If you have a newer home in Odessa, it was probably made with energy efficiency at the top of the list. This means increased insulation and windows and doors with better seals. While these enhancements are great for keeping your utility costs affordable, they’re not so good for your indoor air quality.
Your heating and cooling system needs to run with a filter. But if you have a flat filter, you won’t be experiencing enough filtration. This style only delivers the lowest level of protection by stopping dust from getting into your HVAC system.
While you can get a pleated filter or one with a higher MERV rating, it still might not be adequate filtration, especially if someone in your home has allergies or other respiratory troubles.
That’s where a whole-house air purifier can be a good option. These systems are placed within ductwork to provide strong filtration around your residence. Depending on the type you choose, you’ll be able to remove allergens, odors and even some viruses under certain airflow conditions.
Here are our top 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, provides premium filtration. These filters were first created to protect scientists as they made 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 procedure. A prefilter catches larger irritants before the HEPA filter traps the remainder of tiny irritants. Then, a charcoal filter wipes out odors and chemical vapors.
The PureAir™ S Air Purification System connects to all HVAC brands and seamlessly connects with your smart home. It combats the three leading kinds of indoor air irritants:
- 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 capable of removing or eradicating 90%1 of flu and cold viruses under certain airflow conditions. And, as the result of laboratory and field studies, it reduces and destroys approximately 50% of household odors and chemical vapors within 24 hours.
The PureAir S is equipped with sensing features that make it simple to keep up. When used with an iComfort® S30 smart thermostat, you’ll receive an alert 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 come in in a variety of MERV ratings to match your needs. This rating determines how capable 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 residences with allergy suffers and pets. This is a HEPA filter air purifier, because it has a MERV 16 rating for hospital-strength filtration. And it removes more than 95%3 of unhealthy particles from your home’s air.
The Healthy Climate 13 Media Air Cleaner is great for households who are looking for stronger protection from viruses and bacteria. This filter catches 99% of larger particles like 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 great 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 smaller ones down to 0.3 microns.4 It’s able to deliver this powerful filtration without increasing the price of using your HVAC system.
These three media air cleaners can be used with any brand of HVAC system. Regardless, it’s critical to know that some of the thicker ones, like MERV 16 and 13, may limit your system’s airflow. This can hike up your heating and cooling bills.
3. UV Air Purifiers
The sun’s UV rays are the fault of why you get a blistering sunburn. But this type of light has a useful application when placed inside your ductwork. It’s also powerful enough to decrease germs, mold and fungi under certain airflow conditions.
In fact, the Healthy Climate UV Germicidal Light can decrease the number of airborne microorganisms by 50% in as short as 45 minutes.5 This light wrecks cell structure, which prohibits these microorganisms from multiplying and moving throughout your home.
And this UV air purifier can also help keep your HVAC system clean and operating efficiently. It takes care of germs, mold and fungi hiding inside ductwork and your system itself. This UV light air purifier accomplishes all these things without developing lung-inflaming ozone.6
Breathe Better with the Support of Our Air Purification Specialists
Your family’s comfort and health is our top priority at Redhawk Heating & Air Conditioning. We realize there are a lot of options out there. That’s why we make it easy to partner with our indoor air quality pros. We specialize in recommending solutions tailored to your needs and budget, and we’d love to hear more about your residence and your air quality issues. Give us a call at 432-237-0168 today 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.
