals and other medical applications.
The Healthy Climate HEPA Filtration System includes a three-step filtration method. A prefilter draws significant pollutants before the HEPA filter catches remaining tiny irritants. Then, a charcoal filter wipes out odors and chemical vapors.
The PureAir™ S Air Purification System connects to all HVAC brands and easily works with your smart home. It combats the three key kinds of indoor air contaminants:
- 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 effective at reducing or eradicating 90%1 of flu and cold viruses under certain airflow conditions. And, according to laboratory and field studies, it removes and eliminates approximately 50% of your home’s odors and chemical vapors within 24 hours.
The PureAir S comes with sensing features that make it easy to service. When linked with an iComfort® S30 smart thermostat, you’ll get a notification to replace 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 match your needs. This rating determines how effective filters are at removing contaminants. The better the number, the finer 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, since it has a MERV 16 rating for hospital-strength filtration. And it removes more than 95%3 of unhealthy particles from your residence’s air.
The Healthy Climate 13 Media Air Cleaner is recommended for homes who want improved protection from viruses and bacteria. This filter removes 99% of larger particles such as 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 a fantastic air purifier for allergies and in residences with pets. It catches 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 provide this powerful filtration without increasing the bill for using your heating and cooling system.
These three media air cleaners can be used with any brand of HVAC system. Regardless, it’s essential to know that some of the more substantial ones, including MERV 16 and 13, may limit your system’s airflow. This can hike up 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 helpful application when placed inside your ductwork. It’s also strong enough to reduce germs, mold and fungi under certain airflow conditions.
In actuality, the Healthy Climate UV Germicidal Light can decrease the concentration of airborne microorganisms by 50% in as little as 45 minutes.5 This light damages cell structure, which prohibits these microorganisms from flourishing and infiltrating throughout your house.
And this UV air purifier can also help keep your home comfort system clean and working like it should. It takes care of germs, mold and fungi lurking within ductwork and your system itself. This UV light air purifier accomplishes all this work without developing lung-aggravating ozone.6
Breathe Better with the Help of Our Air Purification Professionals
Your family’s comfort and health matters to us at Vogts Heating & Air. We know there are lots of solutions out there. That’s why we make it easy to work with our indoor air quality professionals. We specialize in making solutions that match your needs and budget, and we’d love to find out more about your house and your air quality problems. Give us a call at 208-621-0129 now to start the process.
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.