The air inside your Los Angeles, CA home could be more contaminated than the air outdoors. In fact, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), it’s likely two to five times more contaminated. Although your HVAC system offers limited air filtration during operation, many common allergens and contaminants pass right through standard HVAC air filter mesh.
Whether your home is rife with rank, musty orders or your household is battling with itchy eyes, runny noses, and other indoor air quality (IAQ)-related symptoms, an air scrubber can help. Read on to discover 10 solid reasons to invest in an air scrubber today.
1. Treat the Air Throughout Your Entire Home
Although there are many ways to clean your indoor air, some methods are far more effective than others. Investing in a portable air purifier will only address the toxins within a single room. These devices provide limited benefits for those within their immediate vicinities.
To compare, air scrubbers are integrated HVAC system accessories. These secondary appliances are installed directly in HVAC air ducts. They treat conditioned air just before distribution, and they have a much more considerable impact on the IAQ of entire buildings.
2. Slow the Spread of Illness
Air scrubbers offer a level of air cleaning that was once only available in hospitals, research facilities, and clean rooms. While standard air filters capture and retain larger particulates like carpet fibers, dirt, textile fibers, lint, and pet hair, these appliances deactivate bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens as well. They minimize the risk of mold development, and they may slow the spread of many common communicable illnesses.
With an air scrubber installed, having a single person in your household fall ill doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone else must follow suit. Air scrubbers can deactivate or eliminate airborne pathogens in the micro-fine aerosols of a sneeze.
3. Protect Your HVAC System
Much of the micro-fine debris that passes through HVAC air filters eventually lands on sensitive, interior HVAC components. This is how furnace intake valves and AC or heat pump evaporator coils accumulate tough, tacky build-ups. Over time, accumulated debris can eventually lead to restricted airflow and may cause HVAC equipment to overheat, short cycle, or underperform.
While you can eliminate these build-ups by scheduling annual HVAC maintenance for all heating and cooling equipment types, having an air scrubber installed will help as well. During annual tune-up services, your HVAC technician will have less debris to remove. Throughout the year, your HVAC system will operate under less stress. This can mean having fewer breakdowns and repairs over time. It can also significantly extend the lifespans of heaters and air conditioners.
4. Eliminate Unpleasant Smells
By eliminating odor-causing bacteria and fungi, air scrubbers leave homes both cleaner and fresher-smelling. These appliances are also effective for eliminating smoke odors, pet odors, and cooking odors. When you invest in an air scrubber, you can fry fish, host cigar-loving guests, and let your pets roam freely without having to contend with lingering, unpleasant smells.
5. Reduce Concentrations of Gaseous Chemical Contaminants
Whenever you light a scented candle, discharge a room freshening spray, or use a chemical-laden surface cleaner, you’re adding volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other gaseous chemicals to your indoor air. Even if you’re careful about using natural products only, your home is off-gassing these contaminants as well. Floors, paint, flooring adhesives, and unsealed particle board constantly release VOCs, especially during the first five years that follow their installation.
Breathing VOCs in can lead to headaches, dizziness, and fatigue. When indoor concentrations of VOCs are especially high, they can have a long-term impact on kidney, brain, and lung health. Air scrubbers neutralize these and other gaseous chemical contaminants to greatly reduce the related health risks.
6. Minimize Surface Bacteria and Lighten Your Workload
When it comes to minimizing concentrations of allergens, pathogens, and chemical contaminants, whole-house air purifiers and air scrubbers work much the same. Both use multi-stage filtration to capture particulates with dense filter mesh and greater surface area. Both also use sanitizing agents like UV lights or gentle, sterilizing solutions to deactivate pathogens and gaseous chemicals. However, the key difference between these two IAQ equipment types lies in where they work.
Air purifiers conduct all sanitizing activity within HVAC ductwork before conditioned air is released. Air scrubbers release sanitizing solutions that are distributed along with conditioned air. These solutions essentially “scrub” the indoor air. They weigh airborne particulates down and cause them to settle on counters, floors, and furnishings. Moreover, they additionally eliminate germs on doorknobs, desks, and other hard, high-touch surfaces.
As a result, you’ll find yourself with a lot less dusting, sweeping, mopping, and vacuuming to do. You’ll also have an easier time keeping high-touch surfaces both germ-free and visibly clean. Also, you won’t have to use sanitizing sprays or additional chemicals to slow the spread of illness.
7. Alleviate Unpleasant IAQ-Related Symptoms
Having a consistently poor IAQ can lead to a barrage of unpleasant symptoms. In addition to eye, throat, and respiratory irritation, residents can also experience:
Recurring headaches
Chronic fatigue
Dizziness
Depression
According to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, chronically poor IAQ can have profound and potentially long-lasting impacts on mental health. Installing an integrated air scrubber could help everyone in your household breathe easier and feel better overall.
Protect Your Household’s Most Vulnerable Residents
Poor indoor air quality can be especially taxing on your household’s most vulnerable residents. High concentrations of allergens and contaminants can exacerbate the symptoms of those living with asthma, allergies, or other chronic respiratory conditions. High concentrations of live pathogens are most detrimental to those with compromised immunity or terminal illnesses. They can also prove devastating for newborn babies and aging adults. Air scrubbing technologies will keep these and other vulnerable residents duly protected.
8. Limit the IAQ Effects of Fire Season
Living in Los Angeles, the effects of fire season are an ongoing concern. Unfortunately, even following the recommended protocols for protecting your IAQ won’t keep all wildfire smoke or smoke odors out of your home. Closing your outdoor vents and setting your heat pump or AC to recirculate mode doesn’t diminish the ingress of smoke via cracks and gaps in building materials.
With an air scrubber, you can fight smoke odors and deactivate the harmful chemicals in wildfire smoke. You can also give your AC or heat pump greater protection during extended wildfire alerts.
9. Lower Your Home Energy Bills
By keeping heaters, heat pumps, and air conditioners cleaner, air scrubbers limit both HVAC system stress and the amount of work that these appliances must do. With an air scrubber installed, your HVAC system will use less energy to heat and cool your home and you’ll enjoy lower home energy bills year-round.
10. Sleep Better
Another common symptom of poor IAQ is insomnia. People often have a hard time sleeping when they’re battling problems like sinus congestion, sneezing, and nasal irritation. Investing in an air scrubber is an effective and non-invasive way to promote deeper and more restful sleep for everyone in your home.
We help residents of Los Angeles, CA and the surrounding cities create and maintain clean, healthy homes. We offer outstanding heating, cooling, and plumbing services, and advanced indoor air quality improvements. To find out more about installing an air scrubber in your home or to schedule an appointment, contact JW Plumbing, Heating and Air now.