If you have a newer home in Lake Worth, it was probably constructed with energy efficiency as a priority. This means increased insulation and windows and doors with better seals. While these enhancements are excellent for keeping your energy expenses affordable, they’re not so fantastic for your indoor air quality.
Your heating and cooling system needs to work with a filter. But if you have a flat filter, you won’t be getting enough filtration. This style only gives the bare minimum of protection by blocking dust from infiltrating your home comfort system.
While you can install a pleated filter or one with a higher MERV rating, it still might not be ample filtration, even more so if someone in your residence has allergies or other respiratory problems.
That’s where a whole-house air purifier can be a good option. These systems are installed within ductwork to provide effective filtration across your residence. Depending on the model you select, you’ll be able to get rid of allergens, odors and even some viruses under certain airflow conditions.
Here are our favorite 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, delivers the best filtration. These filters were first created to shield scientists as they made the atomic bomb. Today, they’re essential in hospitals and other medical settings.
The Healthy Climate HEPA Filtration System features a three-step filtration method. A prefilter catches significant particles before the HEPA filter catches the rest of smaller particles. Then, a charcoal filter takes care of odors and chemical vapors.
The PureAir™ S Air Purification System connects to all HVAC brands and seamlessly works with your smart home. It combats the three major varieties of indoor air pollutants:
- Airborne particles
- Chemical odors and vapors
- Germs and bacteria, under certain airflow conditions
This air purifier can get rid of 99.9%* of pollutants, like mold spores, pollen, dust and pet dander. It’s also capable of reducing or eliminating 90%1 of flu and cold viruses under certain airflow conditions. And, as the result of laboratory and field studies, it decreases and eliminates approximately 50% of your home’s odors and chemical vapors within 24 hours.
The PureAir S includes sensing features that make it uncomplicated to service. When linked with an iComfort® S30 smart thermostat, you’ll get a notification to install a new filter and UVA light.2 This home air purifier must be used 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 calculates how effective filters are at trapping contaminants. The better the number, the greater the filtration.
The Healthy Climate Carbon Clean 16® Media Air Cleaner is great for homes 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 house’s air.
The Healthy Climate 13 Media Air Cleaner is recommended for households who want improved 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 great air purifier for allergies and in homes 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 provide this strong filtration without driving up the bill for turning on your heating and cooling system.
These three media air cleaners are compatible with any brand of HVAC system. However, it’s important to know that some of the denser ones, including MERV 16 and 13, may restrict your system’s airflow. This can increase your energy costs.
3. UV Air Purifiers
The sun’s UV rays are to blame when you get a stinging sunburn. But this wavelength of light has a beneficial application when installed within 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 number of airborne microorganisms by 50% in as fast as 45 minutes.5 This light wrecks cell structure, which stops these microorganisms from multiplying and infiltrating throughout your home.
And this UV air purifier can also help keep your home comfort system clean and working like it should. It eliminates of germs, mold and fungi lurking in ductwork and your system itself. This UV light air purifier accomplishes all these things without creating lung-aggravating ozone.6
Breathe Easier with the Help of Our Air Purification Specialists
Your household’s comfort and health is our top priority at Smyth Air Conditioning. We know there are many possibilities out there. That’s why we make it simple to work with our indoor air quality professionals. We specialize in developing solutions that meet your needs and budget, and we’d love to hear more about your house and your air quality challenges. Give us a call at 561-533-6066 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.