Even in the last days of summer, it’s hard to get our minds away from the warm weather and think about the cold season that’s soon coming our way. It’s also difficult to think about the flu and other illnesses that start to peak during the winter and which can make life miserable. According to the Center for Disease Control, flu activity starts to pick up in October and builds to a peak in February. (And once that’s over, it’s the start of allergy season, which is a whole other story.)
People often armor themselves against getting sick with flu shots during the fall. This is an effective precaution, but it’s only one step you can take. During this autumn, we recommend you armor up your house against the flu and other microbes (as well as molds and bacteria) by arranging to have a special type of air purifier installed: a UV air purifier.
What’s a UV Air Purifier Do?
In the simplest terms, a UV air purifier is a type of light system. But it’s not there to illuminate the inside of your house! The UV lights are installed into the HVAC system to target microbes using the power of ultraviolet radiation.
UV radiation is all around us; it’s what causes skin to tan and burn in sunlight, and it’s what makes parts of our clothing glow under dark lights at amusement park rides. It’s harmless in small qualities (such as the amusement park ride) but harmful for organic tissue in larger concentrations (like getting a sunburn).
The ultraviolet lights used in a UV air purifier are powerful enough to harm small organics moving through the ventilation system, but weak enough to avoid putting people or pets in danger. (The lights are hidden down in the HVAC system where they can’t be seen anyway.) UV radiation disrupts the cellular functions of flu viruses and other microbes, which either kills them outright or makes them inert—unable to reproduce—and therefore harmless. Since most of these organic particles will slip through standard filtration systems and bypass ionization air purifiers, UV lights are incredibly useful at cleaning a home’s air of its most harmful contaminants.
UV lights are usually positioned so they shine on the coils of the AC or heat pump in the HVAC system. This adds an additional benefit of preventing mold from developing along the coils. Mold restricts heat pump effectiveness and creates an unpleasant odor (“dirty sock syndrome”) throughout a house.
Getting Started with a Healthier Home
It’s easy to have an installation of a UV air purifier in Eugene, OR or elsewhere in the state. Simply call our indoor air quality professionals and they’ll arrange to do the job. They’ll determine exactly what type of air purification and air filtration systems are necessary to clean the household air and keep your family healthy through not only flu season but the allergy season after it. We use the finest Trane air quality products for the job.
Comfort Flow Heating serves all of Oregon with air conditioning, refrigeration, and indoor air quality—both residential and commercial.
