If you have a newer house in Fort Lauderdale, it was probably constructed with energy efficiency at the top of the list. This means more insulation and windows and doors with improved seals. While these enhancements are fantastic for keeping your heating and cooling bills economical, they’re not so fantastic 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 getting adequate filtration. This style only gives 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 better MERV rating, it still might not be enough filtration, especially if someone in your home has allergies or other respiratory problems.
That’s where a whole-house air purifier comes in. These systems are installed within ductwork to provide strong filtration around your residence. Depending on the kind you choose, you’ll be able to get rid of allergens, odors and even some viruses under certain airflow conditions.
Here are our top styles 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 premium filtration. These filters were first created to defend scientists as they worked on the atomic bomb. Today, they’re necessary in hospitals and other medical buildings.
The Healthy Climate HEPA Filtration System features a three-step filtration process. A prefilter catches larger particles before the HEPA filter traps the remainder of tiny particles. Then, a charcoal filter wipes out odors and chemical vapors.
The PureAir™ S Air Purification System works with all HVAC brands and seamlessly connects with your smart home. It fights the three key types of indoor air pollutants:
- Airborne particles
- Chemical odors and vapors
- Germs and bacteria, under certain airflow conditions
This air purifier can eliminate 99.9%* of pollutants, including mold spores, pollen, dust and pet dander. It’s also capable of decreasing or eradicating 90%1 of flu and cold viruses under certain airflow conditions. And, based on laboratory and field studies, it removes and eliminates approximately 50% of your home’s odors and chemical vapors within 24 hours.
The PureAir S comes with sensing features that make it easy to service. When used with an iComfort® S30 smart thermostat, you’ll get a notification to change the filter and UVA light.2 This home air purifier must be linked with communicating Lennox systems and the iComfort S30.
2. Media Air Cleaners
Lennox Healthy Climate® Media Air Cleaners are available in a variety of MERV ratings to match your needs. This rating calculates how effective filters are at capturing contaminants. The greater the number, the finer the filtration.
The Healthy Climate Carbon Clean 16® Media Air Cleaner is ideal 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 eliminates more than 95%3 of irritating particles from your home’s air.
The Healthy Climate 13 Media Air Cleaner is suggested for families who desire stronger protection from viruses and bacteria. This filter removes 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 a great 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 smaller ones down to 0.3 microns.4 It’s able to provide this powerful filtration without driving up the price of turning on your HVAC system.
These three media air cleaners are compatible with any brand of HVAC system. Regardless, it’s important to realize that some of the thicker ones, like MERV 16 and 13, may decrease your system’s airflow. This can hike up your heating and cooling costs.
3. UV Air Purifiers
The sun’s UV rays are to blame when you get a blistering sunburn. But this kind of light has a helpful 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 lower the concentration of airborne microorganisms by 50% in as little as 45 minutes.5 This light wrecks cell structure, which halts these microorganisms from flourishing and spreading throughout your house.
And this UV air purifier can also help keep your home comfort system clean and operating properly. It takes care of germs, mold and fungi hiding in ductwork and your system itself. This UV light air purifier does all these things without producing lung-aggravating ozone.6
Breathe Healthier Air with the Help of Our Air Purification Specialists
Your loved ones’ comfort and health is important to us at Solar Air Inc.. We know there are a lot of options out there. That’s why we make it easy to work with our indoor air quality specialists. We specialize in recommending solutions that match your needs and budget, and we’d love to hear more about your home and your air quality issues. Reach us at 954-320-7398 today 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.
