Bill Rascher Mechanical hopes you and your families are healthy, safe and productive during these unusual times. With Covid-19 still a part of our lives and the winter months arriving, we have some thoughts to share with you about your indoor air quality.
Indoor air quality has never been more important to our families than now! The HVAC industry has developed some new products that work well in conjunction with systems we have used for years. The science behind these newer products give us the best opportunity with managing bacteria, viruses, mold and other pollutants in our homes and businesses. While some of these products have a short track record to prove their effectiveness, they are gaining popularity in the industry and offer the best technology, given the information we have today.
Several of these products are available for both commercial and residential systems. Most of these items rely on air movement or an air delivery system such as a forced-air furnace with ductwork. Buildings that have boilers with hot water and radiator delivery systems, unfortunately, do not have the ability to use some of these products.
Bi-Polar Ionizer is a relatively new device that generates ions which are introduced to the furnace air stream, these ions attach themselves to air borne micro particles, in essence making them larger to allow being captured by the furnace filter. Also, potentially the ions “deactivate” any pathogens in the air. These devices also have the added benefit of neutralizing household odors.
Ultraviolet Lights have been on the market for a while and offer some advantages. The UV light’s main purpose is to kill spores and pathogens. As the furnace moves air across the UV light it kills airborne contaminants. Also, a UV light will kill any mold spores when installed near the AC coil. Some of these devices also have an added option to neutralize household odors.
Electro-Static Furnace Air Filters have also been on the market for a while. The electrically charged filter media attracts much smaller micro particles than a standard filter. They also offer a higher rate of air flow at any given stage of cleanliness. Today’s heating and cooling furnaces rely on good air flow to prevent other service-related issues. Extra wide filter medias are great for catching particles but can be problematic for air flow. Thin filter medias can be better for air flow but not as effective catching particles.
Heat Recovery Ventilators (HRV) are very popular when installed in conjunction with a forced air furnace system. These devices take a portion of the inside occupied space air and exhaust it to the outside while bringing fresh outside air and blending it into the occupied space. An HRV also recovers some of the temperature of the occupied space before exhausting it to the outside. Changing the air inside with fresh outside air has always been important as our buildings are built tighter.
Do you have any questions about improving the air quality in your home? Feel free to contact us.
