What is the best technology for cleaning the air in a home?
We are buying an older home and though we are having the duct work and the central unit cleaned, I wanted to attach a whole house air purifier to it. UV lights-Hepa filters-electrostatic-combinations–my head is spinning! I need someone who really knows this stuff to tell me the truth. Help!!
Before you attempt to clean the air and recycle it in your home consider a central vacuum system first.
A central vacuum exhausts the air outside so as you clean the home and collect the dust, dirt and allergens, clean air is drawn into the home as the vacuum sucks all that crap and exhausts it out side. A regular vac blows that crappy air back into the room
Central vacuums are also more powerful than a regular vacuum.
Forced Hot air systems are dust collectors and are noisy… The main advantage to Forced Hot Air is that it quickly heats the air. If you told me that your furnace was old and needed work in addition to your wanting to buy Air filters I’d suggest looking into converting to another form of heat like a Forced Hot Water or Steam system. Converting the heating system will get rid of the biggest dust collector in the house.
Air Filtration:
Other than replacing the existing air filters with a tighter filter media (HEPA High Efficiency Particulate Air – filtration) an electro static air filter is worth considering. Electro static filters generate a high voltage charge on a series of plates and fine wires causing particles to collect on the plates. These do work well but do require frequent cleaning to maintain their effectivness, dirt build up on the pates which can only hold a fine layer of dust before loosing effectiveness. THe interval between cleanings will depend upon how effective your primary filtration is. Be aware of where this unit will be located as you want to have very easy access to it for frequent cleaning (as frequently as monthly in summer, less often in winter). I should also mention that tighter filters (HEPA) will also clog faster. You can extend their life by using a looser prefilter to catch most of the larger particles.
And After all of this dirt will still get by and collect in the duct work although not as quickly compared to your original system
I usually order from a site a friend recommended to me. Check out the link below solar/eco friendly.
http://www.realgoods.com/category/home-outdoor/air-quality-climate-control.do
electrostatic with uv second stage treatment is about the best moving the air at a slower controlled pace. you need to do a check for possible mold in your walls from any roof leaks or moisture heavy areas like bathrooms and kitchens, laundry rooms. also check on both sides of walls and partitions, surrounding these spaces. do a thorough check and treatment in any cellars. check around all windows, doors.. you can also wash all walls and painted surfaces, all hard surface or wood floors, with a mild solution of tri-sodium phosphate in water. wipe off with a damp sponge or towel. it will clean off years of grime and deoderises at the same time. use rubber gloves. it wrinses off with water and doesn’t leave a residue.