Whole-House Air Cleaners: How They Work to Clean Your Home’s Air

If you’re looking forward to the beautiful spring in the Fayetteville area, but you’re not excited about the accompanying pollen and other allergy triggers, learn how whole-house air cleaners can keep your home’s air clean and fresh this season and all year long.

Whole-house air cleaners

Airborne pollutants can aggravate respiratory issues, make your home smell bad and even increase your cooling and heating costs by encumbering HVAC performance. Whole-house air cleaners target one or more of these contaminants:

• Particulates: pollen, pet dander and dust.
• Micro-organisms: viruses, bacteria, dust mites, fungi and mold spores.
• Odors/gases: cleaners, solvents, cooking and pet odors and vapors released from building materials.

Whole-house air cleaners are installed inside the duct system, which, as the name indicates, cleans the air throughout a home, unlike portable cleaners, which are significantly limited in scope and effectiveness. These are popular whole-house air-cleaning systems:

• Electronic air cleaners use a process of capturing and charging particulates. After the particulates have been charged, they drop out of the air stream. Electronic air cleaners remove both large and microscopic particulates.
• UV light systems are one or more ultraviolet lights installed in the return duct near the air handler/blower. UV lights neutralize micro-organisms that would otherwise accumulate and grow. They do this by destroying the micro-organisms’ DNA.
• HEPA filtration systems capture particulates and micro-organisms down to 0.3 microns in size (1,000 times smaller/thinner than a human hair). HEPA filtration systems are often paired with gas-phase carbon filters for odor removal.
• Gas-phase filters target one or more common household odors using a carbon sorbent. Gas-phase filters, like UV lights, do not capture particulates or micro-organisms.

Many homeowners are opting for whole-house air purification systems. For more information about the system or combination of systems that are right for your home, contact Blanton’s Heating & A/C. Make sure you also schedule an indoor air quality test. We serve homeowners in greater Fayetteville, and we’re committed to helping you keep your home both comfortable and energy efficient.