Good ventilation is important for keeping your home’s air clean, but during southeast Michigan’s cold winters, opening the windows isn’t often practical. Areas like Warren and Rochester just get too cold for that.
That’s where air purifiers or air cleaners come in. A whole-house air purifier installed in your HVAC system cleans the air throughout the entire house, not just in some individual rooms as portable air cleaners do. A whole-house air purifier system typically incorporates several types of cleaners.
- Particulate filter: Mechanical air filters, such as fiberglass and pleated filters, trap larger particles including dust, pollen, animal dander and smoke particles. The Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) of these filters indicates their efficiency at removing particles from the air. Consider a medium- to high-efficiency filter with a MERV of 7-13.
- UVGI (ultraviolet germicidal irradiation) cleaner: These contain UV lamps that produce ultraviolet radiation (light). The UV light destroys the DNA of biological pollutants such as viruses, bacteria and molds so they can’t reproduce. Because these cleaners don’t trap particles, they should be used along with a particulate filter. No standard is available for measuring the efficiency of these cleaners.
- PCO (photocatalytic oxidation) cleaner: These air cleaners contain UV lamps and titanium dioxide, a catalyst substance that reacts with the UV light. These cleaners destroy gaseous pollutants like formaldehyde and exhaust fumes by converting them into harmless substances. These also need to be paired with a filter. There’s no efficiency standard available for PCO cleaners.
- Ozone cleaner: Although promoted for their ability to remove particles, gases and biologicals, they’re not always effective or safe. If you choose one, look for a model that also contains an ionizer. Ionizers produce negatively charged ions that bond to air pollutants, removing them from the air by causing them to fall to the floor or cling to walls and other surfaces.
For more expert guidance on keeping your home’s air clean with a whole-house air purifier, talk with us at Aladdin Heating & Cooling. We’ve been providing reliable HVAC services throughout the Metro-Detroit region of southeast Michigan for more than 65 years.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about air purifiers and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Aladdin Heating services Novi, Farmington, Farmington Hills, Southfield, Oak Park, Ferndale, Beverly Hills, Berkley, Royal Oak, Birmingham, Bloomfield Twp., Bloomfield Hills, West Bloomfield, Madison Heights, Clawson, Sterling Heights, Warren, Troy, St. Clair Shores, Grosse Pointe, Grosse Pointe Woods, Grosse Pointe Farms, Grosse Pointe Park, Detroit, Utica, Shelby Twp., Rochester, Rochester Hills, Auburn Hills, Lake Orion, Oxford, and Clarkston.
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