COVID-19 remains a concern among homeowners throughout the Ocean Isle Beach area. Many wonder if an air purifier exists that can protect their families from the virus and stop its spread within the home. While no single indoor air quality product can prevent COVID-19, a whole-house air purifier can be part of the solution that helps your family stay safer indoors. In our most recent blog, the HVAC technicians at A+ Heating& Cooling – Electrical discuss ways to improve the indoor air quality in your home.
What to know about air purifiers
There are various types of air purifiers available for use in North Carolina homes. Whole-home air purifiers work with the central HVAC system to treat the home’s entire indoor air volume, whereas portable air purifiers just treat the air in one small area or room.
An air purifier won’t stop COVID-19 from entering your household, but it may help reduce transmission should viral particles make their way into the home. If you’re looking for an air purifier to help play a part in preventing the spread of the COVID-19 virus in your home, the following technologies may be helpful.
- A media air purifier uses a high-efficiency filter to better capture smaller airborne particles. Filters with a MERV 14 rating or higher are recommended for the filtration of respiratory droplets between 0.3 and 1.0 microns in size. While coronavirus particles are much smaller (0.125 microns), the respiratory droplets they are believed to travel on are larger and thus can be effectively captured by certain air filters. A MERV 14 filter offers 75- to 84 percent efficiency for the removal of particles this size; MERV 15 filters are 85- to 94 percent efficient, and MERV 16 filters offer 95 percent efficiency or better.
- An ultraviolet air purifier uses ultraviolet light energy to treat air circulating through the home’s ducts and HVAC system. This method is known to neutralize other types of viral particles as well as bacteria, mold spores, and other pathogens. It is thought that these air purifiers can also be useful against the coronavirus, though sufficient studies have not yet been completed.
High-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter air purifiers are also effective for the removal of these droplets, but they may cause too much airflow resistance in a residential HVAC system to be appropriate for use in your home.
A COVID-19 air purifier is just Part of the strategy
Don’t rely solely on an air purifier to protect your family from COVID-19 inside your home – other preventative and protective measures should also be taken. Make an effort to reduce the likelihood that the virus will be brought into your home and take measures to help stop the spread indoors.
- Masking and social distancing when out in public can reduce the chance that someone in your household becomes infected with COVID-19 and brings it home where it can spread to others.
- Improving ventilation in the home will increase the volume of fresh air brought indoors and the exhaust of polluted indoor air which could harbor COVID-19 particles.
Get indoor air quality help today
A+ Heating, Cooling & Electrical aims to help North Carolina homeowners keep their families safe and healthy this winter. Contact us today to learn more about our air purifier options, and work with our team to find the best solutions for your household.