Indoor air quality is important for the health of your family.
While HVAC systems and portable air filtration devices scrub a wide variety of particles and pollutants from the air, they can't always remove tiny airborne micro-organisms with the same efficiency.
Using a UV light system to supplement the work of your regular HVAC filtration system will significantly reduce the amount of airborne germs, such as bacteria and mold spores, and provide cleaner indoor air. The UV lights destroy the germs' ability to reproduce, eventually killing them.
How UV Lights Work
A UV light system acts as a substitute for natural sunlight, "bleaching" a targeted area with prolonged use and creating an environment that microbes find inhospitable.
With extended use, air conditioners inevitably build up moisture around the interior condensing coil. These concentrations of moisture can become a breeding ground for bacteria and mold that can be blown into your home during air conditioning cycles.
A UV light system installed inside your ductwork or near the evaporator coil, close to areas where moisture collects, will reduce levels of bacteria and inhibit fungal growth that air filters can't catch. This process is known as germicidal UV irradiation and is commonly used to disinfect environments such as hospitals and industrial clean rooms.
Germicidal UV irradiation is gaining steam in the HVAC industry as a popular method to deal with microbial build-ups in HVAC systems.
Advantages of UV Lights
The main advantages of a UV light system is the low cost, easy installation, effectiveness with mold suppression, and inhibiting bacterial growth on A/C coils and components.
Smaller air conditioner coils require a minimum of three UV lights while large residential A/C coils require six lamps for adequate coverage. The shape and intensity of these UV lights will dictate the effectiveness of your germicidal UV irradiation treatment. It's important to remember that only surface areas in direct contact with UV light with be affected. Any spots that remain in shadow or around edges will not benefit from the UV exposure.
For more professional advice about UV light systems and HVAC installations, please contact us at Hartman Brothers Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc., serving the Fort Wayne area since 1963.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in New Haven, Indiana and surrounding Fort Wayne area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about UV lights and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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