When you’re looking for ways to improve the indoor air quality of your home, you’ll likely start with an air filtration system. The right filters, professionally installed, will remove the majority of unwanted particles circulating through the HVAC system and the living spaces. Filters may not take care of all the pollutants, however, and this is where you may need an air purifier in Selma, TX. The action of air purifiers helps to create stronger air cleaning power than filters alone, and unlike filters, air purifiers do not create any resistance to airflow. There’s a limit on how powerful a filter you can have in your home, but not a limit on air purifiers.
How do air purifiers do the job of removing minute particles that may slip through filters? There are several methods, and we’ll look at the more common ones below. Some purifiers combine multiple methods.
Ionizer Air Purifiers
The ionizer air purifier is the most common type of air purification system. This purifier ionizes the air, which means it creates negative and positive ions. The purifier creates an electrical field inside the ductwork called a corona discharge. Particles passing through the field will either gain an electron (becoming negatively charged) or lose an electron (becoming positively charged). Oppositely charged particles are drawn together and will start to form larger clumps. These clumps will often fall out of the air or else become large enough that the air filter will be able to trap them much easier. Some ionizers have negatively and positively charged plates that pull the particles down to them.
Ionizers can affect a wide range of pollutants: dust, smoke, pollen, soot, odor molecules, chemicals, and even bacteria. They can make a significant impact for people who suffer from allergies. One downside is that charged particles that get into the house may often stick to surfaces and require a bit more cleaning to get rid of them.
Germicidal Light Air Purifiers
These are also known as UV air purifiers because they use the power of ultraviolet light waves to destroy or render harmless organic pollutants. Installers usually place a UV air purifier inside the HVAC system where it shines on the evaporating coil or the air conditioner: all the air in the HVAC system must pass through here and the coil is a prime spot for mold to begin to grow. The ultraviolet radiation from the UV lamps of the purifier disrupts the cellular functions of harmful microbes, mold spores, germs, and bacteria, which either kills the cells outright or makes them unable to reproduce and therefore harmless.
UV lights are safe and low-maintenance devices that do their job quietly within the HVAC system. They can help reduce the spread of illnesses through a house and prevent the foul odors that can come from mold and mildew (a.k.a. “dirty sock syndrome”) while helping the air conditioning system perform at peak efficiency.
If you want to find out more about air purification and the right kind of purifiers for your house, talk to one of our indoor air quality professionals today.
At Thayer Air Conditioning, your comfort is our #1 priority! Call us for help with your home’s air quality.
