Category: UV Lights

Effects of UV Lights on Your Home

Posted on | by Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical

UV Light Effects on Your Home in Charlotte

You may not have heard of bioaerosols before. They don’t sound so bad. But you have heard of their more specific names: mold, mildew, and bacteria. Where traditional air filters do a good job removing non-organic pollutants from the air (pet dander, smoke, dust, etc.), you need additional help, especially in moist, humid climates, combating organic threats to you and your family’s health.

Hospitals have long used UV lights to help keep air disinfected. While they do not eliminate 100% of the source of all airborne microorganisms, UV lights installed in ductwork will significantly reduce mold, mildew, and bacteria that otherwise find themselves pushed out of ducts, into the air you breathe.

What UV Lights Should I Get for My Home?

Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical is proud to sell and service only the very best.

Healthy Climate® UV germicidal lights. Brought to you by the industry leader, Lennox, these are the highest-intensity residential UV lights you can buy.

Once installed, Healthy Climate® UV germicidal lights can reduce the concentrations of airborne microorganisms in your home by over 50% in a mere 45 minutes. They damage the cellular structure of mold, mildew, and bacteria, keeping them from multiplying and spreading throughout your home.

And rest assured that unlike some legacy systems, Healthy Climate® UV germicidal lights produce absolutely no ozone, delivering higher air quality with no environmental downside.

What About Servicing My UV Lights?

Your UV lights will actually help service the rest of your HVAC system as they work! Germicidal lights kill fungus, germs, and mold found not only in ductwork but also within your cooling and heating systems. Working in this capacity, they help keep your HVAC clean and running at peak performance.

Whole-House Air Cleaner and UV Lights – for That Breath of Fresh Air You Need

Posted on | by Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical

If you’re looking to improve the quality of your indoor air with one simple purchase, a whole-house air cleaner and ultraviolet (UV) lights are two of your best choices. Knowing what pollutants trigger allergy or asthma symptoms for you or members of your family is the first step. However, if multiple contaminants trigger these symptoms, there’s an even better solution.
Manufacturers such as Lennox now recognize the advantages of various technologies, such as whole-house air cleaners and UV lights, and you can now choose equipment that combines multiple indoor air-quality solutions in one system.

One such system, Lennox’ PureAir, utilizes a whole-house air cleaner and UV lights, along with odor and vapor protection to optimize results.

Whole-house air cleaner

This portion of the PureAir system relies on a filtration technology to target a range of problematic pollutants, including pet dander, pollen and dust particles. Utilizing a Precision Pleat MERV 16 filter, when the air first passes through the system it is able to capture the smallest of particles, down to 0.01 microns, taking them out of your home’s airstream.

UV lights

Next, the air passes over UV lights, designed to specifically target mold, viruses, dust mites and bacteria. Instead of trapping these pollutants, powerful ultraviolet rays zap them, so that they are harmless after coming into contact with the UV rays.

Odor and vapor protection

During the final phase, the PureAir utilizes powerful odor- and vapor-reducing technology to filter out volatile organic compounds, in addition to removing odors from a variety of sources, including those from cleaning solutions, paints and cooking.
When choosing a system, consider the following factors:

  • Clean air delivery rate (CADR). Select an system with a CADR rating that will match the square footage of your home
  • Operating costs. Air cleaners will generally work only as long as you run your furnace blower, even if your furnace or A/C is off, in order to circulate air. Run the numbers with an expert to estimate each system’s annual operating costs.

With a whole-house air cleaner like PureAir, you can expect cleaner air. For expert advice in greater Charlotte, contact Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical.

Indoor Air Quality Control With 3 Prevention Methods

Posted on | by Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical

You home’s indoor air quality is measured based on the level of contaminants present. Your home may contain any combination of biological or chemical contaminants. Good air quality means that there are very low levels of these contaminants in your home. You can improve indoor air quality by eliminating or controlling contaminants using three basic strategies.

