According to a new survey from VELUX, one out of four Americans spend their entire day inside their house. Most people believe they spend 20% of their time inside, but actually, the studies show that most Americans spend 90% of their time inside, which is almost 21 hours. So, we can conclude from these surveys that the quality of indoor air should be our main concern when spending the whole day inside of our house. We have already talked about air duct cleaning, dryer vent cleaning, and attic insulation for home improvements, today we will have a look at how we can kill mold and bacteria by installing ultraviolet light in our heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system (HVAC).

What is Ultraviolet Light?

UV which is short for Ultraviolet has been used for years to disinfect all sorts of materials in places like hospital rooms and airplanes. UV lights can kill many things like bacteria, viruses, and mold. In fact, many UV lights are so powerful that you shouldn’t even expose your eyes or skin to them as they can cause damage. Just think about the sun which contains ultraviolet light, it can cause damage to your eyes and skin after lots of exposure. 

Does the UV light kill all the Mold in your home?

So, if you put a UV light in your air conditioning system, it’s strong enough to kill all the mold in your home, correct? That would be wrong. UV germicidal lights only work when directly hitting the object. So, if you have Ultraviolet light in your air conditioning system, it only prevents mold from growing in your air conditioning system. It’s not going to prevent mold spores from being airborne if it was caused by water damage in another section of the home.  In fact, the real bad mold which is called Stachybotrys also referred to as black mold is not typically found in your air conditioning system. This type of mold often grows when a chronic leak is not properly dried on porous building material such as drywall. This can cause mold to off-gas which the UV lights will not be able to prevent. UV lights work best for preventing mold from growing on your air conditioning coils. If your coils do not look clean it could mean your bulb is not effectively cleaning and needs to be changed. Bulbs typically have a shelf life of two years or so. There are more expensive bulbs that shut off as your system shuts off which can help extend the life of the bulb.  So, UV lights are very effective in killing and controlling mold on your air conditioning system but it’s not a magic device that will ensure you won’t have a mold problem in your home. 

Mounting Position of Installing a UV Light

The position where a UV light is installed plays a very important role because if the mounting position is not perfect, then it may not yield ideal results.

• On a Coil:

Installing it on a coil is really simple. We can install this right in the center of the supply duct right above it.

• End Coil:

In the case of an end coil, you are going to have to have that slightly off-center because you want that UV light to shine on all three slabs to be able to treat all the air. 

• Air Handler:

In the case of an air handler, you are going to want to have a dual version. It can be mounted at the top to treat the air and the second remote lamp can be mounted in between the evaporator coil and the blower motor. 

Process of Installing the UV light

As we know, the main objective of installing a UV light in an HVAC system is to kill any bacteria or mold growing on the coils of the evaporator and furnace. It is installed in such a way that the light shines on the spot where we have installed the device and it fixes all the issues.  To install it on the air conditioning system, first, a hole is cut according to the size of the device which is then attached with the help of screws. It also comes with a mounting plate that can be easily mounted on the ducts. The bulb is installed on the device after it’s mounted perfectly on the duct board.  The power supply comes with a pre-molded 120 Volts plug which will accept anywhere from 110 to 277 Volts and you can plug it into any nearby electric circuit. Make sure to keep this supply on all the time so you’re not going to have to turn it on and off with the airflow.  As the UV lights are installed inside the system so make sure to drill a peephole to see the blue light. Now, after installing the power supply and the bulb on it, the power is turned on to check if it is working perfectly fine.  Never expose direct UV light to your eyes or skin. The professionals use special types of glasses or they simply turn off the power before servicing. 

Pros & Cons of UV Lights

Why Choose AusTex for UV Lights?

Here at AusTex Duct Cleaning we sell and install Ultraviolet lights in Austin and surrounding areas like Georgetown, Cedar Park, Buda, Round Rock, Pflugerville, etc. We have installed many UV lights for different customers who have reviewed our services with a 5-star rating.  Feel free to contact us at (512)-522-0569 for any queries and quotations about UV lights or schedule an appointment with us online.