A Guide to UV Light Air Purifiers: What’s Best For You?
Germs and pollutants can spread many unwanted sicknesses. No one likes being sick, especially when it means putting your life on hold while you recover. Washing hands and sanitizing commonly touched items is a typical practice to prevent germs from spreading. However, most people aren’t aware of the many bacteria and pollutants that still reside in the air. UV light air purifiers are an effective way to get rid of bacteria, viruses, and pollutants that can spread throughout your home.
Airborne pathogens can be anything from viruses, bacteria, dust, dust mites, mold spores, or pollen. Especially for those with miserable allergies during the spring season, a UV light air purifier can make all the difference.
How Do UV Light Air Purifiers Work?
UV air purifiers are meant to eliminate viruses and germs in the air. They do this through UV light technology and UV-C light. The air is first exposed to UV light, travels through a filter, and is then exposed to UV-C light in the air purifier’s chamber. UV-C light inactivates pathogens such as mold and bacteria, and releases the newly filtered air back into the space. Some UV light air purifiers repeat this process again before releasing the air back into your home.
The light used in air purifiers disables or destroys pathogens and germs by altering the DNA of viruses or bacteria. This prevents the viruses from spreading. Like other viruses, UV light air purifiers can also kill Coronavirus bacteria that reside in the air. While it’s not a foolproof method to prevent getting Covid-19, it acts on this virus like any other bacteria.
What Is UV-C Light And Is It Effective?
UV-C light is the most harmful version of UV radiation, which is why it is primarily used to disinfect the air. UV (ultraviolet) light has three levels: UV-A, UV-B, and UV-C. UV-C light is the shortest wavelength and therefore has the most harmful radiation. When applied directly to human skin or eyes, UV-C light can be seriously damaging.
However, UV-C light is effective in eliminating viruses in the air because it is directly applied to microorganisms. It is a germicidal, which alters the DNA of the viruses and bacteria to either destroy them or deactivate them. This disables bacteria from multiplying, which is especially helpful when it comes to preventing illnesses from starting or spreading.
How Effective Are UV Light Air Purifiers?
Portable air purifiers are meant to sanitize the germs and pathogens in the air of a single room. Implementing a UV air duct system into your business, classroom, etc, would be an effective way to ensure all rooms are air sanitized. However, this can be a very costly purchase and for many, an unlikely one. Portable UV light air purifiers an effective and viable option.
Because the bacteria in the air is exposed to the UV-C light for a short period of time, it’s possible not all of the pathogens in the air will be eliminated or deactivated effectively. A more effective means of destroying air pathogens is to expose them to UV-C light for a longer period of time. As mentioned above, this is why it can be beneficial to include multiple air purifiers in your business or school. One air purifier to each room, or to rooms you prefer to have one in, is a more effective way to make sure pathogens and germs in the air are destroyed.
Air Duct Disinfectant or Portable UV Air Purifier - Which Should You Choose?
Finding the right UV-C air purifier can be tricky. There are many different types of air purifier sanitizers, some of which may not be necessary for your specific situation. So, which should you choose?
If you’re looking for a heavy duty way to clean the air in your business, classroom, etc, an air duct disinfectant system is a great solution. As mentioned before, a portable air purifier can eliminate pathogens in a single room, not an entire building. Incorporating an Air Duct Purifier system into your home is a more effective solution. Likewise, if you’re looking to implement a powerful UV light air purification system into your place of business or office, an air duct system may be the way to go. While it will cost significantly more than a single UV air purifier, it is consequently more effective through a larger space (such as an office with multiple rooms).
Similarly, Upper Air UVC is a system that disinfects the “upper air” in a room. The system rests high on the walls of the room, close to the ceiling. Air is flown into the disinfectant zone, where the Upper Air system is then able to deactivate viruses and other bacteria that cause illness. While the virus particles may not die, they will no longer be infectious.This system is most useful for crowded areas (such as restaurants, waiting rooms, gyms, hotels, etc.) or areas that contain high amounts of sick people (like a hospital). Upper Air UVC is an extra precaution that is beneficial for busy areas that could spread infectious illnesses.
However, if you don’t want to invest too much into an entire air duct system, a portable air purifier will be just fine for you. A portable UV air purifier is still effective and can change the air in a room 2-6 times per hour, though it may not be as effective as an entire system. A great way to maximize the use and efficiency of your UV light air purifier is to put it in a common area that may receive a lot of pathogens from outside.
Lightray UVC offers a UV High Occupancy 150 Watt Wall Mount System. As mentioned before, this contains a HEPA filter and has multiple unique features. It includes a double fan system, timed sleep function, fragrance dispenser, remote control, and more. It is the perfect size for a home or small office.
A more heavy duty portable UV-C purifier offered by Lightray UVC is the TRACS® Portable UV-C Air Purifier. This UV light air purifier covers up to 1,875 square feet, contains a medical grade HEPA filter, and has different fan features for noise control. This purifier is more costly but covers a larger area. This would be great for a larger office or for a large and open area in your home. TRACS® Portable UV-C Air Purifier TM-250 is a portable, multi-stage air purifier that combines medical-grade H13 HEPA filtration which removes 99.99% of air particulates, activated carbon filtration to remove odors and gases, and ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UV-C light) technology known to disable viruses and bacteria. Covering up to 1,875 sq. ft. per hour, 937 sq. ft. every 30 mins, our advanced technology, quiet operation, and low-cost maintenance helps make TRACS® the air purifier of the future. The TRACS® portable UV-C air purifier is the only medical grade air purifier made in the USA out of solid steel with a life-time guarantee. Ideal for medical/dental, business offices, classrooms, daycare, assisted living, conference rooms, small retail, etc.
Lightray UVC also carries an AeroLogic® UV Air Duct Residential And Commercial Disinfection Models - Two Lamp Standard. This air duct system can be implemented into your home, office, or place of business. The fixtures can be mounted to either new or existing air duct systems and are relatively low maintenance. This is a great option if you’re looking for an air duct system. You can request a quote from Lightray UVC.
Just any UV air purifier won’t do. It’s important to find one that is also free of unwanted or harmful chemicals, environmentally friendly, and, most of all, effective. Lightray UVC carries a variety of air purifiers that effectively destroy multiple airborne viruses that could spread in your place of business.
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