Welcome to Ready & Able, formerly known as David LeRoy Plumbing! Although our name and brand have changed, we are still here to serve you and all of your plumbing, heating, cooling, and air quality needs!
An air scrubber is a popular type of air purification system. Air scrubbers are used for both residential and commercial purposes. Both portable and site-wide air scrubbers are available. These units generally have fans drawing air into the system and through filter media. Mechanical filtration is common, but some systems use activated charcoal, germicidal light, ions, and other approaches to clean and filter air. Let’s explore how these systems can affect your home’s indoor air quality.
Portable vs. Whole-House Air Scrubbers
Experts recommend a whole-house solution for residential applications. Portable units are more affordable, but they’re less convenient, and you’ll often need more of them. A whole-house air scrubber will be more expensive upfront but will prove to be the better value long term. Whole-house systems also move a lot more air and do so in a centralized manner. Portable units tend to provide cleaner air only in their immediate space. That said, whole-home air scrubbers are most practical when you have ducted HVAC. If you have ductless HVAC, you can opt for a large portable air scrubber. Another option would be to install dedicated, centrally located supply and return vents for the air scrubber.
A Cleaner and Crisper Smell Throughout Your Home
Many air scrubbers employ activated charcoal as a filter medium. Activated charcoal is carbon processed to have many microscopic pores. That allows it to absorb pollutants and contaminants and gives it great capacity to do so. It even absorbs the substances that lead to unpleasant odors in your home. While it’s no replacement for good dust control, it can help you manage freshness in the home. This is very useful in summer and winter when you can’t just air out the home. An alternative to activated charcoal is ionization. The ions bind with odor-causing particles and neutralize them.
Significant Reduction of Allergens in the Home
Reducing the number of airborne allergens is a popular reason to install an air scrubber. This is beneficial to everyone, particularly those who suffer from bad allergies. Many allergists recommend an air scrubber to neutralize dust along with pollen, pet dander, carpet fibers, mold spores, and other allergens. Some air purifiers use mechanical filtration to deal with allergens. A pleated filter with a minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV) rating of 13 will trap 95% of all allergens. Other air purifiers use ionization to reduce airborne allergens not just in the ducts but throughout the home.
Elimination of Fine and Ultra-Fine Particles Too
Some harmful particles are smaller than typical household allergens. These are the particles found in automobile exhaust and smog. They can get into your home from the traffic outside your front door. Modern medicine links long-term exposure to these particles to many lung and heart diseases. Ionization provides effective defense against these microscopic particles. Standard pleated air filters provide some protection. High-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters are a very effective approach. True HEPA filters trap 99.97% of particles down to 0.3 microns in size.
Neutralize Pathogens
An air scrubber can help reduce bacteria and viruses that can lead to infection and illness. They can also disable other microorganisms, including mold spores, fungal spores, and dust mite eggs.
Less Respiratory Irritation
An air scrubber greatly reduces irritants in your air. Those substances irritate your eyes, nose, mouth, and throat. They can even cause inflammation in your lungs. That makes you feel bad. It makes you more sensitive to allergens. Your symptoms will be worse. You’ll also be more prone to infection and illnesses from bacteria and viruses.
Better Sleep and Less Snoring and Fatigue
Air quality also affects your sleep. Those same irritants present during the day are in your air at night. They can cause or worsen snoring. Irritation can also lead to other sleep disturbances. While it may not wake you entirely, airway irritation can cause you to toss and turn. That will disrupt deep sleep and make you feel more lethargic in the morning.
Mechanical Filtration vs. Ion Generation
There are pros to both approaches. In-duct mechanical filtration is highly effective at removing particles from the air entering your living spaces. Ion generators disperse ions throughout your home. It’s very effective at trapping particles before they get into your HVAC system. You don’t have to choose one or the other. You can use them in tandem for even better air scrubbing.
Humidity
You may also want to consider a whole-house dehumidifier and/or humidifier. The EPA suggests maintaining a relative humidity between 30% and 50%. That can be difficult to achieve without humidity control. From an indoor air quality perspective, optimal humidity makes it easier to breathe and lessens the risk of inflammation, which can cause sickness and allergic reactions.
Would You Like to Install an Air Scrubber?
Ready & Able Plumbing, Heating & Air has served homeowners throughout Etters and the surrounding areas for over 20 years. Our team offers exceptional indoor air quality, some of these services include whole-house air purifiers, dehumidifiers, humidifiers, and UV disinfection systems. We test and install carbon monoxide monitors too. Our HVAC team cleans ducts and installs, maintains, and repairs all manner of heating and cooling technologies. That includes furnaces, boilers, air conditioners, air-source and geothermal heat pumps, and ductless mini-splits. Contact us today with questions or to schedule an appointment.
Welcome to Ready & Able, formerly known as David LeRoy Plumbing! Although our name and brand have changed, we are still here to serve you and all of your plumbing, heating, cooling, and air quality needs!