Do UV Lights Improve Indoor Air Quality?

The quality of the air inside your Riverside, CA, home is important in several ways. Breathing in contaminated air can lead to several issues, including headaches, fatigue, and dizziness. It can also lead to an increase in allergies and asthma. If bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms are present in your indoor air, you and your family can become sick. There are ways to combat poor indoor air quality, including the use of UV lights.

What Are UV Lights?

There are different spectrums of UV light. The one that is used for sanitation purposes is UV-C technology. A UV-C light will be installed onto your HVAC system. As air passes through your heating and cooling equipment, it will encounter the light. The microbes that are in your air will be damaged at a cellular level, rendering them harmless to the human body. This equates to healthier indoor air quality overall.

Does UV Light Require Professional Installation?

You should always have a professional install a UV light for you. There is a certain degree of radiation that is emitted from this equipment during the installation process. A professional knows how to avoid encountering this radiation, thus remaining safe during the process. The light will not harm you or your family once it is installed and functioning.

You should schedule professional maintenance for your UV light once per year. Our team will inspect your light and clean any dirty components. Most UV filtration lights need to have their bulbs replaced once per year. This ensures effectiveness and efficiency.

What Do UV Lights Address?

UV lights can remove bacteria, viruses, and other microbes from your indoor air. These are often neglected by other forms of filtration. UV lights can also remove mold spores, which are dangerous to breathe and sometimes bypass other types of filtrations. With UV light technology, you may find that you and your family pass around fewer illnesses and experience fewer allergies. People who have other chronic conditions may benefit from the installation of a UV light as part of their HVAC system.

Protecting Your HVAC Equipment

Your HVAC equipment can become damaged or experience efficiency issues with the presence of mold spores and other microorganisms. This applies to your system’s ductwork as well. This can lead to your heating and cooling equipment not doing a good job cleaning your indoor air. This can also lead to equipment strain, which results in expensive repairs and a shortened system lifespan. Your ducts may experience altered airflow. Installing a UV light can protect your HVAC equipment for years to come.

Addressing Particulate Matter

It’s important to understand that UV light filtration doesn’t filter particulate matter from your indoor air. While it can improve the quality of your indoor air by removing pathogens, it doesn’t get rid of pollen, pet dander, volatile organic compounds, and dust. You’ll want to address particulate matter using the filter inside your furnace and whole-house filtration equipment. Whole-house filtration equipment is also installed onto your HVAC system. All the air passing through your system will run through advanced filtration, such as high-efficiency particulate air filters (HEPA) or activated carbon filters. Just make sure that you’re keeping up with changing your filters regularly. Otherwise, you could be clogging your HVAC system, creating dirty ducts, and creating debris build-up on your UV light. This can impact all these features’ abilities to protect your indoor air quality.

How Effective Is UV Light for Sanitation Purposes?

Depending on the type of UV light that you choose, you may be able to remove as much as 99.9% of microbes that are in your home. As we mentioned, routine maintenance and other factors will impact the effectiveness of your equipment.

Sheldon's Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing is available to help you select and install a UV light as part of your Riverside HVAC system. We also offer other services such as the installation of new heating and cooling equipment, routine maintenance, and repairs. Our plumbing services include drain repair, drain cleaning, water heater repair, and heat pump assistance. We have other ways to address issues with your indoor air quality, including the installation of whole-home filtration, air monitoring, humidity control, and more.

Contact Sheldon's Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing to schedule an appointment in Riverside today.