It’s no secret that germs such as viruses and bacteria cause illnesses and diseases. Aside from constantly sanitizing your home of germs, there’s another way of combatting the scourge of airborne diseases. Installing ultraviolet (UV) light air filters is an effective way of getting rid of cold and flu viruses at home.
UV light is a reliable way to sanitize water, surfaces, and the air. Due to its germicidal properties, it is also utilized to treat tuberculosis as well as disinfect hospitals, laboratories, and kitchens.
By incorporating these HVAC products into your home’s air purification and HVAC systems, you and your family can rest assured that your home is at a lower risk of being contaminated with unwanted germs. Learn how this technology works, and how a UV light in an air purifier can improve your home’s indoor air quality.
How a UV Light Works
Like radio waves and X-rays, UV light is an invisible type of electromagnetic radiation. Air filters with this kind of technology use short-wave UV light (UV-C) to effectively eliminate airborne contaminants such as pathogens, mold spores, and viruses.
UV-C can harm cells by destroying nucleic acids and disrupting their DNA. As a result, microorganisms that are exposed to UV light are either killed or incapacitated.
To further disinfect the air, some virus-protecting air filters use hydro-peroxide plasma. The element is distributed through the duct system and swept into the living space to neutralize pollutants that may have gotten past the filtration system. On top of that, the charged plasma causes contaminant particles to coagulate, making them easier for the filter to catch.
Installing a UV light air filter will help keep your home free of all airborne particles by cutting them off at the source.
Benefits of Installing a UV Light
Of course, it can be almost impossible to remove every single germ that inhabits your house. However, a UV light is the closest thing you can get to a germ-free environment. Here are some UV light benefits that will help with your overall comfort and health:
- Improved Indoor Air Quality: By neutralizing harmful microorganisms, UV light contributes to better indoor air quality, reducing health risks like respiratory infections.
- Eliminates Odors: UV light helps eliminate odors by breaking down volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and eliminating the particles responsible for unpleasant smells.
- Enhanced HVAC Efficiency: Installing a UV light in your HVAC system prevents the growth of mold and bacteria on coils and surfaces, improving system efficiency and reducing energy consumption.
- Relieves Allergies and Asthma: Reduced airborne allergens and pathogens contribute to a healthier environment, providing relief to individuals with allergies and asthma.
- Long-lasting Sterilization: UV light offers a continuous, long-lasting solution for sterilizing air and surfaces without the need for chemical agents.
- Prevents Mold Growth: UV light inhibits mold growth on surfaces and in damp areas, helping to maintain a mold-free environment.
Where Should You Install the UV Light?
Figuring out where to install a UV light in an HVAC system can be a challenge. You want to pick the place that will be most effective in killing germs. However, every home and HVAC system layout is different. To figure out the best HVAC UV light placement spot, speak to an experienced technician who can inspect your home.
Here are some of the best areas to install your light so that it can operate at its full potential:
- HVAC System: Install UV lights within the HVAC system, particularly near the evaporator coils. This will prevent mold and bacterial growth on these surfaces, improving overall system efficiency and indoor air quality.
- Air Ducts: Place UV lights inside air ducts to target airborne microorganisms as they pass through. This helps sterilize the air circulating throughout the entire ventilation system.
- Return Ducts: Consider installing UV lights in the return air duct, where air from various spaces is drawn back into the HVAC system. This location allows for the treatment of air before it undergoes the heating or cooling process.
What Is the Cost of a UV Light for an HVAC System?
UV lights come in different sizes and styles. While they offer homeowners great benefits, they are actually pretty affordable compared to other air purification equipment. Depending on your needs, a singular UV light can range anywhere from $70 to $500.
You will want to have this task completed by a professional technician to ensure its effectiveness and safety. The labor costs for installing a UV light can range between $200 to $1,000. However, it’s important to get a quote from your contractor before making any big decisions.
What Is the Best UV Light for Your HVAC System?
If you’re looking for virus-protecting air filters, the REME HALO is one of the best devices you’ll find in the market. This award-winning purifier combines UV light hydro-peroxide and zinc ions to get rid of pollutants and foul odors.
