DB Heating & Cooling, Inc. Blog : Posts Tagged ‘Air Treatment Services’

What Is the Difference Between an Air Cleaner and an Air Purifier?

Friday, March 13th, 2015

There’s a lot of terminology that gets thrown when it comes to whole-home products and systems. Indoor air quality is one such area that has its fair share of terminology, and it can be confusing for homeowners to know exactly which products do what. For instance, take air cleaners and air purifiers – what’s the difference between these two products? It’s important to know the difference so that you can get your indoor air quality needs met, and the experts at DB Heating & Cooling are here to help you.

Air Cleaners

“Air cleaners” is a broad term that refers to any kind of indoor air quality product that cleans the air – however, an air cleaner is not an air purifier. This means that an air cleaner, like a mechanical air filter, will not be able to remove all biological contaminants, including bacteria, viruses and spores (mold, mildew, fungi). Why? Biological contaminant particles are very small and can pass through filter media. Electronic air cleaners can capture more biological contaminants because electronic air cleaners charge the particles and then capture them, but like mechanical filters, not all the biological contaminants can be trapped. Here are the products that are considered air cleaners:

  • Mechanical air filters (not HEPA)
  • Electrostatic precipitators (electronic air cleaner)
  • Ion generator (electronic air cleaner)

Air Purifiers

An air purifier is a device that will remove biological contaminants from your indoor air. The main indoor air quality product that does this is UV germicidal lighting. UV lighting utilizes UV-C rays to destroy and eradicate biological contaminants by destroying the cell’s DNA and life-sustaining proteins. As such, the cells cannot survive or reproduce. However, for UV lighting to kill biological contaminants, the organism has to pass directly under the lighting, so it’s best to pair UV germicidal lighting with an air cleaner.

HEPA mechanical filters can also purify the air, but they are so strong that they can restrict air flow in your HVAC system. If you are interested in using a HEPA-grade mechanical filter in your HVAC system, work with a specialist to determine if this is feasible for your HVAC system.

If you have questions about what type of product(s) you should be using for your Waldwick home, call the experts at DB Heating & Cooling today.

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What Types of Air Treatment Services Are Available in Hackensack?

Friday, December 12th, 2014

Unfortunately, every time you take a breath, you risk inhaling contaminants that could make you ill or cause sinuses to act up. Luckily, many contractors offer indoor air quality services that help eliminate contaminants which could otherwise be harmful to you or your family members. Let’s go over a few of the most helpful product installations and services you may decide to use in your home to protect the air quality. For superior air treatment services in Hackensack, you should rely on the expertise of DB Heating & Cooling.

Whole-Home Air Filtration Systems

A whole-home air filtration system works in conjunction with your forced-air heating and cooling system to eliminate particles that your home’s air filter tends to miss. The best unit for your home may be one of the following.

  • Air Cleaners: An electronic air cleaner is installed in the ducts and uses high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration or an ionization process to eliminate over 99% of contaminants that enter the ducts.
  • Humidifiers/Dehumidifiers: The level of humidity in the home contributes greatly to your home comfort, and too much moisture or a lack of moisture can affect the quality of the air. High humidity can lead to mold growth while no humidity means dried out sinuses, in which case a dehumidifier or humidifier may be necessary.
  • UV Germicidal Lights: UV lights can be installed in the ductwork to stop mold growth and kill microorganisms like bacteria and viruses.

Duct Cleaning

Many homeowners are surprised to learn just how many contaminants may be living in their ducts. Dust can cling to the lining of the ductwork and blow into your home as the HVAC system’s fan runs at full speed, knocking particles loose and sending them back into the air you breathe. With duct cleaning, experts use powerful vacuums and brushes to reach hidden areas of ducts and eliminate the problem.

Duct Sealing

Finally, duct sealing is another service that improves the efficiency of your air conditioner and heater and helps to prevent contaminants from moving into your home. If there is a hole in the ducts, particularly around a dusty area like an attic or crawlspace, pollutants can get sucked into the ductwork.

To clean the air in your home with any of these professional air treatment services in Hackensack from trained experts in the field, call DB Heating & Cooling today!

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