As your family spends more time indoors during the worst temperature extremes of the year, you may find yourself wondering about your air quality level. We all know that poor air quality is bad for our health. However, how exactly will an air scrubber work to boost your home’s air quality level?
What’s an Air Scrubber?
Air scrubbers are a specialized type of indoor air quality device that utilizes catalytic technologies to increase your air quality. This catalytic process sends active molecules out into the air to treat negative contaminants. The most common catalytic process used in the majority of air scrubber systems is photocatalytic oxidation.
Activated Cleaning Agents
One big misconception about air scrubbers is that they filter airborne particles. That’s actually not the case. Your HVAC air filter works by trapping unwanted airborne particles. Conversely, an air scrubber works by sending out activated cleaning agents into your air.
The most popular method for air scrubbers is photocatalytic oxidation, which uses a specialized UV light to shine over a catalyst surface. This surface is typically titanium dioxide or another similar material. When the light hits the surface, it creates highly reactive oxygen species. The most common species are hydrogen peroxide vapor, hydroxyl radicals, and superoxide ions.
How Do They Clean Your Air
When these oxygen species are released into the air, they travel throughout your ducting to all your rooms. As they encounter airborne contaminants, they disrupt their DNA. When these cleaning agents come into contact with odor-causing VOCs, they actively work to break the chemical bond. This effectively works to neutralize the odor.
Additionally, when these cleaning agents interact with particles like dust or pet dander, they cause them to clump together. As these particles get larger, they’re more effectively trapped in your HVAC filter.
One other notable benefit of these cleaning agents is they land on the surfaces throughout your home. This allows them to effectively treat any contaminants on these surfaces by microscopically breaking them down.
Necessary Maintenance
Like with all whole-home systems, an air scrubber will require routine maintenance to stay in tip-top condition. One of the most essential is changing out the UV bulb. The bulb itself will start to lose effectiveness after about 18 to 24 months. Routine replacement of your UV-C bulb will ensure maximum light intensity.
The catalytic surfaces, like titanium dioxide, will develop dust and other debris over time. Routine cleaning of the catalytic surfaces is the key to continual production of cleaning agents. It’s best to have one of our professional technicians clean this surface during your normal HVAC services. You should avoid DIY cleaning, as water can actually damage the surface’s specialized coating.
It’s important to note that your air scrubber’s performance highly depends on the state of your ducting and HVAC filter. If your ducting has any debris or your HVAC filter is overly dirty, it can cause a reduction in airflow. This will hinder the operating performance of your air scrubber. Furthermore, if your ducting has multiple leaks, it could allow some of your activated cleaning agents to escape into your wall and floor crevices instead of making it to the rooms in your home.
The Benefits of Having a Whole-Home Air Scrubber
A whole-home air scrubber can be highly beneficial to your home for several reasons. First, it will starkly increase your indoor air quality, leading to fewer allergy flareups and negative symptoms like sinus irritation and headaches. An air scrubber will actively work to break down unpleasant odors in your home, so it smells more neutral.
Because the cleaning agents this device produces actively break down microbial growth on the surfaces throughout your home, you may find that you have to clean less often. When more particles are removed from your indoor air thanks to your air scrubber, your HVAC system can stay cleaner and have a longer operational lifespan. Even better, a whole-home unit eliminates the need to have multiple air-cleansing devices throughout your home. You can have one unit that takes care of enhancing the indoor air quality throughout all areas of your home.
Expert Indoor Air Quality Service
Arce Heating & AC offers expert indoor air quality service for the Fort Mill, SC area. We can also help with all your ducting, heating, and cooling system needs. Just call our office today to schedule your next service appointment with one of our certified and friendly HVAC technicians.