Our professional technicians at Home Comfort Experts can help you find a reliable REME HALO unit and install it for you. If you need installations for indoor air purification systems in Northern Indiana and Southwestern Michigan, contact us to set up an appointment.
MISHAWAKA/FORT WAYNE/PLYMOUTH, IN; ST. JOSEPH/NILES, MI — If you are a homeowner in our area and notice you are dusting more and more to keep your home clean, there may be a reason.
Your home may be circulating bacteria, fungi, smoke, lint, animal dander, dust and dust mites, pollen, cooking grease and other contaminants through your heating and cooling system.
Homes are built much tighter than in previous eras, so families don’t experience air leaks in or out – especially in winter. The downside to modern efficiency is homes becoming a petri dish for bacteria and viruses, making family members, particularly those with allergies, asthma or respiratory illness, sick.
In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has found indoor air is as much as 10 times more polluted than outdoor air. And allergy and asthma experts estimate that nearly half of all illnesses are caused by poor indoor quality.
Improving the air quality in your home can keep those upcoming springtime allergies at bay.
- The first and best thing you can do is install a high-efficiency air conditioner with a whole-house dehumidifier. Less moisture equals less bacteria and mold growth.
- Next, a quality air purifier will help keep indoor air clean and fresh. For example, hospitals use HEPA air purifiers to maximize sanitary conditions. These air purifiers can keep out: Dust, dust mites, bacteria, animal dander, pollen and mold.
Home air filtration systems are an easy and economical solution and there are many types of products on the market. Ask your HVAC professional for options.
- An additional step is adding an ultraviolet (UV) air disinfection system to your air purifier system to maximize home air quality. These ultraviolet light rays kill even more unwanted organisms such as as viruses, bacteria and fungi that live in the air.
- Another great strategy for clean air in your home this spring is getting your ducts and dryer vents cleaned.
Home Comfort Experts uses highly trained technicians and state-of-the-art machinery to eliminate construction debris, dust mite feces, pet dander and even finds small objects that have fallen into ductwork over the years.
The Benefits of Clean Air in your Home:
Combat seasonal allergies.
Stop sickness from spreading to your family.
Neutralize smoke from wood stoves and even cigarette smoking.
Remove unpleasant odors.
Trap dust and airborne allergens from pets.
Contact Home Comfort Experts today. We work to ensure your home is comfortable at all times. Tell us the challenges you are facing and we will design a solution that resolves your issues while fitting into your budget. Be sure to ask about our other specials and learn more about our financing options. www.callhomecomfort.com
Remember Home Comfort Experts is YOUR source for cooling, air quality and plumbing news! We can help!
Call to set a time for your reporter and photographer to ride for a few hours in one of our clean vans to see the inside of furnaces, duct and dryer vent cleaning, UV light germ-killing equipment and other highly visual HVAC events. 574.255.4600
What is that thing you’re looking at? Well, we at Home Comfort Experts think they are pretty neat. In fact, most of us have had them installed in our own homes and we think you should, too.
According to RGF, the company that makes the REME HALO, the equipment is designed to eliminate sick building syndrome risk by neutralizing odors, particulate, air pollutants, VOCs (chemical odors), smoke, mold, bacteria and viruses. The REME HALO is easily mounted into the air conditioning and heating system’s air ducts where most sick building problems start.
RELATED READ: What is sick building syndrome?
“When the HVAC system is in operation, the REME HALO creates an advanced oxidation plasma consisting of ionized hydro-peroxides, super oxide 
ions and hydroxide ions. All are friendly oxidizers. By friendly oxidizer, we mean oxidizer that revert back to oxygen and hydrogen after oxidation of the pollutant,” RFG says.
What will a REME HALO do for me?
- It kills bacteria, mold and viruses.
- It reduces odors, particulate, smoke and VOCs (Volatile organic compounds.)
- Zinc ions kill viruses on surfaces.
- Used by: major hotel and restaurant chains, cruise lines and the military.
- Kills 99 percent of sneeze germs within three feet.
- A quick-release feature means no tools needed for servicing.
Call now to set up an appointment with one of our air quality experts to find out if the REME HALO might work for your household needs. Or schedule online here.
