While a significant factor in comfort for homeowners within the heating and air realm is temperature, it’s not the only one at play. In particular, air quality has become a larger point of interest for many homeowners in recent years, with greater attention being paid to areas like air filters and related items that keep your air free of contaminants and allergens.
At Action Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electric, we’re proud to offer a variety of HVAC services, including several indoor air quality solutions. One such solution is known as the UV air purifier, which uses ultraviolet rays to remove contaminants from your air – let’s look at how UV air purifiers work, what UV rays do to begin with, and the elements that ensure this technology is completely safe when installed in your home.
Common Uses of UV Rays
Ultraviolet rays, which are generated naturally by the sun and sent into the atmosphere, are used in a number of applications across industries today. These include:
- Inspections: UV rays can be used for detailed inspections of surfaces, as a number of materials react differently to UV light than standard light. Many such materials create fluorescent reflections, for instance, such as many chemical spills.
- Disinfection: UV light is also used to disinfect various surfaces or materials, including drinking water. The light blocks bacteria from reproducing, stopping any contamination from growing.
- Tanning and skin solutions: Those who tan may utilize tanning beds that use UV rays, though care is needed here.
- Air purification: More below.
How UV Air Purifiers Work
While most air purifiers work by drawing in air and then trapping contaminants, pollutants and other undesirable particles, UV purifiers are slightly different. These items are made of a set of lamps that send out low-frequency UV radiation, which kills microbes and other small pollutants moving through the air.
The major benefit here compared to other purifier types is the number of contaminants covered. Traditional purifiers that draw air in may not reach areas like ductwork or other closed-off parts of the airflow system, meaning contaminants might remain – UV purifiers, by sending out UV rays to the entire space, solve this problem.
UV Purifiers Are Safe
Some might be worried about safety with UV air purifiers, and on its own this is a justifiable concern. UV rays, after all, also cause issues like sunburns and can lead to skin cancer in some cases, and homeowners do not want to be exposed to these risks. Luckily, this is not a problem at all: UV air purifiers use much lower levels of UV rays than are needed to adversely impact human health in any way. While they are able to kill various contaminants, your skin and overall health will not be impacted.
For more on UV air purifiers, or to learn about any of our HVAC or plumbing services, speak to the staff at Action Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electric today.