For many, spring weather brings spring allergies in the Los Angeles area. Rarely is air quality so important as it is in springtime. Improving the air in your home has a lot of benefits, but if you’re looking at air cleaners, you’ve probably noticed that the options are a bit overwhelming. Four basic types can satisfy most of your home’s needs, but let’s start by looking at what types of pollutants air cleaners can remove.
- Airborne particles like dust, pet dander, plant spores, mold, pollen, dust mite allergens and other particles that cause irritation and worsen allergy symptoms.
- Household gases and odors including tobacco smoke, kitty litter, cooking odors and aerosols.
- Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are found in lots of common household products like paints, varnishes, glues, adhesives, cleaning supplies and disinfectants.
- Microorganisms including viruses, bacteria, antigens and pathogens.
Household air cleaners can be broken down into four basic types, and each has its advantages and disadvantages. The choice depends largely on your needs and budget.
- HVAC filters in your central heating and air conditioning unit do a lot to remove particles from the air, though they’re less effective on gases and vapors. Filters are categorized by MERV ratings (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value) on a scale of 1 to 20, and a higher rating means your filter can catch smaller particles.
- UVGI (Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation) cleaners use ultraviolet light to destroy biological pollutants like viruses and bacteria, and they make a great addition to but cannot completely replace) other filtration systems. .
- Electrostatic air cleaners use a static charge, making them very efficient at catching all sorts of airborne particles. They draw particles through what is known as an ionization section, and they accumulate on flat collector plates.
- Gas-phase air filters absorb airborne pollutants, particularly gases and odors, using a material known as a sorbent. These filters are limited to specific pollutants, and they should be used in conjunction with another filtration system.
For more information on air cleaners, contact Around the Clock Air Conditioning and Heating, Inc. We’ve been serving the Los Angeles and North Hollywood areas since 1967.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Los Angeles, North Hollywood and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about air cleaners and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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