Lone Star Cooling and Heating
Get help with UV Air Treatment
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Call (325) 219-0005Ultraviolet lamps fitted inside heating and cooling equipment, most often aimed at the indoor coil and drain pan to hold back mold and slime on those damp surfaces, with lamps replaced before their output fades.
01UV treatment
UV helps with some problems and not others. These are the situations it is usually raised for.
A damp indoor coil and drain pan can grow mold and bacterial slime, and the smell often comes through the vents as cooling begins. Cleaning the coil comes first, and a UV lamp aimed at it afterwards helps limit how quickly the growth returns.
A dark film on the coil fins or slime in the pan holds water, restricts airflow and feeds drain clogs. A coil-facing UV lamp shining on those surfaces continuously can slow that build-up in systems prone to it.
Most UV systems have a viewing window or indicator light to show the lamp is on. A dark lamp does nothing, and one that still glows may have lost much of its useful output, which is why lamps are replaced on the maker's schedule rather than when they fail.
UV light does not remove dust, pollen, pet hair or humidity, and it does little for odors from cooking or furnishings. If those were the complaint, filtering, humidity control or ventilation is the answer, not a stronger lamp.
02Coil or air stream
Both use the same kind of light. Where the lamp points decides what it can realistically do.
Mounted so it shines on the indoor coil and the pan beneath it, and left on all the time. Because those surfaces sit under the light constantly, the exposure adds up and growth on them is held back. It can help a coil stay cleaner and a drain stay clearer between services.
Placed in the duct or air handler to treat air as it passes. That air is exposed for only a moment, so how much it changes depends heavily on lamp strength and design, and results are hard to confirm in a working system. Claims made for these lamps vary widely and deserve a skeptical read.
UV Air Treatment
Serving Abilene, TX.
03Honest limits
UV is a narrow tool. Knowing its edges keeps it from being bought for the wrong job.
A UV lamp traps nothing, so dust, pollen and pet hair pass by it untouched and still depend on the filter. It does not dry the air, and it will not stop mold that grows because a building is too humid. It also does nothing for fumes from cleaning products, paint or cooking, which only fresh air or removing the source deals with.
Where it earns its place is on the damp, dark surfaces inside the equipment. A coil kept free of biological film holds its airflow and heat transfer better, and a pan without slime drains more reliably. A lamp is no substitute for cleaning a coil that is already dirty; it helps a clean one stay that way.
04Upkeep
A UV system is simple, but it is not free of upkeep.
Output falls off gradually well before a lamp goes dark, so lamps are changed on the maker's interval rather than when they stop lighting.
Dust settling on the lamp absorbs much of its light. Wiping the lamp during regular service keeps its output where it should be.
Ultraviolet light slowly breaks down some plastics, wire insulation and flexible duct materials. Careful placement and shielding keep those parts out of the lamp's direct line.
Some UV lamps give off ozone as a by-product of the light they emit. Lamps made to avoid that are widely available and are the sensible choice inside an occupied building.
05Questions
Ultraviolet light of the right wavelength damages mold, bacteria and similar growth on the surfaces it reaches. Aimed at the indoor coil and drain pan, it holds back the film that builds up there. It does not filter the air, remove particles or change the humidity, so it works alongside a filter rather than replacing one.
Installed correctly, the lamp sits inside the equipment where no one looks at it, often with a switch that turns it off when an access panel is opened. UV light can harm eyes and skin, so the lamp should not be viewed directly. Some lamps produce ozone, and ozone-free lamps avoid that.
A UV lamp loses output gradually while it keeps glowing, so a lit lamp is no proof it is working at full strength. Makers set a replacement interval for that reason, and a technician also wipes the lamp during service, since dust on the glass blocks much of the light.
What the system is doing, when it started, what the thermostat is set to and what it reads, and whether the outdoor unit is running. The age of the equipment and a photo of its label help a technician arrive prepared.
Lone Star Cooling and Heating
Call Lone Star Cooling and Heating, have us call you, or describe the issue.
Prefer to talk?
Call (325) 219-0005