If you have a newly built home in Saint Louis, it was likely made with energy efficiency as a priority. This means increased insulation and windows and doors with better seals. While these advances are fantastic for keeping your utility costs affordable, 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 getting enough filtration. This model only provides the smallest amount of protection by keeping dust out of your heating and cooling system.
While you can install a pleated filter or one with a higher MERV rating, it still might not be ample filtration, especially if someone in your house has allergies or other respiratory problems.
That’s where a whole-house air purifier can be a great solution. These systems are installed within ductwork to provide strong filtration across your house. Depending on the kind you choose, you’ll be able to filter 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, provides top-of-the-line filtration. These filters were first made to protect scientists as they developed the atomic bomb. Today, they’re essential in hospitals and other medical applications.
The Healthy Climate HEPA Filtration System includes a three-step filtration procedure. A prefilter catches larger irritants before the HEPA filter traps remaining miniscule particles. Then, a charcoal filter wipes out odors and chemical vapors.
The PureAir™ S Air Purification System works with all HVAC brands and smoothly links to your smart home. It combats the three major varieties 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, like mold spores, pollen, dust and pet dander. It’s also potent at reducing or destroying 90%1 of flu and cold viruses under certain airflow conditions. And, based on laboratory and field studies, it decreases and eliminates approximately 50% of residential odors and chemical vapors within 24 hours.
The PureAir S is equipped with sensing features that make it uncomplicated to service. When paired 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 made in a variety of MERV ratings to work with your needs. This rating determines how capable filters are at capturing contaminants. The greater the number, the better the filtration.
The Healthy Climate Carbon Clean 16® Media Air Cleaner is ideal for households with allergy suffers and pets. This is a HEPA filter air purifier, as it has a MERV 16 rating for hospital-grade filtration. And it removes more than 95%3 of aggravating particles from your residence’s air.
The Healthy Climate 13 Media Air Cleaner is great for households who desire enhanced protection from viruses and bacteria. This filter catches 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 houses with pets. It eliminates more than 87% of bigger particles down to 3 microns and more than 28% of finer ones down to 0.3 microns.4 It’s able to provide this strong filtration without driving up the cost of using your heating and cooling system.
These three media air cleaners can be used with any brand of HVAC system. However, it’s important to know that some of the more substantial ones, such as MERV 16 and 13, may decrease your system’s airflow. This can inflate your energy bills.
3. UV Air Purifiers
The sun’s UV rays are to blame when you get a blistering sunburn. But this type of light has a useful application when concealed inside your ductwork. It’s also strong enough to decrease germs, mold and fungi under certain airflow conditions.
In fact, the Healthy Climate UV Germicidal Light can decrease the amount of airborne microorganisms by 50% in as quickly as 45 minutes.5 This light destroys cell structure, which stops these microorganisms from multiplying and infiltrating around your residence.
And this UV air purifier can also help keep your HVAC system clean and running properly. It eliminates of germs, mold and fungi that are hidden in ductwork and your system itself. This UV light air purifier accomplishes all these tasks without making lung-inflaming ozone.6
Breathe Easier with the Support of Our Air Purification Pros
Your loved ones’ comfort and health matters to us at Morgner Inc. Air Conditioning & Heating. We are aware there are many options out there. That’s why we make it uncomplicated to partner with our indoor air quality specialists. We specialize in recommending solutions that meet your needs and budget, and we’d love to learn more about your residence and your air quality issues. Give us a call at 314-262-4541 now to begin.
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.