Suffering from severe allergies can make life miserable. Whether you’re braving pollen at your kid’s soccer game, tolerating pet dander, or suffering from a home with high humidity, it’s not fun for anyone. Unfortunately, even if you keep your home closed up tight, lots of allergens can still get inside as you constantly track pollen, mold spores, and other particles in on your clothes and shoes. Outdoor pets bring in lots of allergens in addition to shedding all that pet hair and dander. As mentioned, if your home has issues with high humidity, you may also have mold growing inside and constantly releasing tons of spores into the air.
One of the biggest issues is that your heating and air conditioning systems will spread all of these allergens throughout the home whenever they run. This is why our Mom-Approved experts always recommend upgrading your HVAC system with a whole-home air filtration system if you suffer from allergies or respiratory problems or are simply concerned about your home’s air quality.
A whole-home air filtration system can provide great relief as it will work to filter out the majority of allergens and other airborne pollutants so you experience less frequent symptoms and can breathe more easily. Here’s our guide on how these systems work and how to know which system is best for your home.
Types of Air Filtration Systems and How They Work
Now, let’s get into the technical aspect of it all. Stick with us, okay? Whole-home air filtration systems come in a number of different configurations and can work in various ways, but they are all generally installed as part of your HVAC system and work to clean and filter particles out of the air flowing through your home’s ductwork.
High-Efficiency Filters
Some systems operate as a much more efficient air filter that is installed in place of your existing HVAC air filter. This type of system relies on the HVAC blower to draw air in through the filter. This type of system is usually the cheapest option, but it also tends to be less efficient than other systems. The reason is that residential HVAC blowers aren’t powerful enough to draw air in through an extremely efficient filter, which is why these types of systems can typically only provide MERV 12 or 13 filtration.
UV Lights
However, there are similar types of systems that instead use UV lights and an electrostatic filter to trap particles instead of a traditional pleated air filter. This is important as it ensures that plenty of air still flows through the system to ensure it doesn’t cause any issues with your heating or air conditioning. The UV lights work to destroy organic microorganisms like pollen and mold spores as well as viruses and bacteria. In addition, the electrostatic filter uses charged ions that attract and capture most other airborne particles, including pet dander, dust mites, and most volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. Don’t worry; we won’t quiz you on this later.
HEPA Filters
There are even more efficient air filtration systems that are instead installed as a bypass that connects to your existing ductwork. This type of system typically uses a HEPA filter, which provides by far, the highest level of filtration available. Depending on the specific type of filter the system uses, it should trap anywhere from 90% to more than 99% of all airborne particles.
The fact that the filter is so efficient means that these systems aren’t directly installed into the ductwork. Otherwise, they would make it impossible for the blower to properly circulate air. Instead, they are installed next to the ductwork and have one line where the air comes into the system and another that pushes the clean air back into the ductwork. This eliminates any potential airflow issues while still eliminating almost all allergens and pollutants from your home.
Now that we’ve dug into the meat and bones of how air filtration systems work let’s talk about the thing you’re really interested in: which type of system is right for you!
How to Know Which Air Filtration System Is Best?
Deciding which air filtration system is the best choice is, of course based on budget, but it’s also based on your allergies or the allergies of those in your family. If you only suffer from occasional allergies that aren’t all that severe, then you’re usually fine to go with a less efficient system. These systems may not be that effective at trapping extremely small particles like smoke or VOCs. However, they should still help alleviate your allergy symptoms as they will trap most all larger particles like pollen, pet dander, mold spores, and other common allergens.
If you suffer from severe allergies or other respiratory ailments, or breathing problems, we recommend investing in a more efficient HEPA filter system. A HEPA filter provides the same level of air filtration that you’d find in hospital operating rooms, laboratories, and other environments that need to be extremely sterile. A high-quality HEPA filtration system will trap more than 99.7% of even the tiniest particles and 100% of larger allergens like pollen.
Our Quality Selection of IAQ Products
If you are feeling overwhelmed, don’t sweat it! Our Mom-Approved Technicians will be glad to help you pick the perfect whole-home air filtration system and any other IAQ products for your home. We have partnered with reputable brands including iWave, Honeywell, Aprilaire and Apco to ensure our customers have an exceptional selection of top-rated indoor air quality products and solutions.
Consider Ductwork When Having an Air Filtration System Installed
Once you’ve chosen which whole-home air filtration system is best, our Mom-Approved experts recommend having your ductwork fully inspected before the system is installed. Most homes have issues with leaky or damaged ducts, and this can prevent your air filtration system from working properly.
Inspect
If your ducts have any holes, cracks, or gaps, the filtration system won’t work all that well. Allergens can still get into the ducts and circulate throughout the building whenever your heating or air conditioning is running. Leaky ducts are also one of the biggest sources of energy waste found in many homes, which is definitely another good reason you should have your ducts inspected and repaired or replaced if needed.
Clean!
In addition to having your ducts inspected, we also recommend having your ducts cleaned before the system is installed. Duct cleaning will remove any debris or allergens inside the ductwork to prevent them from being spread around the home, which will work to both improve your indoor air quality and help lessen the strain on your filtration system. Once the system is installed, we recommend still having your ducts cleaned every three to five years by our Mom-Approved professionals.
Count on Your Mom-Approved Technicians!
At AirWorks Solutions, we carry a wide selection of whole-home air filtration systems. When you schedule a consultation, you’ll be greeted by a friendly and knowledgeable technician that’s got our seal of approval. We will answer any questions you have and help you decide which system is best for you and your family. We always conduct installations in a professional manner and leave your space as clean as we found it. That’s our promise, from our family to yours!
For more information on how you can get a Mom-Approved Technician to install a whole-home air filtration system for you in Camarillo or Ventura County, give us a call today!
