Did you know that people will spend 87% of their lives indoors, either at home or at their workplace? Most people will spend another 6% of their lives commuting in cars, buses, or other enclosed vehicles. That means the average person will spend up to 93% of their time or more than 22 hours per day inside.
Given the significant amount of each day that most people now spend away from the outside air and elements, indoor air quality is becoming increasingly more critical. Yet, recent EPA analyses indicate that most indoor air has between five times and 100 times the dust, dirt, pollen, and other contaminants than fresh outdoor air has. Installing a Lennox PureAir System into your HVAC unit can not only eliminate dust and other allergens but can also significantly reduce viruses from spreading throughout the air.
Single Room vs. Whole-Home Air Purification Systems
Based on those statistics, air purifiers are becoming increasingly more desirable for people who suffer from allergies or who just want to have cleaner air in their homes. There are generally two options that you can take to eliminate mold, dust, dirt, pet dander, and other particulates from the air inside your home. You can either buy single-room air purifiers or whole-home air purification solutions.
Single-room air purifiers generally are rated to filter the air a specific number of times for a given area. For example, one air purifier might filter the air in a 500-square-foot room three times per hour. Another machine could be rated to remove particles from a 250-square-foot room twice per hour.
These machines typically just need to be plugged in and may require periodic filter cleaning or replacement. However, these products will only filter and remove contaminants from the specific rooms in which they are located. They will not remove particulates from other rooms or from the air circulating through your HVAC system.
Fortunately, there are purification systems that can filter the air throughout your entire home. These products will integrate directly with your existing HVAC components to remove dust, pollen, mold spores, pet dander, and other particulates as the air circulates from your furnace, air handler, or other components and moves through your home’s ductwork.
Why Choose the Lennox PureAir Solution?
Our team at C & C Heating and Air Conditioning highly recommends the Lennox PureAir air purification systems for our customers in the Motor City area. This system primarily uses carbon-based filters to remove over 99% of contaminants from the air without generating ozone.
Ozone is a particle that occurs naturally in nature, but that can cause numerous issues for humans. Recent EPA studies have shown that ozone can result in lung damage, even in small doses. These particles can also trigger coughing, chest pain, sore throats, and difficulty breathing, especially in people with allergies, asthma, or other breathing conditions.
Many alternative whole-home air purification solutions use ultraviolet bulbs to help kill germs, viruses, bacteria, and other contaminants. While these lamps effectively kill more than 99% of bacteria and viruses, some lamps generate Ultra-violet V rays, which are the shortest and most intense of the ultraviolet light spectrum. UV-V bulbs can release ozone throughout your home while they are sanitizing your ducts and other aspects of your HVAC system.
Quite a few high-end single room air purifiers also have three- and four-stage filtration levels that also include lamps that can generate UV-V. These solutions also release ozone into the area around the unit.
In contrast, Lennox’s PureAir solution does not generate ozone. In fact, its carbon filters can absorb ozone and reduce those particles in your house’s air supply. Eliminating ozone may help you breathe easier and reduce bouts of coughing while you are at home. Read on for other benefits of the Lennox PureAir system.
Superior Dust, Dirt, Pollen and Dander Removal
You may be saying to yourself, “my HVAC system already has a filter on it, why do I need a whole-home air purifier?” Good question! Most older HVAC systems have fiberglass filters on them.
These screens are intended to block large dust, dirt, and pet hair particles from getting into your furnace or other critical components. They are not designed to remove fine particulates or to significantly enhance your home’s indoor air quality. In fact, most of these filters have efficiency (MERV) ratings of four or less.
These numbers mean that the fiberglass will remove 20% or less of the particles that are between 0.3 and 1.0 microns. Even pleated filters with MERV ratings of 14 will only trap anywhere from 75% to 85% of these micro-sized pollutants from your air.
In contrast, the Lennox PureAir whole-home purifier removes 99.9% of airborne pet dander, dust, and dirt overall and 95% of particles that are at least 0.3 microns. That is equivalent to a MERV 16 efficiency rating or better. Imagine how fresh and clean your air will feel with a significant portion of these pollutants eliminated.
Germs and Viruses Beware
Most older HVAC systems have filters that are rated at MERV 8 or lower. These filers cannot capture viruses, bacteria, and other germs from the air. Per the EPA and CDC, you would need a filter with an efficiency rating of MERV 13 or greater to capture these microbes and remove them from your home’s circulating air.
The good news is that, in addition to its ability to remove dirt, dust, and dander, Lennox’s PureAir whole-home air purification system can trap germs, bacteria, and viruses that are as small as 0.01 microns. That’s effective enough to get rid of approximately 90% of viruses in the air, including the flu, the common cold, and other infectious agents.
Effective Odor Reducer
Lennox’s system also can neutralize up to 50% of odors from food, cleansers, and other chemicals and pets. Its filters can also capture and eliminate many volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are found in some paints and other home construction or maintenance materials.
Burning wood, some cosmetics, and certain air fresheners may also release VOCs into your home. If you have asthma or other breathing conditions, then consistent exposure to these chemical vapors could contribute to additional flareups or other issues. They can also irritate your eyes, nose, and throat.
Many single-room purifiers and standard furnace filters do not have the ability to remove VOCs and other harmful vapors from the air. A whole-home solution like the one from Lennox could be an effective way to reduce harmful odors from your home.
We would be happy to discuss any concerns that you may have and review potential ways that we can help improve your indoor air quality. We also offer heating and air conditioning installation, repair, and maintenance. You can also count on us for indoor air quality tests and duct cleaning for your Motor City home. If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to call our experienced team at C & C Heating and Air Conditioning.