UV Light Installation -All Year Cooling

UV Light Installation

As we are spending more and more time indoors in our homes, it’s critical for our health and our family’s health that the air we are breathing in is free of living organisms.

As air passes through the coils of your HVAC unit, it can carry with it contaminants like mold spores, germs, bacteria, and viruses that are distributed throughout your home. UV lights offer an added degree of protection to the air in your home by helping to kill these contaminants. There is also evidence to support UV Lights helping to reduce the spread of colds and viruses, along with shortening cold duration. These specialized lights are beneficial for those who suffer from allergies, asthma, or a weakened or compromised immune system.

All Year Cooling can fit a UV light treatment solution to virtually any air conditioning unit. Not only will these lights help kill airborn containments, but they will also kill any potential growth in the high-humidity, damp areas within your air conditioning unit.

To learn more about UV light treatment or request installation, contact us today!

How Does UV Light Help Kill Germs?

The COVID pandemic led to an increased amount of interest in or demand for adding UV light treatment solutions to home and office air purification systems. People who air sanitizers looked for models with UV lights, and home and business owners with HVAC systems started researching UV lights. You may have done the same. We’re here to answer some of your questions about the benefits these systems offer.

The sun is a powerful star that produces UVA, UVB, and UVC rays. Those same lights that impact your skin’s health by causing sunburn also disinfect the air, water, and nonporous surfaces. UVC specifically is known for helping reduce the spread of bacteria.

Studies show that the use of UV lights in hospitals, medical wards, and waiting rooms can cut the spread of tuberculosis by as much as 70%. But how does this work?

The same UV rays that damage skin cells are able to damage cells in bacteria and viruses. The UVC changes a cell’s DNA, which is what can lead to skin cancer. It also damages the DNA of germs, which is believed to cause those germs to die.

To further test this theory, scientists added some bacteria to a healing wound and started studying the bacterial growth. When UVC lighting was used to irradiate the wound, the bacteria was reduced by almost 98%. Similar studies led to the same or better results. Two studies found that 100% of the bacteria were killed.

How Does UV Lighting Help Clean the Air?

So UVC lighting kills germs, but how does it kill germs in an air conditioning system? It’s a relatively simple, yet effective, process.

Your air conditioning system is filled with germs. As people exhale, the air they breathe out is moist and contains germs. The same is true of any pets that are in the home. Mold spores also travel through the air. Moisture drawn from the humidity in the home helps the bacteria, fungi, and viruses grow.

Air conditioning works by drawing warm air into the ducts and conditioning it in the cooling system before returning back through the ducts and into the room. With each pass of the air, the germs collect on the ducts where the moisture can help them grow. As they grow, some get picked up and brought back into the system where they re-enter the room.

A filter within your air conditioning system does what it can to remove some germs, but even the best filters can only trap germs of a certain size. Some can pass through the filtration materials. This is how diseases like Legionnaire’s spread to others. UV lights and lamps can help kill those germs and keep them from infecting visitors or people within the home or business.

UV lights are installed using one of two methods. The first is air sterilization. The other is coil sterilization.

Air Sterilization

Air sterilization is also known as an in-duct UVC system. UVC light targets the air as it passes through and kills germs while the air is cycling through. It’s a continual cycle of air passing through the UVC lights and killing the germs before air returns to the different rooms in the house.

The UVC lights in an in-duct UVC system point in all directions. This helps it quickly fill the space within the duct, making it an efficient process.

Coil Sterilization

There’s also coil sterilization. With this type of UV light treatment, UVC light is installed near the coils to kill bacteria and germs that often get trapped on the cooling coils, the filters, and condensation pans. It’s effective at killing microbes in harder-to-reach areas, but it’s not fail-proof.

Your best option is to pair UV light installations in your AC system with a high-grade air filter. Talk to an air conditioning technician about the best option for your home’s size and layout. UV light treatment isn’t a DIY project. Improper installation can burn the eyes and skin, so you must call in the experts.

Not every system is going to work in your home, so it’s always best to ask a pro for advice. They’ll measure your home’s square footage, look at your current duct system and layout, and discuss possible solutions that ensure germs are killed effectively and efficiently. All Year Cooling is happy to discuss the best UV light system for your home and answer all of your questions.

Do you already have a UV light system and wonder if it’s working effectively? The best way to make sure your system is doing all it should to keep your family or workers free of airborne germs is by getting your ducts cleaned and inspected as often as is recommended. If you’re seeing signs of mildew or mold, it’s time to call in a pro and ask to have your system cleaned and inspected. It may be time for duct sealing or restoration services.

All YearCooling is the expert you need to help you cool the air in your home or business and make sure it’s working effectively for many, many years. Keep everyone safe from the germs that cause COVID, the flu, or less common illnesses like Legionnaire’s. Call All Year Cooling today to learn more about UV light installations.

UV Light Installation