REVIEW: UV Light Installation into Houston HVAC system
I’ve heard a lot of negative and positive information about installing UV light filters on homes. So instead of taking other people’s word I thought it would be best to go ahead and install one on my own home. Below is a mix information and my thoughts regarding the particular UV light filter I had installed.
UV LIGHT I CHOSE TO PURCHASE FOR MY OWN HOME
unboxed APCO UV light before installation
This particular unit is the APCO Whole Home Air Purifier . I chose this particular unit first because I visited their booth at the ACCA IE3 expo this year and second because the company seems to be more professional and less fish oily(you know what I mean) than other UV light companies. Further, I chose this UV light for the fact that it has a 2 year bulb warranty(many are 1 yr) AND because it does NOT emit Ozone which other systems do and is a big complaint by many customers.
CLAIMS MADE ABOUT UV LIGHTS
- Better air quality – Killing germs, bacteria, mold etc
- Odor Control – Removal of odors
- Clean Coils – Keeping A/C system clean
All sound great, right? OH YEAH. So what has my experience so far?
With regard to odors, my home does seem to have a more neutral smell to it. Granted take this with a caution of being realistic. It’s also very possible that this could be a placebo effect? HOWEVER, stay tuned for future posts because I will be doing a SMELL TEST video to see if the UV light really does perform. It should be pretty entertaining.
Now for Clean coils and better air quality these are things that cannot be measured by me at least in the short term. I don’t have the tools to measure the bacteria, mold, germs, and odors in the air. Still, there is good reason to believe that UV lights Can and do perform such tasks well as most major hospitals employ similar air purification systems. Thus thus could be a great application as a system like this can only help.
REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS FOR YOUR OWN UV LIGHT INSTALLATION
UV Lights are NOT “cure alls”. You still need to properly clean and filter your home and the air in it. This means changing your regular air filters that remove particulates (which UV lights do not do). Further just because a UV lights removes odors from the air doesn’t mean you should smoke indoors. It’s not a license to do whatever you want. Finally have a professional install them. Sure, UV lights are simple to install however a properly trained technician with experience will ensure the UV light will work as intended.
Price to have a UV light installed
Cost for a unit like this for just the light is typically around $350. Fully installed you should expect to pay around $600-$800 depending on size, type etc.
APCO UV light installed on supply plenum for air filtration