If you have a newer house in Columbus, it was likely built with energy efficiency in mind. This means increased insulation and windows and doors with better seals. While these advances are great for keeping your utility costs affordable, they’re not so fantastic for your indoor air quality.
Your heating and cooling system needs to run with a filter. But if you’re using a flat filter, you won’t be getting enough filtration. This type only provides the bare minimum 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 enough filtration, particularly if someone in your house has allergies or other respiratory issues.
That’s where a whole-house air purifier comes in. These systems are attached within ductwork to give mighty filtration around your residence. Depending on the model you choose, you’ll be able to get rid of 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 the best filtration. These filters were first created to shield scientists as they developed the atomic bomb. Today, they’re must-have in hospitals and other medical settings.
The Healthy Climate HEPA Filtration System includes a three-step filtration procedure. A prefilter catches significant irritants before the HEPA filter catches the rest of miniscule pollutants. Then, a charcoal filter eradicates odors and chemical vapors.
The PureAir™ S Air Purification System works with all HVAC brands and seamlessly connects with with your smart home. It fights the three key 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, including mold spores, pollen, dust and pet dander. It’s also effective at reducing or destroying 90%1 of flu and cold viruses under certain airflow conditions. And, according to laboratory and field studies, it removes and eradicates approximately 50% of residential odors and chemical vapors within 24 hours.
The PureAir S includes sensing features that make it uncomplicated to maintain. When paired 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 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 recommended for residences 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 residence’s air.
The Healthy Climate 13 Media Air Cleaner is recommended for households who are looking for stronger protection from viruses and bacteria. This filter catches 99% of larger particles including 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 an excellent 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 miniscule ones down to 0.3 microns.4 It’s able to offer this powerful filtration without driving up the cost of turning on your home comfort system.
These three media air cleaners are compatible with any brand of HVAC system. However, it’s critical to realize that some of the denser ones, including MERV 16 and 13, may limit your system’s airflow. This can hike up your energy bills.
3. UV Air Purifiers
The sun’s UV rays are to the fault of you get a blistering sunburn. But this wavelength of light has a helpful application when installed inside your ductwork. It’s also strong enough to reduce germs, mold and fungi under certain airflow conditions.
In reality, the Healthy Climate UV Germicidal Light can lower the number of airborne microorganisms by 50% in as little as 45 minutes.5 This light damages cell structure, which stops these microorganisms from flourishing and spreading throughout your home.
And this UV air purifier can also help keep your home comfort system clean and running efficiently. It takes care of germs, mold and fungi hiding in ductwork and your system itself. This UV light air purifier does all this work without creating lung-aggravating ozone.6
Breathe Easier with the Assistance of Our Air Purification Specialists
Your household’s comfort and health is important to us at Wolfe & Sons Heating and Cooling. We realize there are many options out there. That’s why we make it uncomplicated to collaborate with our indoor air quality specialists. We specialize in making solutions that match your needs and budget, and we’d love to hear more about your residence and your air quality challenges. Call us at 614-451-0846 now to get started.
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.