Much has been said in recent years about the potential hazards of having poor indoor air quality. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) has listed indoor air pollution as one of the nation's biggest environmental health concerns, and found that the air inside homes is usually more polluted than the air outdoors. Indoor air is more hospitable to microbes such as bacteria and viruses, which is part of the reason why experts estimate that half of the illnesses we suffer either result from, or are made worse by, the air we breathe indoors.
When planning a strategy for keeping your indoor air clean, it is important to account for these disease-carrying microorganisms. And perhaps the best way to do so is to utilize UV lights.
UV (or ultraviolet) light can kill tiny organisms like bacteria and mold, if you use the right wavelength, and expose them to enough of the UV rays. Natural sunlight is not enough, because the atmosphere mostly blocks the type of UV rays that are required to actually destroy these contaminants. However, you can buy electronic UV lights that are specifically designed for killing the germs in your home's air. You can install these UV lights inside your HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) system, where your air conditioner or furnace will regularly circulate the air through the light source, and kill off any airborne germs.
UV lights work best when combined with a high-quality air filter. A UV light is only one part of a comprehensive clean air strategy; it may kill the germs, but it does not remove the dead microorganisms, or dust or pollen, from the air. An air filter can remove particles from the air, but does nothing to kill germs. When you use them together, however, they compliment each other. In fact, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) has found that combining a UV light with a high-quality air filter is the best way to remove germs from the air.
At Joe Behr Plumbing and Heating, Inc. in Lexington, we have a range of indoor air quality products to suit the needs of any Mid-Ohio home. Contact us with any questions; we would be happy to help.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about UV lights and other HVAC topics, visit our website.
Joe Behr Plumbing and Heating, Inc. services the Mid-Ohio area.
