The Benefits of Adding UV Lights to Your HVAC System

One of the questions the technicians at Air Max HVAC may ask you when you get your HVAC system maintained, repaired, or replaced is if you want to install UV lighting. UV lights offer many benefits, including mold prevention and improved air quality. Let’s look at why you might consider installing UV lights in your HVAC system.

Reduce Mold and Mildew Growth

Mold needs four things to grow on a surface. They are moisture, a food source, oxygen, and temperatures between 60 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Mold growth occurs inside the air conditioner during warm weather when the AC is not in use. Water droplets will build up inside the system. The surrounding dust and warmth create the perfect environment for mold to grow.

You might find mold in a dirty HVAC drain pan, in the condensate line, on the evaporator coil, or in the air ducts. Mold and mildew growth in your HVAC system can negatively impact the health and well-being of your home’s occupants.

UV lights address this issue by sending out short energy wavelengths that penetrate mold, destroying the DNA inside it. This prevents mold cells from reproducing, and the mold dies off instead of replicating.

Improve Air Quality

UV lights improve air quality by reducing allergens, leading to better health and wellness. It attacks mold, fungi, viruses, and bacteria. As a chemical-free way of neutralizing and sterilizing contaminants, UV lights are effective even in spaces with high levels of allergens, like clinics, hospitals, and office buildings.

UV lights don’t replace an air filter. They complement them. An air filter prevents large particles from circulating through your home’s air supply, such as pet hair and dust. However, even the finest filter will have difficulty blocking tiny particles like viruses and bacteria.

Instead of blocking these contaminants, UV light kills the particles mid-air. If you are concerned about indoor air quality, talk to the technicians at Air Max HVAC. We will be happy to review your HVAC system and suggest how UV lights may be used.

Prevent Disease

Ultraviolet lights destroy the cells in viruses and bacteria by causing the thymine bases of the cell’s DNA to become altered. The cell’s correction mechanism then removes these.

The more a virus or bacteria is exposed to ultraviolet light, the higher the chance is that the cell’s mechanisms will either not replace the alteration or replace it incorrectly. This alters how the polymerase reads the DNA sequence.

The result is impaired DNA function. This may result in cell death or prevent it from replicating. UV light has been successfully used for several decades to target pathogens.

Infectious diseases, including dangerous lower respiratory infections, can be contracted from the air. They travel when people cough or sneeze. Particles are circulated through the home’s ventilation, and then they enter the nose or mouth as you breathe indoor air. UV lights can offer a powerful tool in helping to prevent the spread of viral and bacterial cells through the HVAC system.

When properly installed, UV lights can eliminate organic buildup on drainpipes, cooling coils, and ductwork. They stop pathogens and microorganisms in their tracks, preventing them from attacking people.

A Cost-Effective Investment

If you are concerned about mold, bacteria, viruses, or mildew growing in your HVAC system, installing UV lights can be a cost-effective way to give you peace of mind. This is especially true if someone in your home is susceptible to allergies or indoor air quality is a growing problem where you live.

When you install UV lighting in your HVAC system, you are helping your system keep itself clean. Before an installation, the professional technicians at Air Max HVAC will evaluate the conditions of your home to ensure that your HVAC system is suitable for ultraviolet light installation.

Several factors will contribute to the effectiveness of the technology, including the number and intensity of UV lamps installed. Other factors, such as the reflectivity of surrounding surfaces, the placement of the lamps, and the humidity and temperature levels in the home, play a major role.

If your home has the right conditions for UV light installation, it is a worthwhile investment, especially considering the health-related benefits it could produce. UV lighting could make your home attractive to potential buyers and boost its value.

Improved Energy Efficiency

Adding a UV device to your existing HVAC system may reduce your home’s energy consumption by up to one-third. This could translate into significant savings on your energy bill.

The UV lighting on its own is not what’s saving you energy. However, eliminating mold, mildew, and other particle growth helps your system function better for longer.

UV light prevents organisms from damaging your ductwork, carpet, walls, and ceilings. It also keeps them from blocking your air filters and impacting your HVAC systems’ airflow. This can prolong your system’s lifespan, reduce maintenance, and improve performance. This does not negate the need for annual preventative maintenance, nor does it eliminate the need to replace your filter every couple of months.

However, UV lamps will enhance the comfort you feel in your home. They prevent musty odors and help keep the air in your home smelling fresh.

UV lights should only be installed and maintained by experienced professionals. During your annual furnace maintenance, your HVAC technician will check to see if bulbs need to be replaced and ensure that the UV units are working as they should.

How Do UV Lights for HVAC Work?

In residential applications, technicians usually install UV light near the coils to prevent bacteria and mold growth. Not only does it kill organic growth on the housing surface and the coil, but UV lighting also has the power to sanitize the air that crosses its path. With sufficient lighting, airborne fungi, bacteria, mold, and some gases can be destroyed without restricting your HVAC system’s airflow.

UV lighting can be installed on the supply side of the HVAC unit to treat the air as it leaves the coil. This can reduce mold growth outside the coil.

Coil sanitizing lights are made to sit right next to your evaporator coil. This is what holds the refrigerant that keeps your home cool. This area has a lot of humidity buildup and can be a perfect breeding ground for mold and bacteria.

Air sanitizing lights sit in your supply vents. These lights sanitize the air before it gets circulated into your home.

UV lighting should be replaced every one to five years. The frequency will vary based on the unit model you choose. Talk to your HVAC technician about the right UV lighting for your furnace.

Trusted AC Maintenance and Furnace Installation in Burbank

At Air Max HVAC, we have provided HVAC services in Burbank and the surrounding areas for several decades. We are proud to offer high-quality products and superior customer service performed by certified technicians. Regardless of your problem, Air Max HVAC has a solution that works for your time and budget.

Our services include Heating repair, installation, replacement, and maintenance. We offer utility rebate appraisals, indoor air quality testing, humidifiers, ventilation, germicidal lights, filtration, and more. Contact Air Max HVAC today to see how it feels to work with a team with more than 80 years of combined HVAC experience behind them.