If you own a newer house in Marshalltown, it was in all likelihood made with energy efficiency in mind. This means greater amounts of insulation and windows and doors with better seals. While these improvements are great for keeping your heating and cooling costs economical, they’re not so good for your indoor air quality.
Your HVAC system needs to run with a filter. But if you have a flat filter, you won’t be experiencing adequate filtration. This style only gives the lowest level of protection by stopping dust from getting into your heating and cooling system.
While you can install a pleated filter or one with a increased MERV rating, it still might not be adequate filtration, especially if someone in your home has allergies or other respiratory issues.
That’s where a whole-house air purifier can be a good option. These systems are placed within ductwork to give effective filtration throughout your home. Depending on the model you choose, you’ll be able to filter 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 premium filtration. These filters were first made to defend scientists as they made the atomic bomb. Today, they’re essential in hospitals and other medical applications.
The Healthy Climate HEPA Filtration System features a three-step filtration process. A prefilter draws bigger irritants before the HEPA filter captures remaining miniscule pollutants. Then, a charcoal filter wipes out odors and chemical vapors.
The PureAir™ S Air Purification System connects to all HVAC brands and seamlessly links to with your smart home. It reduces the three leading types of indoor air irritants:
- Airborne particles
- Chemical odors and vapors
- Germs and bacteria, under certain airflow conditions
This air purifier can eliminate 99.9%* of pollutants, such as mold spores, pollen, dust and pet dander. It’s also capable of decreasing or destroying 90%1 of flu and cold viruses under certain airflow conditions. And, according to laboratory and field studies, it removes and destroys approximately 50% of household odors and chemical vapors within 24 hours.
The PureAir S comes with sensing features that make it simple to maintain. When used 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 available in a variety of MERV ratings to match your needs. This rating determines how effective filters are at removing contaminants. The greater the number, the greater the filtration.
The Healthy Climate Carbon Clean 16® Media Air Cleaner is recommended for residences with allergy suffers and pets. This is a HEPA filter air purifier, because it has a MERV 16 rating for hospital-strength filtration. And it gets rid of more than 95%3 of irritating particles from your home’s air.
The Healthy Climate 13 Media Air Cleaner is suggested for homes who desire improved protection from viruses and bacteria. This filter traps 99% of larger particles including dust, pollen and lint. And up to 54% of miniscule particles down to 0.3 microns.4
The Healthy Climate 11 Media Air Cleaner is a an excellent air purifier for allergies and in residences with pets. It eliminates 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 deliver this powerful filtration without running up the bill for turning on your heating and cooling system.
These three media air cleaners work with any brand of HVAC system. But despite that, it’s critical to realize that some of the thicker ones, including MERV 16 and 13, may restrict your system’s airflow. This can hike up your heating and cooling bills.
3. UV Air Purifiers
The sun’s UV rays are to blame when you get a stinging sunburn. But this kind of light has a helpful application when installed within 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 lower the amount of airborne microorganisms by 50% in as little as 45 minutes.5 This light damages cell structure, which halts these microorganisms from growing and moving around your house.
And this UV air purifier can also help keep your home comfort system clean and running efficiently. It eliminates of germs, mold and fungi hiding in ductwork and your system itself. This UV light air purifier accomplishes all these tasks without producing lung-irritating ozone.6
Breathe Healthier Air with the Help of Our Air Purification Professionals
Your loved ones’ comfort and health matters to us at B & G HVAC. We know there are a lot of options out there. That’s why we make it easy to work with our indoor air quality specialists. We specialize in making solutions that match your needs and budget, and we’d love to hear more about your home and your air quality issues. Reach us at 641-316-3360 today 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.