4 Benefits to Having UV Lamps in Your Fairfax, VA, Home

Ultraviolet lamps are a little-known option that, when added to your HVAC system, improve your indoor air quality and the health of your family. Here are four benefits to having UV lamps in your Fairfax, VA, home.

Helps Prevent Sickness

Mold and bacteria thrive in dark, damp environments, and your HVAC system certainly fits that description. Mold can cause a variety of health problems, including skin rashes, sinus infection, respiratory and immune problems, headache, throat and eye irritation, depression, shortness of breath and memory loss.

In 1878, scientists discovered that ultraviolet light has the capability to sterilize bacteria. Today, Virginia homeowners have the smart, healthy advantage of using UV lamps to eliminate fungi, bacteria, mold and other pathogens that like to flourish in heating and cooling systems.

Improves Your Indoor Air Quality

Mold, bacteria and fungi can grow in many places in your home: your HVAC coils, air ducts, basements, kitchens, bathrooms and even in your home’s insulation. These pathogens grow by releasing spores into the air; the spores are microscopic and invisible to the naked eye. They’re so small that 20 million spores fit on a postage stamp.

Airborne spores travel easily throughout your home and significantly reduce your indoor air quality. Each time your air conditioner runs, it picks up spores and distributes them along with the conditioned air. Every time you open a window or door or turn on a ceiling fan, you may be inadvertently spreading mold spores.

A 1996 study by the National Center for Biotechnology Information showed that using UV lamps reduced the growth of fungi in air-handler units, floors and insulation. When you eliminate airborne spores through ultraviolet light, your indoor air quality improves, and your family once again can breathe clean air.

Keeps Your HVAC System Running Efficiently

When enough contaminants build up on your cooling coils and in your ductwork, drain pans and air filters, the buildup begins to interfere with the airflow in your HVAC system. Decreased airflow causes your system to work harder to keep up; this increased demand reduces the efficiency of your system and reduces its life expectancy.

Using UV lights to target the growth of contaminants improves the airflow and heat exchange in your system and keeps it operating like new. The most frequent location for installing a UV lamp is in the supply duct over your air conditioner’s evaporator coil. Another option is to install an ultraviolet light in the return air duct downstream of the filter.

Peace of Mind

The Carrier UV lamps that we install at Brennan’s Heating & Air Conditioning kill any mold and bacteria growing inside your heating and cooling system. It’s a great feeling to know that while you’re enjoying your summer, your Carrier ultraviolet lights are working to reduce your family’s risk of illness.

You’ll also have peace of mind knowing that you’re saving money. When you restore the efficiency of your HVAC system, you reduce the amount of power it consumes. This translates into savings of up to 35 percent on your electric bill. Considering that your heating and cooling system accounts for the majority of the energy used in homes in Fairfax, Virginia, that can add up to a significant amount of savings.

Installing UV Lamps in Your Fairfax, Virginia, Home

For your ultraviolet lamps to be effective, it’s essential that a knowledgeable HVAC service technician installs them. Proper installation of UV lamps takes into account the following factors:

• Number and intensity
• Placement and direction
• Humidity and temperature

Brennan’s Heating & Air Conditioning has over 30 years of experience helping Virginia homeowners create a healthy, comfortable indoor environment. Our technicians are certified through NATE (North American Technician Excellence), which means they have mastered all aspects of the HVAC industry. To learn more about how UV lamps can control bacteria and improve the indoor air quality in your Fairfax home, check out our indoor air quality solutions or call (703) 491-2771 .