The power of ultraviolet lights to improve indoor air quality is well known. Whether or not you have already made UV lights a part of your IAQ system, read on to be sure that your system is effectively removing bacteria, viruses, odors and mold from your home.
Ultraviolet lights have many different uses, from black lighting for entertainment to lithography. The different uses stem from the length of the light waves in the ultraviolet light spectrum. UV light is shorter than visible, violet light (hence the name “ultra”) but longer than even more powerful X-rays. Measured in nanometers, the ultraviolet spectrum runs from 400 nanometers (violet light) down to 10 nanometers (X-rays). The disinfecting ultraviolet lights that are so effective at cleaning our air of germs and allergens have a light spectrum ranging from 240 to 280 nanometers.
That’s important because these lights remove odors and germs from your air by disrupting the DNA of bacteria, viruses and Volatile Organic Compounds, or VOC’s, through the photocatalytic oxidation triggered by UV light. The absorption of ultraviolet light rays by DNA peaks at about 260 nanometers. The successful use of UV lights converts VOCs to harmless CO2 and water.
If you purchased your home knowing that it had UV lights already installed in the HVAC, did you know that those lights need to be changed every 12 to 24 months depending on the disinfecting target? For stationary air conditioning coils that may develop mold, your UV lights are considered effective for 24 months. For disinfecting your air of airborne contaminants, ultraviolet lights should be changed every 12 months.
For an effective air quality solution that uses ultraviolet lights, please take this opportunity to contact us, the Los Angeles area experts at Around the Clock Air Conditioning and Heating.
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 UV lights and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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