If you own a newer residence in Wausau, it was probably constructed with energy efficiency as a priority. This means greater amounts of insulation and windows and doors with better seals. While these advances are great for keeping your energy costs economical, they’re not so excellent 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 delivers the smallest amount of protection by keeping dust out of your home comfort system.
While you can install a pleated filter or one with a better MERV rating, it still might not be enough filtration, particularly if someone in your residence has allergies or other respiratory problems.
That’s where a whole-house air purifier comes in. These systems are placed within ductwork to provide mighty filtration across your house. Depending on the model you choose, you’ll be able to get rid of allergens, odors and even some viruses under certain airflow conditions.
Here are our favorite options 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 defend scientists as they worked on the atomic bomb. Today, they’re a must-have in hospitals and other medical settings.
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 miniscule irritants. Then, a charcoal filter takes care of odors and chemical vapors.
The PureAir™ S Air Purification System works with all HVAC brands and easily connects with your smart home. It fights the three key kinds of indoor air irritants:
- Airborne particles
- Chemical odors and vapors
- Germs and bacteria, under certain airflow conditions
This air purifier can remove 99.9%* of pollutants, such as mold spores, pollen, dust and pet dander. It’s also effective at decreasing or eradicating 90%1 of flu and cold viruses under certain airflow conditions. And, according to laboratory and field studies, it reduces 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 simple to keep up. When paired with an iComfort® S30 smart thermostat, you’ll get a notification to replace 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 made in a variety of MERV ratings to match your needs. This rating calculates how effective filters are at trapping contaminants. The greater 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-grade filtration. And it eliminates more than 95%3 of aggravating particles from your residence’s air.
The Healthy Climate 13 Media Air Cleaner is great for homes who are looking for improved protection from viruses and bacteria. This filter removes 99% of larger particles like 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 fantastic air purifier for allergies and in homes with pets. It catches 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 deliver this strong filtration without running up the bill for operating your HVAC system.
These three media air cleaners work with any brand of HVAC system. However, it’s important to realize that some of the thicker ones, such as MERV 16 and 13, may limit your system’s airflow. This can inflate your heating and cooling expenses.
3. UV Air Purifiers
The sun’s UV rays are the fault of why you get a painful sunburn. But this kind of light has a helpful application when installed within your ductwork. It’s also strong enough to reduce germs, mold and fungi under certain airflow conditions.
In reality, the Healthy Climate UV Germicidal Light can decrease the amount of airborne microorganisms by 50% in as fast as 45 minutes.5 This light damages cell structure, which prohibits these microorganisms from multiplying and moving across your residence.
And this UV air purifier can also help keep your home comfort system clean and working like it should. It takes care of germs, mold and fungi hiding inside 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 family’s comfort and health is our top priority at Gilray Heating and Cooling. We know there are a lot of possibilities out there. That’s why we make it simple to partner with our indoor air quality pros. We specialize in recommending solutions that meet your needs and budget, and we’d love to hear more about your residence and your air quality challenges. Give us a call at 715-301-0727 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.