Installing UV lights (ultraviolet) in your home’s forced-air heating and cooling system will increase your home’s air quality easily and affordably. Ultraviolet light comes from sunshine and has a sanitizing effect on the organic matter it contacts. Installed in your home’s HVAC system, you’ll achieve the same benefits.
How UV Works
When bacteria, viruses and mold spores receive UV light, they lose their ability to reproduce. Eventually, the lights eradicate their entire population in your home. UV rays also morph volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into nontoxic gases.
VOCs are one of the most common and potentially dangerous indoor pollutants that are widespread in homes and buildings. VOCs come from anything made from a hydrocarbon and home improvement and cleaning products, anything perfumed, and many plastics.
Installation
UV light has a harmful effect on eyesight, which is why they’re placed inside HVAC systems. The inside of the ductwork and the air handler aren’t visible to the eye and are effective places for the lights since almost all the home’s air passes through them.
When placed in the air handler, the light shines on the evaporator coil, the component that carries the cold refrigerant. The water vapor in the air condenses on the coil and this moisture provides an ideal place for mold and biofilm growth. The UV light shining on the coil prevents them from growing and thriving.
Inside the ductwork, any mold spores, viruses, or bacteria passing by the lights will lose its ability to reproduce. As a result, fewer contagious diseases spread throughout the home.
Ease of Maintenance
UV lighting systems need to be dusted a few times a year, and the bulbs should be changed annually for maximum protection. LED UV bulbs are available that lower energy consumption, and clean air filters reduce the amount of dust that collects on them.
Managing air quality with UV lights provides an energy efficient, low-maintenance and effective way to clean and purify it. To learn more, contact Hartman Brothers Heating & Air Conditioning, serving Fort Wayne homeowners.
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 Guide or call us at 260-376-2961.
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