Good Home Post

HVAC / H1N1 …is there really a connection?

Posted on 03. Nov, 2009 by Oksana Irwin in Indoor Air Quality

To put it plainly; yes, there is a definite connection between the HVAC system in your home and all flu types, with the H1N1 influenza virus being no exception.

All flu types are highly contagious airborne diseases that spread through contact with respiratory secretions (like a cough or a sneeze) from an infected individual. These droplets become airborne and are essentially circulated through your air-handling system. This is why you must treat your HVAC system to prevent such problems. Thankfully, the HVAC industry has developed products that are on the market today that are designed to eliminate the spread of germs through your home heating and cooling system and provide clean air throughout your home.

Air Purification Systems

An Air Purifier is an ultraviolet (UVC) light system that gets installed in the cold air return duct of your furnace and irradiates the return air with powerful ultraviolet light. UVC kills bacteria and mold. It also neutralizes viruses, spores, and volatile organic chemicals. Essentially, it is a germicidal light that is a safe, non-chemical way to disinfect.

The air purifier is placed at the coils of your HVAC system and prevent these viruses and germs from spreading throughout your home. These UV systems have other benefits to you as well…they prevent the accumulation of mold and mildew in your heating and cooling system which can lead to unpleasant odors. This accumulation also makes your system work harder, longer and less efficient, resulting in untimely repairs. An ultraviolet light system will help your HVAC system run less often, for shorter periods of time. This saves you money on your utility bills.

For those residents that suffer from allergies or asthma, the lowered levels of airborne contaminants allow their immune system to recover and often result in reduced usage of inhalers and other medications.

Benefits Overview

• Neutralizes bacteria, viruses, mold spores and VOCs
• Allows the immune systems of sensitive people to recover
• Reduces allergy and asthma symptoms
• There is a noticeable difference in the quality of air

System Sanitization

Sanitizing your HVAC system is proven to significantly reduce microbial growth in your duct system, and helps prevent your system from becoming a breeding ground for unwanted bacteria, biological pollutants, and dust mites. However, where an Air Purifier is an actual piece mounted to your furnace, a system sanitizer is fogged into the ventilation system, allowing for the inside surface of the ductwork to be completely coated, and the allergens and bacteria killed.

Western Canadian Furnace uses Formula 333: an eco-friendly quaternary bactericide with excellent hard water tolerance. It is useful as a disinfectant, sanitizer and deodorizer, and was originally formulated for hospitals, nursing homes, food processing plants, schools and other institutions where good housekeeping is of prime importance in controlling cross contamination.

Although this service is significantly less expensive, it is extremely effective and highly recommended for households, especially during the flu season.

Benefits Overview

• Significantly reduces microbial growth
• Prevents unwanted bacteria, biological pollutants and dust mites from breeding
• Reduces allergic reations, colds, diseases and other respitory symptoms
• Eliminates odours from within the duct work

Air Filters

Air filters are designed to remove both particulate and gaseous contaminants, as well as harmful microorganism like bacteria and viruses from the indoor air. Regardless which filter you chose, they’ve been proven instantly improve indoor air quality in your home by trapping particles out of the air and off of the ductwork of your heating, cooling, and ventilation systems. Don’t think of them as your door’s mesh screen where only bugs bigger than the hole will get caught; think of it more as a thick forest where all germs sail into the forest and get caught in the vegetation. http://www.epa.gov/iaq/ciaq/influenza_presentation.pdf

Although filters trap most of the pollen, debris and particles from the air, they are not designed to remove and/or kill bacteria and viruses. To achieve high quality indoor air, they are often combined with other technologies which remove and/or kill disease-causing agents.

The use of air filters, sanitizers, and purifiers has been proven to be the most efficient on the overall indoor air quality; they kill and/or trap bacteria and particles and prevent them from circulating through the house.

Now is a good time to investigate heating and cooling options for your home. You will not only be providing germ-free, cleaner air for your family, but will reap the benefits of a more efficient heating and cooling system, resulting in lower heating and cooling bills. And finally, you will be setting your home up with another defense against the nasty viruses floating around.

Related posts:

1. How to Evaluate Your HVAC System