In 1903 Niels Ryberg Finsen won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering how ultra violet (UV) light can kill bacteria.
Today, this technology is available in homes and Home Comfort Experts is making it available now.
“It almost sounds unreal,” said James Olesen, service manager at Home Comfort Experts, “But if you talk to someone who has allergies or little kids in their home, they notice a huge difference when they don’t have it turned on.”
The REME Halo®, one of the companies offering this technology, has fascinating features that scrub the air in your home using UV light and precious metals.
First of all, Olesen said, it discharges peroxide into the air that kills viruses and germs on surfaces in your home. The peroxide is created from existing air molecules and goes inert after it does its job.
“Some homeowners says fruit lasts longer on their counter, even,” he said.
UV light has been found to kill tuberculosis, lupus and other very serious disease-causing bacteria and viruses that can be found on your doorknobs, toilet handles and more. Some evidence shows fewer dust mites in homes with professional grade UV light systems.
Secondly, it ionizes particles, such as pollen and dust, making them stick together, so the filter in your furnace and air conditioner can catch even the tiniest irritants, Olesen said.
“It’s a little like a lint roller for the air,” he said.
Lastly, when your blower motor is running, the UV light comes on and kills not only bacteria in the air, but viruses too.
“It’s very high tech and extremely powerful,” Olesen said, “That’s why we keep it locked inside the furnace and that’s why you need it installed by a professional.”
“Basically, everyone should have one. It’s new technology and the word is just now getting out,” he said. “Right away, people notice a clean, fresh smell in their house, just like when you go outside after a lighting storm. That’s basically what this does—it zaps the crud from air in your house,” Olesen said.
MISHAWAKA/FORT WAYNE — Hundreds of homes in the Michiana area have been affected by massive spring flooding and, as waters recede, homeowners may be asking how to handle their heating and plumbing equipment, usually found in basements.
“As little as three inches of water can completely devastate a furnace because that blower motor may have kicked water up onto your circuit board. At a bare minimum, furnace filters are almost always trashed.” said Home Comfort Experts Operations Manager James Olesen. “My technicians are reporting dozens of homes with just a skim of water up to seven feet with their water heater detached and floating in the middle of the basement.”
General Manager Brian West said, “This is an unexpected tragedy for our area and, unfortunately some heating and plumbing companies will use it to take advantage of people.”
First of all, West said, you’ll want to consult your homeowner’s insurance claims department to see how you are covered and whether it is for repairs, replacement or both. Your county or city government may have access to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster relief as well. The process can be frustrating to a homeowner and this is not an area where your HVAC company can help because they cannot bill insurance.
“What we can do is let you know the extent of the damage and what can be done,” Olesen said. “Three inches of water will shut off a water heater, blow the circuit board in your furnace and possibly overpower your sump pump motor. All these things should be professionally inspected before you try to turn them back on. Luckily for homeowners, we’re in between seasons and you have time to research and make good choices.”
Olesen reminds homeowners that HVAC and plumbing equipment deals with carbon monoxide, which can cause illness or death; natural gas, which can cause fires and explosions; and electricity, which can cause fires and electrocutions.
“It’s serious business and you really need a professional with experience to evaluate your equipment,” he said. “Not to mention the mold and air quality damage than can occur in a flooded home. Fortunately, there are products that can take care of that too.”
West said extent of damage, water height, and brand of equipment will tell a technician what warranties apply, what parts are affected and what your next steps are.
“Our hearts go out to all those in our area who were hit by this flooding and we want to help in whatever way we can,” he said.
What is that thing you’re looking at? Well, we at Home Comfort Experts think they are pretty neat. In fact, most of us have had them installed in our own homes and we think you should, too.
According to RGF, the company that makes the REME HALO, the equipment is designed to eliminate sick building syndrome risk by neutralizing odors, particulate, air pollutants, VOCs (chemical odors), smoke, mold, bacteria and viruses. The REME HALO is easily mounted into the air conditioning and heating system’s air ducts where most sick building problems start.
RELATED READ: What is sick building syndrome?
