Airborne contaminants pervade the air in a typical home; many are harmful, and most will aggravate respiratory issues of household occupants. Learn which whole-house air cleaners are best suited to remove airborne contaminants from your home, and you can breathe a sigh of relief with healthier indoor air quality (IAQ).
Identify airborne contaminants
IAQ testing is an effective tool to clean up the air in your home. Many harmful contaminants and gases are undetectable by sight and scent, such as carbon monoxide and radon. IAQ testing identifies the contaminants in your home to target for removal. Airborne contaminants fall into three classes:
- Microorganisms – mold spores, viruses, bacteria and dust mites
- Particulate matter – pollen, carpet fibers, pet dander and insecticide dust
- Gases and odors – auto emissions, radon, cooking odors and tobacco smoke
Whole-house air cleaners
Whole-house air cleaners are installed inside the ductwork near the heating and cooling equipment. These whole-house systems target one or more classes of contaminants:
- UV (ultraviolet) light systems target microorganisms by destroying the molecular bond of their cells. Once destroyed or neutralized, the furnace air filter removes these contaminants from circulation.
- Electronic air cleaners give an electrical charge to microorganisms and particulate matter. Collector plates with opposite charges attract these contaminants and remove them from circulation.
- Gas-phase filters typically target one or two gases or odors with a carbon sorbent.
- HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filters remove 100 percent of microorganisms and particulates from the air down to 0.3 microns in size. When installed in your heating and cooling system, HEPA filters require equipment evaluation by your HVAC pro to ensure the pressure drop across the blower/air handler isn’t too great. These filters are also available in stand-alone systems.
Maintaining good IAQ
In addition to contaminant removal, it’s important to tackle the sources of contaminants, such as excessive moisture in the home that promotes the proliferation of mold, bacteria and dust mites, or chemicals and emissions infiltrating from an attached garage. Sealing, ventilation and humidification management help maintain optimal IAQ.
For more information about whole-house air cleaners, IAQ testing, ventilation and other HVAC issues, please contact us at Ace Hardware Home Services, Inc. We’ve proudly provided Dayton area homeowners with quality service and installation since 1978 from our family-owned company.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Dayton, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about whole-house air cleaners and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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