If you live in a newly built residence in Mankato area, it was probably made with energy efficiency at the top of the list. This means increased insulation and windows and doors with enhanced seals. While these improvements are great for keeping your energy bills economical, they’re not so great for your indoor air quality.
Your home comfort system needs to operate with a filter. But if you have a flat filter, you won’t be experiencing ample filtration. This model only provides the lowest level of protection by keeping dust out of your home comfort system.
While you can install a pleated filter or one with a increased MERV rating, it still might not be adequate filtration, even more so if someone in your residence has allergies or other respiratory issues.
That’s where a whole-house air purifier comes in. These systems are installed within ductwork to provide effective filtration across your home. Depending on the type you go with, you’ll be able to remove allergens, odors and even some viruses under certain airflow conditions.
Here are our top solutions 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 developed to protect scientists as they made the atomic bomb. Today, they’re a must-have in hospitals and other medical buildings.
The Healthy Climate HEPA Filtration System has a three-step filtration method. A prefilter catches significant irritants before the HEPA filter catches the rest of miniscule particles. Then, a charcoal filter eradicates odors and chemical vapors.
The PureAir™ S Air Purification System connects to all HVAC brands and easily integrates with your smart home. It combats 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 remove 99.9%* of pollutants, like mold spores, pollen, dust and pet dander. It’s also capable of decreasing or destroying 90%1 of flu and cold viruses under certain airflow conditions. And, based on laboratory and field studies, it decreases and eradicates approximately 50% of residential odors and chemical vapors within 24 hours.
The PureAir S includes sensing features that make it easy to maintain. When linked with an iComfort® S30 smart thermostat, you’ll be notified when to change 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 measures how effective filters are at removing 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, since it has a MERV 16 rating for hospital-strength filtration. And it removes more than 95%3 of aggravating particles from your house’s air.
The Healthy Climate 13 Media Air Cleaner is great for families who want stronger protection from viruses and bacteria. This filter removes 99% of larger particles including dust, pollen and lint. And up to 54% of miniscule 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 removes 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 increasing the bill for using your heating and cooling system.
These three media air cleaners work with any brand of HVAC system. However, it’s important to know that some of the denser ones, such as MERV 16 and 13, may restrict your system’s airflow. This can inflate your utility expenses.
3. UV Air Purifiers
The sun’s UV rays are the reason why you get a painful sunburn. But this type of light has a beneficial application when installed inside your ductwork. It’s also tough enough to reduce germs, mold and fungi under certain airflow conditions.
In reality, the Healthy Climate UV Germicidal Light can reduce the amount of airborne microorganisms by 50% in as quickly as 45 minutes.5 This light destroys cell structure, which halts these microorganisms from multiplying and infiltrating throughout your residence.
And this UV air purifier can also help keep your heating and cooling system clean and running like it should. It wipes out of germs, mold and fungi that are hidden inside ductwork and your system itself. This UV light air purifier accomplishes all these tasks without producing lung-aggravating ozone.6
Breathe Better with the Support of Our Air Purification Professionals
Your family’s comfort and health is our top priority at Northern Comfort Inc. We are aware there are a lot of options out there. That’s why we make it easy to collaborate with our indoor air quality pros. We specialize in developing solutions that match your needs and budget, and we’d love to hear more about your home and your air quality issues. Give us a call at 507-387-6596 today to start the process.
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.
