You may be considering getting an air purifier in Dunedin, FL to improve your home’s indoor air quality (IAQ). We think this is a great idea, especially with more people staying indoors because of the intense heat and humidity. We can provide you with information on what types of pollutants an air purifier will remove from your home to help you understand better how these installations can improve IAQ and the general health of the people in your household.
Before we go into what contaminants air purifiers remove, we want to point out what they don’t remove well, which is large particles: dust, pet dander, lint, and pollen. The best way to remove these is with a standard air filter. And that’s a good place to start when looking at the contaminants an air purifier does remove…
Whatever the air filter doesn’t trap
This is a generalization, but we want to mention this because it’s one of the best uses for an air purifier: the assistant to the air filter. Air filters come in different strengths, but a home HVAC system has a limit on how powerful a whole-house filter it can use before the filter blocks airflow. If the maximum strength filter for the HVAC system still isn’t trapping all the unwanted airborne pollutants, then an air purifier is the best way to provide thorough air cleaning. Not only does the air purifier target smaller pollutants, but it also causes pollutants to clump together so the air filter can more easily catch them.
Odors and gases
One of the biggest benefits of air purifiers is that they can target odors and gases. Odor control is especially helpful for households with pets, smokers, or where a lot of cooking is done. Some of the most important gases that air purifiers can remove are volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are emitted into the house from a range of sources such as paints, varnishes, cleaning products, cosmetics, hobby products, and adhesives. VOCs are linked to numerous health problems and are one of the best reasons to invest in an air purifier.
Allergens
This is a major one if you have people in your home who suffer from asthma and/or allergies. Air filters can remove the larger allergy triggers like dander and pollen, but an air purifier provides more thorough protection from smaller allergens.
Organic pollutants
A special type of air purifier, the UV air purifier (a.k.a. UV germicidal light), targets organic pollutants inside a home. These include airborne pathogens and microorganisms such as bacteria, mold spores, and viruses. The UV air purifier safely eliminates these harmful pollutants using wavelengths of ultraviolet light, which disrupts cellular structures to either make pollutants inert (and therefore harmless) or kill them outright. UV air purifiers are not often installed as standalone systems, but as part of other air purification devices, such as those combined with an air filter and another type of purifier.
You can ask our team about the type of air purification and air filtration system that will work best for your needs.
The A/C Guy of Tampa Bay Inc. serves our Tampa Bay family with integrity and honor. Contact us if you want to find out more about air purifiers and air filtration systems.