I have noticed there are a lot of HVAC contractors recommending Indoor Air Quality Products to “kill” the Coronavirus. Here are a few interesting facts and then I’ll share, in my opinion, the way you should approach controlling the virus in your home.
WHAT IS THE CORONA VIRUS
The Corona Virus(Covid-19) is an infectious particle. All viruses are made up of a DNA or RNA genome inside a protein shell. The Covid-19 is made up of the RNA genome. They come in different shapes and structures. They reproduce by infecting their host cells and reprogramming them to become virus-making “factories.”.The size of the Covid-19 is really small. As big as .14 microns and as small as .06 microns. All viruses have some important features in common with cell-based life. Since they can’t reproduce by themselves (without a host) they don’t meet the definition of life. They are like the undead, like zombies or vampires.
THE EFFECT OF YOUR HVAC AIR FILTER
The Corona virus is very small (.14 microns to.06 microns) and it’s not alive. If you are using a pleated filter then, you are in the MERV 8 (3 to 10 microns) to MERV 11 (1 to 3 microns) range. A 4″ filter has a greater capacity, and is more effective, than a 1″ filter. If you look at the chart a MERV 11 is only 20% effective at .03 microns. The bottom line is that our HVAC filters, alone, will not clean these viruses out of the air we breathe.
GETTING RID OF IT
It’s not that easy. What I have found out is that to effectively get rid of a virus microbe you have to inactivate(sterilize) the microbe then filter it out of the air. OK, well how do we do that? What I understand is that Ultraviolet Light can inactivate the nucleus of the microbe and since the outer shell is made up of proteins it can be polarized. Meaning if can get these microbes to join together, agglomerate, then it’s possible to filter them out of the air. This is when the light bulb went off in my head.
WHAT COULD THE POSSIBILITY BE?
This is the approach I would take. Let’s get the system clean by cleaning any dust, hair or whatever is in the system out so that the virus doesn’t attach itself, then beef up your air filter to a MERV 13,next put a UV Light on the intake of the evaporator coil and in the supply plenum install a devise that will agglomerate those microbes.
SUMMARY
There should be more than a one step approach to making your home more healthy for you and your family. There are many indoor air quality(IAQ) products to choose from. In most cases, by purchasing one product with high expectations and not addressing the other symptoms you’re not going to get what you expect.
