If you own a newly built residence in Cedar Rapids, it was probably constructed with energy efficiency at the top of the list. This means increased insulation and windows and doors with enhanced seals. While these advances are fantastic for keeping your energy expenses in check, they’re not so excellent for your indoor air quality.
Your heating and cooling system needs to run with a filter. But if you have a flat filter, you won’t be receiving ample filtration. This model only provides the bare minimum of protection by blocking dust from infiltrating your HVAC system.
While you can install a pleated filter or one with a better MERV rating, it still might not be ample filtration, especially if someone in your house has allergies or other respiratory problems.
That’s where a whole-house air purifier comes in. These systems are attached within ductwork to provide strong filtration across your house. Depending on the model you go with, you’ll be able to remove allergens, odors and even some viruses under certain airflow conditions.
Here are our best options from Lennox, an industry leader in air purification.
Best Air Purifiers from Lennox
1. HEPA Air Purifiers
A HEPA air purifier, like the Healthy Climate® High-Efficiency Particulate Air Filtration System, provides the best filtration. These filters were first developed to protect scientists as they worked on the atomic bomb. Today, they’re a staple in hospitals and other medical buildings.
The Healthy Climate HEPA Filtration System includes a three-step filtration procedure. A prefilter catches bigger irritants before the HEPA filter captures the remainder of tiny irritants. Then, a charcoal filter eradicates odors and chemical vapors.
The PureAir™ S Air Purification System works with all HVAC brands and seamlessly integrates with your smart home. It reduces the three key types of indoor air irritants:
- Airborne particles
- Chemical odors and vapors
- Germs and bacteria, under certain airflow conditions
This air purifier can eliminate 99.9%* of pollutants, including mold spores, pollen, dust and pet dander. It’s also effective at decreasing or eradicating 90%1 of flu and cold viruses under certain airflow conditions. And, based on laboratory and field studies, it decreases and destroys approximately 50% of household odors and chemical vapors within 24 hours.
The PureAir S includes sensing features that make it simple to keep up. When paired with an iComfort® S30 smart thermostat, you’ll get a notification to replace the filter and UVA light.2 This home air purifier must be used with communicating Lennox systems and the iComfort S30.
2. Media Air Cleaners
Lennox Healthy Climate® Media Air Cleaners come in in a variety of MERV ratings to match your needs. This rating calculates how good filters are at removing contaminants. The better the number, the finer the filtration.
The Healthy Climate Carbon Clean 16® Media Air Cleaner is great for homes with allergy suffers and pets. This is a HEPA filter air purifier, as it has a MERV 16 rating for hospital-grade filtration. And it eliminates more than 95%3 of unhealthy particles from your home’s air.
The Healthy Climate 13 Media Air Cleaner is recommended for households who are seeking better protection from viruses and bacteria. This filter traps 99% of larger particles such as dust, pollen and lint. And up to 54% of smaller particles down to 0.3 microns.4
The Healthy Climate 11 Media Air Cleaner is a an excellent air purifier for allergies and in homes with pets. It removes more than 87% of bigger particles down to 3 microns and more than 28% of smaller ones down to 0.3 microns.4 It’s able to offer this strong filtration without increasing the bill for operating your home comfort system.
These three media air cleaners work with any brand of HVAC system. However, it’s important to realize that some of the thicker ones, including MERV 16 and 13, may limit your system’s airflow. This can hike up your utility expenses.
3. UV Air Purifiers
The sun’s UV rays are to blame when you get a blistering sunburn. But this type of light has a beneficial application when placed in your ductwork. It’s also strong enough to eliminate germs, mold and fungi under certain airflow conditions.
In reality, the Healthy Climate UV Germicidal Light can lower the number of airborne microorganisms by 50% in as fast as 45 minutes.5 This light damages cell structure, which prohibits these microorganisms from multiplying and moving around your home.
And this UV air purifier can also help keep your heating and cooling system clean and operating like it should. It takes care of germs, mold and fungi hiding in ductwork and your system itself. This UV light air purifier does all these things without making lung-inflaming ozone.6
Breathe Easier with the Assistance of Our Air Purification Specialists
Your household’s comfort and health is important to us at Ilten's. We are aware there are a lot of possibilities out there. That’s why we make it easy to collaborate with our indoor air quality pros. We specialize in creating solutions tailored to your needs and budget, and we’d love to learn more about your home and your air quality issues. Give us a call at 319-208-2351 right away to get started.
1Based on laboratory and field studies.
2PureAir™ S requires the iComfort® S30 and a communicating indoor unit.
3Leading consumer magazine, January 2012. Based on the published CADR, which is the standardized measurement system to determine the cubic feet of clean air produced per minute. Particles captured range in size down to 0.3 micron. One micron = 1/25,000 of an inch in diameter.
4Based on lab tests conducted on filters with conditions included in ASHRAE standard 52.2 for E1 and E3 size ranges.
5Based on constant circulation of air in the home, 3,000-square-foot home with a 5-ton air handler.
6U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Ozone Generators that are Sold as Air Cleaners: An Assessment of Effective and Health Consequences,” August 2006.