If you have a newly constructed residence in Saint Louis, it was probably constructed with energy efficiency in mind. This means increased insulation and windows and doors with enhanced seals. While these enhancements are excellent for keeping your heating and cooling bills under control, they’re not so fantastic for your indoor air quality.
Your HVAC system needs to work with a filter. But if you have a flat filter, you won’t be experiencing ample filtration. This kind only provides the bare minimum of protection by blocking dust from infiltrating your HVAC system.
While you can install a pleated filter or one with a better MERV rating, it still might not be ample filtration, particularly if someone in your residence has allergies or other respiratory problems.
That’s where a whole-house air purifier comes in. These systems are placed within ductwork to provide mighty filtration across your residence. Depending on the type you go with, you’ll be able to get rid of allergens, odors and even some viruses under certain airflow conditions.
Here are our best systems 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, gives premium filtration. These filters were first developed to guard scientists as they worked on the atomic bomb. Today, they’re a must-have in hospitals and other medical facilities.
The Healthy Climate HEPA Filtration System includes a three-step filtration process. A prefilter draws significant irritants before the HEPA filter catches remaining miniscule particles. Then, a charcoal filter wipes out odors and chemical vapors.
The PureAir™ S Air Purification System connects to all HVAC brands and easily integrates with your smart home. It reduces the three major types of indoor air contaminants:
- Airborne particles
- Chemical odors and vapors
- Germs and bacteria, under certain airflow conditions
This air purifier can get rid of 99.9%* of pollutants, including mold spores, pollen, dust and pet dander. It’s also effective at decreasing or eradicating 90%1 of flu and cold viruses under certain airflow conditions. And, according to laboratory and field studies, it reduces and eliminates 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 paired with an iComfort® S30 smart thermostat, you’ll be notified when to replace 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 good filters are at trapping contaminants. The greater the number, the greater the filtration.
The Healthy Climate Carbon Clean 16® Media Air Cleaner is recommended for households with allergy suffers and pets. This is a HEPA filter air purifier, since it has a MERV 16 rating for hospital-grade filtration. And it eliminates more than 95%3 of irritating particles from your home’s air.
The Healthy Climate 13 Media Air Cleaner is recommended for homes who desire improved protection from viruses and bacteria. This filter traps 99% of larger particles such as dust, pollen and lint. And up to 54% of smaller particles down to 0.3 microns.4
The Healthy Climate 11 Media Air Cleaner is a a fantastic air purifier for allergies and in residences with pets. It catches 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 deliver this powerful filtration without increasing the bill for using your HVAC system.
These three media air cleaners can be used with any brand of HVAC system. Regardless, it’s important to realize that some of the thicker ones, like MERV 16 and 13, may decrease your system’s airflow. This can inflate your heating and cooling costs.
3. UV Air Purifiers
The sun’s UV rays are the fault of why you get a stinging sunburn. But this type of light has a beneficial application when installed inside your ductwork. It’s also powerful enough to eliminate germs, mold and fungi under certain airflow conditions.
In actuality, the Healthy Climate UV Germicidal Light can reduce the concentration of airborne microorganisms by 50% in as fast as 45 minutes.5 This light damages cell structure, which stops these microorganisms from growing and spreading around your home.
And this UV air purifier can also help keep your heating and cooling system clean and operating efficiently. It eliminates of germs, mold and fungi lurking in ductwork and your system itself. This UV light air purifier accomplishes all these things without making lung-irritating ozone.6
Breathe Healthier Air with the Assistance of Our Air Purification Specialists
Your household’s comfort and health matters to us at Morgner Inc. Air Conditioning & Heating. We realize there are a lot of solutions out there. That’s why we make it easy to partner with our indoor air quality specialists. We specialize in creating solutions tailored to your needs and budget, and we’d love to learn more about your residence and your air quality problems. Give us a call at 314-262-4541 right away 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.