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Your Guide to Air Purification in the Home: HEPA vs UV

air purifier in a bedroom

If the air in your home is full of particulate matter – allergens, dust, mould spores, etc. – it can make your life a lot more miserable, and you might not even know it.

 

You spend a lot of time in your home, relaxing, eating, and sleeping. Maybe you even work from home. Your indoor comfort is important.

 

An air purifier can help fix that. Read more to learn about how air purifiers can benefit you.


How an Air Purifier Can Improve Your Home's Indoor Air Quality

When it comes to the health of you and your family, there should be no compromises. Indoor air quality is not something that people immediately consider when thinking about home comfort, but it should be at the front of your mind.

 

Small particles find their way into your home each and every day. Dust, dirt, bacteria, pollen, fungi, viruses, chemical compounds, and more – all these mix with your indoor air and pose a health risk to you and your family.

 

Most of these particles are microscopic, which is where air purifiers and filters come in handy. They can filter out and remove most of these unwanted particles, which provides you with a much higher indoor air quality.

 

What’s the Difference Between a HEPA Filter Air Purifier vs a UV Air Purifier?

HEPA filters and UV air purifiers are the two most popular methods of air cleaning today. What do they do and how are they different? Should you pick one over the other, or is having both more effective?

 

HEPA Air Filter

HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filters are one of the best types of filters available on the market today. They are an integral part of every HVAC system. These filters eliminate up 99.9% of airborne particles, which goes a long way in purifying the air in your home and letting you breathe more easily.

 

HEPA filters do need to be replaced regularly to maintain their effectiveness, which can lead to higher costs, especially if your air is particularly contaminated for one reason or another.

 

UV Air Purifier

A UV air purifier is a purifier that uses ultraviolet light to eliminate airborne pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, or fungi.

 

UV light radiation damages the DNA of these pathogens, which prevents them from growing and reproducing. This is very useful for cleaning the air during flu season and reduces your risk of contracting airborne viruses, such as the flu or Covid-19.

 

However, UV light cannot eliminate allergens such as dust or pollen. For these, you will need a filter. UV light also takes time to eliminate pathogens, especially in residential units.

 

Conclusion

Neither method is perfect on its own, and neither one can handle volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which enter as a gas. Ultimately, the best results are achieved by using multiple different methods for air purification.

 

For more information on how you can improve the air quality of your home, choose Black Forest Plumbing. We provide full service and repairs on air conditioners, furnaces, and more with our “We fix it right or it’s free” guarantee. Give us a call today for a quote in the GTA including Toronto, Newmarket, and Barrie.

 

 

 

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