Source control

The most effective method of controlling your indoor air quality is to eliminate or reduce specific sources of pollution. Primary methods of source control include:

  • Smoking outdoors
    Eliminating the use of candles, incense or liquid fuels, which can emit carbon monoxide, VOCs, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and soot as by-products of combustion
  • Avoiding the use of chemical pesticides
  • Using natural cleaners instead of chemically-based cleaners
  • Changing filters in all appliances regularly

Ventilation

By increasing the outdoor air coming inside your home, you allow the contaminated air to circulate out, and fresh air to move in. Bathroom or kitchen fans should be installed so that they exhaust outdoors to remove contaminants directly from the room where they’re located.

Air cleaners

Air cleaners can also be a valuable tool in improving the air quality in your home. There are a variety of types and sizes of air cleaners available. Some are inexpensive, portable models, while others are whole-home systems. Air cleaners aren’t typically designed to remove gaseous air pollutants, but the right one (Lennox PureAir) can be effective at removing germs, dust, pollen, odors, and other contaminants.

Controlling your home’s indoor air quality is vital to ensuring the health of your family. If you live in Charlotte, North Carolina, contact Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical to discuss your options for reducing the air contaminants in your home

UV Lights: Hospital Technology That’s Now Available for Your Home

Posted on | by Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical

When putting together a clean-air strategy for your home, why use anything less than the absolute best in air purification? If you are serious about having the best indoor air quality for you and your family, you need to include ultraviolet (UV) lights in your plan.

UV lights are extremely effective germicidal tools that can be implemented in your air system to reduce the levels of harmful microorganisms. UV light emits a low level of radiation that kills things like fungi, viruses and bacteria. UV lamps are available in various strengths that will determine how effective they are at eliminating these contaminants.

UV light has even been shown by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to be effective at stopping the spread of infamously contagious diseases such as tuberculosis. They recommend that hospitals install UV lamps into their air systems to prevent staff and other patients from spreading germs. Fortunately, UV lamps are priced so that any homeowner can have them installed in their own air system.

It is important to note the true job of UV lights, so that you don’t expect unrealistic results. They only target living particles, not non-living things like dust or pollen. But when UV lamps are used together along with high-efficiency air filters, you will be sure that you are generating the highest indoor air quality possible.

For more information on UV lights and the benefits they deliver, contact Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical.  We have proudly served the Charlotte Metro area since 1972.

Worried About Summer Allergy Season? Here’s How to Improve Your Indoor Air Quality

Posted on | by Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical

If you’re worried about your allergies bothering you this allergy season, you can find respite in your home. With these tips, you can easily bolster your indoor air quality so that you can breathe easy in your house.

Upgrade Your Air Filters
The efficiency of air filters is designated by their MERV (minimum efficiency reporting value). This allows you to compare the benefits of different filters more easily. Higher quality filters, such as those rating a 16 MERV, are installed by an HVAC professional into your ductwork rather than placed at your return ducts. These capture a high percentage of particles of any size.

Install A UV Lamp
The light they produce has a low level of radiation that is harmless to people but will immediately alter the DNA of dangerous microorganisms like bacteria, fungi and viruses, which prevents them from being able to reproduce. Though UV lamps can’t stop the circulation of things like pollen or dust, when they are used in conjunction with high-efficiency air filters they are able to deliver the highest quality air possible.

Allow For More Ventilation
Ventilation in areas like your attic can help you keep the humidity down by creating natural airflow. This is helpful because it eliminates your attic as a place likely to foster mold growth. Replace the soffit covers in your attic with ridged vents to create such an air flow while still keeping out the elements.

Prevent Mold Growth
Eliminate other areas or problems that would allow mold to grow. A leak in your roof can allow puddles to form and stagnate so any leaks should be repaired immediately. Leaky pipes can do the same and should be quickly addressed.

For more tips on how you can improve your indoor air quality and escape allergy problems, contact Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical today.  We have proudly served residents of the Charlotte Metro Area since 1972.