If you live in a newly built residence in Wausau, it was in all likelihood built with energy efficiency at the top of the list. This means increased insulation and windows and doors with improved seals. While these enhancements are fantastic for keeping your utility expenses under control, they’re not so fantastic for your indoor air quality.
Your HVAC system needs to operate with a filter. But if you have a flat filter, you won’t be getting enough filtration. This model only provides the lowest level of protection by keeping dust out of your heating and cooling system.
While you can install a pleated filter or one with a increased MERV rating, it still might not be ample filtration, even more so if someone in your house has allergies or other respiratory issues.
That’s where a whole-house air purifier comes in. These systems are installed within ductwork to provide strong filtration throughout your residence. Depending on the model you go with, you’ll be able to remove allergens, odors and even some viruses under certain airflow conditions.
Here are our favorite systems 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, gives top-of-the-line filtration. These filters were first created to shield scientists as they created the atomic bomb. Today, they’re a must-have in hospitals and other medical buildings.
The Healthy Climate HEPA Filtration System includes a three-step filtration process. A prefilter catches significant irritants before the HEPA filter traps remaining smaller pollutants. Then, a charcoal filter eradicates odors and chemical vapors.
The PureAir™ S Air Purification System connects to all HVAC brands and easily links to your smart home. It combats the three key kinds 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 potent at decreasing or eradicating 90%1 of flu and cold viruses under certain airflow conditions. And, as the result of laboratory and field studies, it reduces and eliminates approximately 50% of your home’s odors and chemical vapors within 24 hours.
The PureAir S is equipped with sensing features that make it easy to service. When used with an iComfort® S30 smart thermostat, you’ll receive an alert to install a new 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 are made in a variety of MERV ratings to work with your needs. This rating determines how capable filters are at capturing contaminants. The better the number, the better the filtration.
The Healthy Climate Carbon Clean 16® Media Air Cleaner is great for households with allergy suffers and pets. This is a HEPA filter air purifier, since it has a MERV 16 rating for hospital-level filtration. And it eliminates more than 95%3 of aggravating particles from your residence’s air.
The Healthy Climate 13 Media Air Cleaner is recommended for families who desire enhanced 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 an excellent air purifier for allergies and in residences with pets. It traps more than 87% of bigger particles down to 3 microns and more than 28% of finer ones down to 0.3 microns.4 It’s able to provide this effective filtration without increasing the bill for using your home comfort system.
These three media air cleaners can be used with any brand of HVAC system. However, it’s critical to be aware that some of the thicker ones, such as MERV 16 and 13, may restrict your system’s airflow. This can increase your energy expenses.
3. UV Air Purifiers
The sun’s UV rays are the reason why you get a stinging sunburn. But this wavelength of light has a useful application when placed in your ductwork. It’s also tough enough to decrease germs, mold and fungi under certain airflow conditions.
In reality, the Healthy Climate UV Germicidal Light can decrease the number of airborne microorganisms by 50% in as fast as 45 minutes.5 This light damages cell structure, which prohibits these microorganisms from flourishing and infiltrating around your house.
And this UV air purifier can also help keep your home comfort system clean and working properly. It eliminates of germs, mold and fungi hiding within ductwork and your system itself. This UV light air purifier accomplishes all these tasks without making lung-inflaming ozone.6
Breathe Better with the Support of Our Air Purification Specialists
Your loved ones’ comfort and health matters to us at Gilray Heating and Cooling. We realize there are lots of solutions out there. That’s why we make it simple to collaborate with our indoor air quality specialists. We specialize in making solutions that meet your needs and budget, and we’d love to find out more about your home and your air quality challenges. Give us a call at 715-301-0727 right away to begin.
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.