Poor air quality in your Jacksonville, Florida, home can keep you from getting enough sleep and cause asthma and allergy symptoms, eye irritation, headaches, rashes, and more. Children, the elderly, and people who spend lots of time indoors are especially vulnerable. Fortunately, you can improve your indoor air quality with advanced technologies such as indoor air quality monitors, UV lamps, ventilators, and air purifiers.

Indoor Air Quality Monitors

Many indoor air quality monitors, also called smart smoke alarms, can detect even low levels of common, potentially harmful chemicals like ozone and formaldehyde, as well as carbon monoxide, smoke particles, and your indoor humidity. You can have several indoor air quality monitors installed in your home to find out where your air quality is best and where it needs improvement. You can check the readings on some models from your computer or smartphone, and others provide video recordings when an alarm goes off. Some even offer weather forecasts and monitor indoor noise levels and barometric pressure.

UV Lamps

UV or ultraviolet lamps, also called UV air purifiers, can kill dust mites, mold, bacteria, and viruses. We usually install them in your HVAC system’s indoor coil or your outdoor air handler. You can also have a more expensive air sterilization light installed in your ductwork. These lights only switch on when your HVAC system is working, so they use less energy. Some models have a small light or indicator that glows when the UV light is on.

Both types of UV lamps can keep organisms from growing in your ductwork or evaporator coil and improve your indoor air quality. They produce UVC light, which has the shortest wavelength of UV light, and they work by damaging the genetic structure of small organisms. The Earth’s atmosphere normally filters out UVC light, and people get sunburns from UVA and UVB light that passes through the atmosphere. Replace your UV lamp once per year, and clean it with isopropyl alcohol once per month for the best efficiency.

Ventilators

Newer, more energy-efficient homes have lots of insulation, so getting rid of stale air and bringing in fresh air can be difficult. Adding an energy recovery ventilator (ERV) can remove smoke or excess moisture from taking a shower or cooking, as well as other pollutants. This prevents mold and keeps your home more comfortable. An energy recovery ventilator can even help you get rid of volatile organic chemicals that evaporate at room temperature. These include formaldehyde, benzene, xylene, and more, and they’re often in air fresheners, paints, varnishes, and commercial cleaners.

ERVs also have heat exchangers that work like heat pumps. They conserve energy by transferring heat to the incoming air in winter and transferring it away in summer. They can also dehumidify your home’s air. You can choose a window-mounted model, a wall-mounted ERV, or a whole-home design that we can install in your ductwork. Opening a window or using an exhaust fan also gets rid of pollutants, but both methods use more energy than an ERV.

Air Purifiers

Air purifiers, also called air cleaners, use air filters to capture common pollutants like dirt, dust, pet dander, pollen, and mold. Some models with high Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) ratings can even remove some viruses and bacteria from your indoor air. Our technicians can connect a whole-home purifier to your ductwork, or you can use a less expensive portable unit to filter the air in one room or area. However, portable units are usually noisier than whole-home models.

If you choose a portable model, make sure the recommended square footage is close to or slightly greater than the space you want to clean. You should also replace the air filter at least once per month in whole-home and portable models.

Ocean State Air Conditioning & Heating is a Carrier Factory Authorized Dealer with more than 40 years of experience. We can help you install, maintain, and repair many types of indoor air quality technology, as well as a variety of other heating and air conditioning equipment. Call us anytime at (904) 574-5619 for great service from one of our expert technicians.

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