“When the HVAC system is in operation, the REME HALO creates an advanced oxidation plasma consisting of ionized hydro-peroxides, super oxide ions and hydroxide ions. All are friendly oxidizers. By friendly oxidizer, we mean oxidizer that revert back to oxygen and hydrogen after oxidation of the pollutant,” RFG says.
What will a REME HALO do for me?
- It kills bacteria, mold and viruses.
- It reduces odors, particulate, smoke and VOCs (Volatile organic compounds.)
- Zinc ions kill viruses on surfaces.
- Used by: major hotel and restaurant chains, cruise lines and the military.
- Kills 99 percent of sneeze germs within three feet.
- A quick-release feature means no tools needed for servicing.
NOW UNTIL MAY 15, 2017, $100 off. Click here for the special offer!
Call now to set up an appointment with one of our air quality experts to find out if the REME HALO might work for your household needs. Or schedule online here.
In 1903 Niels Ryberg Finsen won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering how ultra violet (UV) light can kill bacteria.
Today, this technology is available in homes and Home Comfort Experts is making it available now.
“It almost sounds unreal,” said James Olesen, service manager at Home Comfort Experts, “But if you talk to someone who has allergies or little kids in their home, they notice a huge difference when they don’t have it turned on.”
The REME Halo®, one of the companies offering this technology, has fascinating features that scrub the air in your home using UV light and precious metals.
First of all, Olesen said, it discharges peroxide into the air that kills viruses and germs on surfaces in your home. The peroxide is created from existing air molecules and goes inert after it does its job.
“Some homeowners says fruit lasts longer on their counter, even,” he said.
UV light has been found to kill tuberculosis, lupus and other very serious disease-causing bacteria and viruses that can be found on your doorknobs, toilet handles and more. Some evidence shows fewer dust mites in homes with professional grade UV light systems.
Secondly, it ionizes particles, such as pollen and dust, making them stick together, so the filter in your furnace and air conditioner can catch even the tiniest irritants, Olesen said.
“It’s a little like a lint roller for the air,” he said.
Lastly, when your blower motor is running, the UV light comes on and kills not only bacteria in the air, but viruses too.
“It’s very high tech and extremely powerful,” Olesen said, “That’s why we keep it locked inside the furnace and that’s why you need it installed by a professional.”
“Basically, everyone should have one. It’s new technology and the word is just now getting out,” he said. “Right away, people notice a clean, fresh smell in their house, just like when you go outside after a lighting storm. That’s basically what this does—it zaps the crud from air in your house,” Olesen said.
Let us ask you a few questions:
1. Are you sick and tired of dusting all the time?
2. Does someone in your home suffer from allergies or asthma?
3. Are you concerned about the potential of carbon-monoxide gas putting your family at risk?
If you answered “yes,” your home may be circulating bacteria, fungi, smoke, lint, animal dander, dust and dust mites, pollen, cooking grease and other contaminants through your heating and cooling system. You’re not alone: according to Scientific America, a baby crawling around a typical house inhales the chemical equivalent of 3 cigarettes a day! Knowing that, it shouldn’t be a surprise that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has found that indoor air is 2 to 10 times more hazardous than outdoor air.
RELATED READ: Home Comfort Experts offers many indoor air quality products and services including duct cleaning!
Call Home Comfort Experts at (574) 255.4600 (or find the number specific for your location here) for an air test! You can see what’s living in your air, you’ll discover how to eliminate many of those nasty airborne troublemakers, and alleviate your allergy and asthma issues!
SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT NOW!
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Few things are as important as the air you breathe. Unfortunately, our modern lives have us spending most of our time indoors, where the air is often less than fresh and where microorganisms such as mold and bacteria can easily thrive.
Now that the cold weather is rolling forward in Northern Indiana and Southwest Michigan, you’ve probably closed your home to keep the cold drafts out and the heated air inside. While a tight home saves on your heating bills and keeps you more comfortable, it can also build the levels of indoor air pollution in your home.
Air filtration and purification is necessary to maintain a good air quality in the home. Although filters do a good job of catching particles and preventing them from circulating through the air, they don’t kill biological contaminants, which include things like mold spores and bacteria.