The air quality of your home should never be taken for granted. It’s important to understand how to stay ahead of any potentially harmful invisible pollutants that could be circulating throughout your home. A great way to protect against airborne agents is to employ an air ionizer for HVAC system, although some people may even choose to put an ionizer in every room in their home.
It actually is not as complicated as it may sound. Continue reading as we discuss not only what it is, but how it can help efficiently keep the air in your home clean and healthy.
What is an Air Ionizer?
An air ionizer is a device that creates negatively charged ions through the use of an internal fan and then releases them into the air. These negative ions attach to positively charged particles in the room, such as dust, bacteria, pollen, smoke, and other allergens.
The particles and the ions bond together until they become dense dirt particles that are too heavy to float in the air. Once the dirt particles land, they can easily be cleaned up with either a vacuum or wiping with a rag.
How Does an HVAC System Work?
HVAC stands for Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning. An HVAC system works by moving warm air elsewhere, either into your home or out of it. Your home’s air conditioner, heat pump, and furnace captures or creates the heat, then the blower and ductwork help to facilitate the movement that ends up heating or cooling your home.
By adding an ionizer to your HVAC system, the negatively charged, dust-absorbing ions are dispersed throughout your home at a highly effective rate.
The HVAC System and Ionizer Combination
As the ionizer’s ions travel through the HVAC duct system, they cluster around airborne particles such as viruses, bacteria, or mold spores. This triggers cell oxidation and causes the clusters to neutralize the contaminant. The clusters are then large enough to be easily caught in the HVAC’s filtration system. Any dirt clusters that escape either fall to the ground or any other surface in your home. Now, there is no need to worry about these particles as long as you keep your house clean on a regular basis. Vacuuming and a cleaning cloth is all it takes.
Additionally, installing an ionizer into your HVAC system can also help trap or break down volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These tiny particles show up in perfumes and household cleaners, but they also occur naturally. Most are harmless, but some could cause health risks such as eyes, nose, and throat irritation or headaches, nausea and dizziness.
Keeping these agents out of your home’s airflow can also help to neutralize viruses and other health risks. A recent scientific review found that ozone, which is produced by ionizers, can inactivate viruses in the air and on surfaces. Ozone is a colorless gas that is formed when ions charge other particles. It inactivates viruses by damaging their genetic material and membranes.
Top Ionizers for HVAC Systems
Now that you are familiar with how an ionizer works with an HVAC system, we took the liberty of selecting some top brands should you decide to pick one up.
RGF Reme Halo In-Duct Air Ionizer
This 24V in-duct air ionizer is designed with higher ionized hydro-peroxide output and an adjustable output shroud for fast and easy air cleansing. This powerful output is able to proactively use oxygen to thoroughly seek out and destroy pollutants from the source. It is also simple to use and comes with a quick-release feature that allows you to smoothly replace the LED power cell.
i-Wave-R Residential Ion Generator
The i-Wave-R is the first ever self-cleaning, no maintenance needlepoint bi-polar ionization generator made specifically for treating air in residential HVAC systems. Designed for universal mounting, it can be easily installed inside or outside of the duct, or can be attached magnetically near the indoor fan. It features a superior output of 160 million ions/cc per polarity (320 million total ions/cc), and multi-voltage input from 24V to 240V.
Migro HVAC PureAir
The Migro HVAC PureAir features an increased PhotoCatalytic Oxidation that is capable of purifying every cubic inch of air that your HVAC system reaches. It easily installs and requires a bare minimum of maintenance. Available in a variety of voltages (12, 24, 120 and 240), it also runs on very low power, thus saving energy costs.
An HVAC system ionizer normally ranges between $300 and $400 depending on how much space you need covered. Be sure to know your home’s dimensions before shopping for one.
Bottom Line
Now that you are aware of how an ionizer works within an HVAC system, we hope you feel comfortable enough to find the one that is right for you. By keeping the following finer points in mind, your search should not be a hassle at all.
- As an air ionizer works to attach negatively charged ions to positively charged particles such as dust, bacteria, and other allergens, you will end up seeing the culmination of their bonding in the form of small dirt particles. However, those particles are easily swept up whenever you perform a basic house cleaning.
- Installing an ionizer into your HVAC system is not as complicated as you may think. Simply follow the instructions to attach it to the most beneficial spot within your home’s air ducts.
- Know your home’s dimensions before deciding which ionizer is best suited for your HVAC system.
