UV lights for air cleaning

Americans are growing more conscious about healthy indoor air

and with good reason. Indoor air can be close to 100% more polluted than outdoor air - and since we spend a great deal of our lives...first indoors at schools, then indoors at work...it is important to be breathing safe air.

While larger buildings - such as those that house schools and major corporations have indoor air quality standards that are regulated by the federal government, your home can be just as polluted.

To avoid breathing contaminated air in the home, the heating and cooling industry has developed several ways of dealing with cleaning indoor air. Indoor air quality can be regulated by a couple different means. All air systems use some kind of filter to prevent the re-circulation of dust particles from the home, back into the home through the air conditioning or heating. However, there are different tiers of quality of these filters. The basic filters pretty much catch only large particles.

If the air quality in your home isn't good enough - if family members are having difficulties breathing, or you would like more protection, there are some other filter options. An electrostatic filter catches smaller dust and pollen particles because it has an electric charge running through the filter. These filters are washable, so in three months, you just wash and dry the filter and re-install it.

Filters aside, some homeowners are turning to new air system technology to prevent mold or bacteria in their systems. A popular and up-coming addition to HVAC systems are UV lights placed near the coil or in the duct-work to kill any germs and prevent mold and mildew. For the time being, the cost is a little high (as this is new technology) but the results are so encouraging that with a little more product development, these lights may be common place in houses in a couple of years.

One company, working out of Orland Park, Illinois has already began product development to kill more bacteria and more efficiently utilize the UV lights in a HVAC system. This company is also determined to make their product "green" and avoiding chemicals that might harm the environment. For these reasons, this company is quickly becoming a viable option for homeowners (or businesses looking to comply with EPA standards) to keep their home (or office space) germ free and comfortable.

Source: http://www.azonano.com/news.asp?newsID=5812 last access 3/25/09.

Damp Winter House?

During the cool winter months - and the bout of weather predicted for later this week, it is easy to close up all the windows and flip on the furnace or heaters in your home. If you have an older home, this can cause problems.
Cool air has less moisture in the air than hot air (scientifically because of the molecule structure), when that cool air is heated, even more of the moisture can be taken out of the air. The process of heating can create parts or areas in your home that are drier than others - causing dry skin or itchy eyes. Other parts of the home, say, where water is used often - the bathroom or the kitchen, or even those that are poorly insulated can have more moisture in them than the air can absorb. This can cause condensation on glass windows or outside-facing walls.
What's a homeowner to do? Well, there are several different options depending on the severity of the situation. 1. If there is mold in the home, steps need to be taken to not only kill the mold, but also to remove the spores. There are suggestions from Washington state at: http://www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/ts/IAQ/GOT_Mold.html. They provide information on not only how to remove the mold, but also how to prevent it in the future. If your bathroom or kitchen is poorly insulated, you may not even see the mold. Be sure to check inside or underneath cabinetry. 2. Use your heating or air system to adjust humidity levels. This one will only work if your ducting and units are in tip-top shape. If the ducts are being utilized to their optimum capacity and all the rooms are being heated to the same temperature - you probably aren't having problems with moisture. However, if certain rooms receive less air flow, it may be time to have a contractor inspect your ducting. Perhaps there is a bad seal or other leak in the ducting, which is allowing the heated air to flow into non-livable spaces. This link provides a pdf for more information: http://www.socalhers.com/resources/Why%20is%20duct%20testing%20important.pdf 3. Check your insulation levels. Especially if your home was built before the 1990s, the insulation levels have changed and so your home may be lacking layers that have been added to subsequent building codes. If your home is not properly insulated, heat may be escaping, and cool air coming in - also causing the temperature changes and condensation on the windows. More information can be found at: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/consumer/tips/insulation.html If you have tried all of the above (or if they do not apply to you) you might want to consider adding a humidifier or dehumidifying option to your existing HVAC system to ensure that the proper levels are maintained throughout the day. This can be especially helpful for households where members suffer from asthma or other respiratory illnesses.