Will UV lights clear the air?

open pot of boiling water

December 29, 2016

Tired of the PU from kitchen odors?

Many Floridians are turning to UV lights to clear the air

You’ve run the exhaust fan, a ceiling fan and even a tabletop fan. And still, the kitchen odors linger.
Then you got creative and tried some home remedies to squelch the odors. You felt a little silly spreading small bowls of cinnamon sticks and lemon slices around your kitchen. But you didn’t care as long as they lifted the smell, but they didn’t. Neither did the Mother of All Odor Busters: burning several slices of toast.

Before you pick up a can of Bahama breeze “air freshener” and commit the worst smell sin of all, call Charlie’s Tropic Heating & Air Conditioning for a remedy that many northeast Floridians are turning to: UV Lights.

With all the cooking you’re probably doing this winter, it could be just the remedy you’re looking for so that you can unplug all those fans once and for all.

The science behind Indoor Air Quality breaks down like this:

  • A Indoor Air Quality system is installed directly onto your air conditioner. The UV lamp is housed in a chamber coated with titanium dioxide.
  • When the UV light commingles with the titanium dioxide, they create highly reactive molecules, called superoxide ions.
  • These ions react with odor molecules (and other airborne organics), oxidizing them by “stealing” their electrons.
  • This reaction causes them to break apart and reform into simpler molecules —mostly water vapor and carbon dioxide. This process is called photocatalytic oxidation.

Simply put, the UV light removes the odors in indoor air as it passes through the filtration of your air conditioner. And there are no harmful byproducts since the process results in common airborne elements.

UV lights attack odors – and more

The manufacturers of the Indoor Air Quality Systems provide a list of the odors that their devices remove. In addition to removing common kitchen odors, many systems eliminate smells that emanate from:

  • Adhesives
  • Cleaning agent
  • Hair spray
  • Pesticides
  • Smoke
  • Stains
  • Turpentine
  • Varnish
  • Water-based paint

Some UV lights also go to work on airborne allergens, bacteria and viruses. These are the air pollutants that the EPA refers to as the more resilient “particulate matter.” This matter also includes dust mites and mold.

Reach out to Charlie’s

If a UV light system has piqued your curiosity, you might wish to do further research. The EPA offers a virtual treasure trove of information on the subject of indoor air quality.

Some UV light systems have earned the EPA’s Energy Star rating, which means they meet “strict energy efficiency guidelines set by EPA.” But if you’re looking for specific recommendations, you will be disappointed. The EPA makes no bones about the fact that it:

  • “neither certifies nor recommends particular brands of home air cleaning devices. While some home air cleaning devices may be useful in some circumstances, the EPA makes no broad endorsement of their use, nor specific endorsement of any brand or model.”

If it’s a careful and thorough analysis of your home – and the specific problems you’re having – that you want, you know who will give you the time and attention you deserve: Charlie’s Tropic Heating & Air Conditioning. We’re dedicated to improving your indoor air quality – and clearing the air of confusion at the same time.

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1 Comment

  1. There are a variety of products and price points. If you give our office a call we can go over options with you.

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