Nearly everyone would agree that good indoor air quality is essential to living and working indoors. No one wants to breathe polluted, contaminated, or unhealthy air at home or work. Unfortunately, most elements contributing to unhealthy indoor air are invisible to the human eye. While unseen, they can be quite damaging to individuals either whether or not they have respiratory health issues. And here’s a scary thought: Most indoor air is unhealthy.
Fortunately, several easily-installed solutions exist to improve, enhance, and clean the indoor air circulated inside nearly every home and business. To improve indoor air, there are two basic choices: install indoor air systems that provide filtration, purification, and UV inactivation to remove contaminants or use your lungs to trap airborne contaminants.
Many people are confident that the HVAC system in their home or business provides an acceptable level of indoor air quality. However, ductless and ducted HVAC systems are designed and engineered primarily to provide temperature control and air circulation. While HVAC systems have basic air filters, they protect the equipment rather than purify the air. Basic HVAC filters are likely ineffective at capturing small particles like allergens, fine particulate matter, and more, which can impact short- and long-term respiratory health. Also, poorly maintained HVAC systems can be a source of indoor air pollutants by releasing dust, mold, and other contaminants.
Dedicated indoor air quality systems, such as air filters, purification components, and UV inactivation solutions, use advanced technologies to remove or neutralize airborne contaminants likely not contained or inactivated by basic HVAC systems. Specialized indoor air quality systems are designed to provide years of reliable performance as they help to ensure the highest levels of indoor air quality that help everyone breathe easier.
Smart Home Total Filtration
Air filters are one of the most common elements to enhance indoor air quality. Permanent and disposable air filters help remove dust, pollen, mold, and dander as they circulate through a central HVAC system. The most common industry standard for filter efficiency is the Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value or MERV rating. The MERV scale for residential filters ranges from 1 to 20. The higher the MERV rating, the more particles are captured as the air passes through the filter. Higher MERV (higher efficiency) filters are especially effective at capturing very small particles that can most affect health. IAQ manufacturer Dust Free offers a wide assortment of air filters to fit nearly any HVAC system, residential or commercial.
One permanent filter, the Maxaire Gold® from Dust Free, uses self-charging electrostatic filtration media to reduce indoor air pollutants as the indoor air circulates through the HVAC system. Regular cleaning with water and household detergent will keep the air filter operating at peak efficiency for a lifetime.
Using high-efficiency air filters, such as HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filters, can capture a high percentage of airborne particles. Still, it is wise to determine the specific level or rating of air filter that an HVAC system requires. A filter with too high of a MERV rating can create a static pressure buildup that is detrimental to the performance of any ducted HVAC system. Check with your local HVAC technician before you install a disposable or permanent air filter.
There are a variety of air filters available for home or business installations. All are better choices than the filter typically installed by the manufacturer of an HVAC system. Dust Free offers air filter products using carbon to capture odors and particulates. Activated carbon filters are designed to absorb and remove odors, gases, and volatile organic compounds (VOC) from indoor air. They are often used in conjunction with HEPA filters in air purifiers.
Whole Home Purification
Using multiple next-generation technologies allows air purification systems to reduce odor and VOCs while inactivating bacteria and viruses in untreated indoor air. A product like the Dust Free Active utilizes germicidal UV-C technology plus ionization to target poor indoor air quality. It can reduce particulate matter such as dust and dander by improving the performance of existing filtration systems. Innovative carbon fiber brushes increase ion production to provide added performance. Consider the patent-pending Dust Free Carbon unit to remove Formaldehyde from indoor air. It has been tested and proven effective in removing Formaldehyde, a colorless, flammable, strong-smelling chemical that is used in building materials and many household products. Watery eyes, burning sensations in the eyes and throat, nausea, and difficulty breathing are potential symptoms of people exposed to high levels of Formaldehyde. In addition, it can trigger attacks in people with asthma.
UV Inactivation and Purification System
Germicidal UV lights can work 24/7, inactivating biological contaminants where the light shines on the surfaces of an HVAC system. Many provide protection even when the HVAC system isn’t running. When professionally installed and operated continuously, UV inactivation systems such as the Dust Free Lightstick and Lightstick Plus cover cooling coils, drain pans, and duct surfaces with germicidal UV energy 24/7 to help reduce or inactivate specific targeted bacteria, mold, and viruses where the light shines. The products utilize low mercury lamps/bulbs that are better for the environment while providing high ambient temperature operation for optimum performance.
Readily available, select IAQ systems are explicitly designed for use with ducted and ductless HVAC systems. For example, the Duality from Dust Free is designed for tight spaces and offers the highest UV-C light output available for ductless HVAC systems.
Enhancing and improving indoor air quality is not difficult, and many solutions are readily available. Unfortunately, many homeowners and business owners have not equipped their HVAC systems with adequate IAQ systems. Considering the investment in a home or business, coupled with the expense of an HVAC system, adding IAQ components is a relatively minor expense that offers significant long-term benefits. In short, many solutions are available to help prevent homeowners and building occupants from breathing polluted indoor air.
Since 1937, RectorSeal has offered products that have built a steadily growing and loyal following among contractors due to differentiated and proven product performance. Further, the company is often the first to tackle and solve challenges professional trade contractors face. In 2015, RectorSeal became part of CSW Industrials, Inc. (Nasdaq: CSWI), and it now plays a leading role in CSWI's Contractor Solutions segment.
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