Allergens and pollutants in your home's air can make it hard for those with respiratory conditions to breathe—whether it's dander from furry friends or pollen from your beautiful landscaping. Installing a whole-home air purifier will remove irritants that inflame symptoms for people suffering from allergies and asthma.
We'll go into more detail and explain:
Benefits of whole-home air filtration systems
Types of whole-house air filters and how they work
Want to breathe easier in your home? Call Reliable Heating & Air at (770) 594-9969 or schedule an appointment.
Our air purification experts will go over the air filtration systems we offer and recommend the best one for your home. You'll also get the same five-star customer service we've been giving Atlanta residents for the past 40 years.
Benefits of whole-home air filtration systems
Whole-house air filtration systems are designed to remove or neutralize common allergy and asthma triggers from your home.
Whole-home air purifiers help:
Improve your indoor air quality. By removing or neutralizing common triggers, an air purifier can help those with allergies or asthma breathe easier in your home.
Limit exposure to diseases. Since whole-home air filters can capture or airborne viruses and bacteria, it will reduce the chances of people getting sick—especially those with compromised immune systems.
Keep your home cleaner. By removing dust, pollen and dander from your home, you won't have to dust as frequently since the particles will be trapped in the air filter.
Reduce odors in your home. Whole-house air filters that trap particles can also trap the very small ones that cause odors—improving the effectiveness of your air fresheners and helping your home smell better.
Types of whole-house air filtration systems and how they work
Whole-house air purifiers are installed inside the return duct of your HVAC system and remove contaminants from your entire home when the system fan is running.
You can have installed 3 types of whole-home air filtration systems:
High-MERV media filter
Electronic/Ionic air purifier
UV light air purifier
Since the best whole-house air purifier for your home will depend on your lifestyle and what you're looking to remove from your home, we'll go over how each system works and what it removes.
High-MERV media filter
HVAC air filters are measured in efficiency by their minimum efficiency reporting values (MERV) rating. The higher the MERV rating, the more effective the filter is at removing small contaminants.
High-MERV filters are extended media filters that collect particles as the air inside your home passes through the filter when it's pulled into the HVAC system. The size of particles the filter can remove depends on the MERV rating:
Typical one-inch fiberglass filters have a MERV rating of 1-4, which means they can capture roughly 20% of contaminants 3-10 microns in size. (For context, a single grain of table salt is about 120 microns.)
High-MERV air filters, which are filters that have MERV ratings of 13-16, can remove 75-95% of particles 0.3-1 microns in size.
High-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters, which are the most effective air filters on the market, have a MERV of 17-20 and can remove 99.9% of contaminants 0.3 microns in size.
High-MERV and HEPA filters are best for removing:
Dust mites
Pet dander
Pollen
Tobacco smoke
Mold
Airborne viruses and bacteria
Other small airborne particles
Electronic/Ionic air purifier
Ionic air purifiers, also called ionizers, use a high-voltage wire to electrically charge air ions so they attach to airborne contaminants in your house. This gives the contaminants an electric charge, forcing them to attach to the collection plate inside the purifier (which should be cleaned regularly) like a magnet.
Ionic air purifiers are best for removing:
Dust mites
Pet dander
Pollen
Tobacco smoke
Other small airborne particles
Ionizers can also inhibit mold growth, but can't remove it from your system.
One con to ionizers is that they produce small amounts of ozone—which doesn't normally affect people without respiratory conditions, but can inflame allergy or asthma symptoms.
UV light air purifier
Also called "germicidal air purifiers", UV light air purifiers use ultraviolet light to neutralize microorganisms. The UV light is absorbed by the microbe's DNA and prevents them from producing the proteins they need to survive and reproduce, which eliminates their harmfulness to people and shortens their lifespan.
UV germicidal air purifiers are best for:
Preventing mold and mildew growth from spreading throughout your damp AC.
Negating volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are organic chemicals that have strong vapors at room temperature (paints, aerosols, disinfectants, repellents, etc.).
Neutralizing airborne viruses and bacteria that can affect family members who have weakened immune systems.
While UV HVAC lights sterilize allergens in your home's air, they don't actually remove them. That's why UV HVAC light systems are most effective when paired with another type of filter—like a high-MERV or HEPA filter—that can actually remove the particles.
Want cleaner, purer air in your home? Call Reliable Heating & Air.
Call us today at (770) 594-9969 or schedule an appointment for a free in-home estimate.
For more than 40 years, we've been offering the most reliable whole-home air filter installations in the greater Atlanta area. Our air quality experts will listen to your concerns, then go over the best whole-house air purifier options for your home. We'll help you and your family breathe easier with cleaner, purer air.