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As the most trusted HVAC preventive maintenance company in the Southwest, we understand that (IAQ) Indoor Air Quality is a top concern, especially now. As innovative leaders in solution-driven options, we are here to help you attain real, tested and proven systems for near-perfect air and building health—customized for your environment and budget. Guided by ASHRAE, the leading authority in creating healthy, sustainable built environments, we look forward to the opportunity to design a system that will help keep you and everyone in your facility safe and healthy through secondary and primary environmental control technologies. We offer several customized solutions suited to your needs and we look forward to the opportunity to guide you toward a better air and building health solution.
For germicidal irradiation, ultraviolet (UV) light using UV-C wavelengths is a proven method for surface purification, inactivating viruses, bacteria, mold and fungi. Installed in filtration systems within your air handling equipment, existing ductwork or positioned near the ceiling in areas where air circulates past the UV-lamps, UV-C has been shown to eliminate measles, tuberculosis and viruses that cause severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Used in conjunction with a proper filtration system to physically remove neutralized pathogens from the air, ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) is an exciting and effective solution for healthier, more breathable air.
Would you like to reduce the microbes you’re breathing in and neutralize pathogens in your living environment? Air ionization, which works on all surfaces the air touches, too, may be the solution you’ve been looking for. By capturing microscopic aerosolized droplets that may contain pathogens, this technology increases the size of virus particles so that your filtration system is even more effective. Using high-voltage electrodes to separate water vapor molecules into oppositely charged oxygen and hydrogen ions, these unstable ions are forced to attach to other particles in the air in order to return them to a balanced state. As they encounter viruses and bacteria, the ionized oxygen molecules neutralize the virus’s ability to replicate so they can no longer infect a host. In addition to the benefits of pathogen reduction, ionization has also been proven to reduce molds, allergens, odor-causing gasses, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other particulates. Easy to integrate, powerful and cost-effective, air ionization may just be the solution you’ve been searching for when it comes to indoor air and surface sanitation.
Optimal humidity in conditioned spaces not only creates a more comfortable environment, but it also plays a key role in minimizing the growth and spread of airborne pathogens, including viruses. Once aerosolized, viruses can travel long distances while suspended in the air, rehydrating and spreading when they encounter a hydrated host. Maintaining optimal humidity levels may combat this phenomenon by limiting the spread and survival of the virus, as well as boosting our ability to filter out the virus by keeping mucus membranes hydrated and improving immune system functions.
When it comes to indoor air quality, proper ventilation is also essential. While not able to prevent transmission of viruses on its own, adding outdoor air into recirculated air, along with other methodologies, helps to further reduce the spread of viruses and dangerous particulates. While opening windows and doors may be an option, the better solution in most cases is to use an air economizer within the existing HVAC system and/or add a dedicated outdoor air system, improving indoor air quality and helping to control humidity inside a building year-round.
Most people don’t know that there are two types of air filtration systems—active and capture-based. Since capture-based systems are most commonly understood, it won’t come as a surprise that simply upgrading your existing filter to one with a higher MERV (minimum efficiency reporting value) rating to MERV 13 or replacing with a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter will help block bacteria and viruses in indoor air circulation. It’s a relatively inexpensive solution, but may not be viable if your existing HVAC system cannot handle the increased pressure drop these filters create. Make sure you contact the trusted professionals at Comfort Systems USA Southwest before making the switch as there may be a better option for your particular system.
Active filtration is an exciting advancement that not only disinfects and purifies the air, but surfaces, too. These systems convert free oxygen and water molecules into powerful oxidizers that are released back into the room, filling the interior space to continuously circulate, destroying pathogens and contaminants in real time—all day long—unlike capture-based air purifiers that do not work in real time and are only effective at capturing contaminants and not at treating pathogens on surfaces.
At Comfort Systems USA Southwest, providing the expertise and experience necessary to deliver safer, healthier air for every need and budget is our mission. If you are interested in a system that will quickly, continuously and safely reduce exposure to pathogens, please contact us at any time—we’re here to help. And if you have an existing system you are interested in maintaining, we have a maintenance plan to fit your needs.
