Q: Can I request a quote for a specific UV installation?
Q: Does the Ultraviolet Light really work?
Q: Has the UV Light Technology been tested?
Q: Have indoor airborne contaminates increased?
Q: Is UV light similar to ozone?
Q: Do germs have to be in sight of the UV to be killed?
Q: Where in our home should we place the UV light?
Q: How does the American-Lights® UV Cleaner work?
Q: What kind of germs are affected by the UV Air Cleaner?
Q: Is UV Light harmful to people?
Q: What is the life of the UV lamp?
Q: Does the American-Lights UV Air Cleaner operate continuously?
Q: Is the American-Lights® UV Air Cleaner expensive to operate?
Q: How do I know when it is time to replace the germicidal UV lamp?
Q: Is it safe to look at the UV light trough the sight-glass?
Q: Why not use ozone generating air cleaners?
Q: Don’t air filters eliminate germs?
Q: What is the
American-Lights® UV Air Cleaner warranty?
Q: How can I get an
American-Lights® UV Air Cleaner installed?
Q: During initial operation, the UV lamp burns green instead of blue. Is this normal?
Q: Can I request a Quote on a specific UV installation?
A. Absolutely. In order for us to quote the best
UV product for your needs please follow the links bellow:
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Q: Does UV really work?
A. UV has been proven under numerous studies for its ability
to destroy the DNA of germs: viruses, mold, spores, fungi, and bacteria.
It works at different levels depending on what one wants to accomplish.
Example 1: In the commercial world, i.e. hospitals, clean rooms and food
processing plants, the objective would be to have instantaneous kill.
Therefore, UV lights would blanket the air passage system and the
airflow directed over and between lamps, which provide for maximum kill
of air pollutants. This process is expensive.
Example 2: In residential applications, the objective is to create a
cost effective and continuous method of cleaning the air. The kill rate
of air pollutants is a function of space, time and the intensity of UV.
Because UV has been proven to work in a cumulative manner, the polluted
air is cleaned over time and subsequent passages over the UV lamp - the
same way like we wash our hands more than once a day to periodically get
rid of germs.
Germs are constantly growing in our indoor environment and pollute the air we
breathe. UV technology gives us
the opportunity to clean the indoor air continuously in a cost
effective manner.
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Q: Has UV
technology been tested?
A. Yes. Westinghouse Electric, General Electric, Penn State
University and Harvard School of Public Health conducted laboratory tests on the effectiveness of UV light
on microorganisms. UV light has also been used in wastewater plants and
commercial settings for over 60 years. Recent studies are proving the UV
technology
effective against biological terrorist attacks and for
reducing sickness due to airborne pollutants.
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Q. Have indoor airborne
contaminates increased?
A. Yes! We have changed our homes in such a way to accelerate growth of
microorganisms. Self defrost refrigerators, air conditioned and energy
tight homes, are a few examples for environments that provide breeding grounds for
accelerated growth of mold and bacteria that mix with the air we
breathe. Airborne house dust is a by-product of our living indoors, from
dead skin, to hair, to paint flakes, to dust mite feces. Since we now
live indoors up to 95% of the time, more house dust is produced.
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Q. Is UVC similar to ozone?
A. No! Ozone is a chemical; UVC is electromagnetic energy, or rays.
Ozone, as a chemical, can mix with the air and travel by air currents
into the breathable air space. Ozone oxidizes or alters the chemical
structure of material it contacts. UVC does not mix with the air, but
travels by wave energy. To be effective, that energy has to be in the
line of sight. Further, the UVC energy degrades within a few feet of the
light source.
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Q. Do microorganisms have to be within sight of
the UVC to be killed?
A. Yes, if UVC rays are being used. To be killed by UVC, germs must
be irradiated directly. Germs can be affected by reflected UVC,
but it takes longer and must be closer to the reflected light source.
Few materials, (primarily polished aluminum and magnesium oxide)
effectively reflect UVC. The common mirror will not.
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Q. Where in our home should we place UVC?
A. Standing indoor air has such volume and is so dispersed throughout
the rooms of the home, it becomes impossible to effectively clean it.
But there is one place in most homes where 100% of the air can be
conditioned every 12 to 15 minutes. That area is in an operating central
heating and cooling airflow system (HVAC). So if we need to clean and
purify the breathable air, it should be done within the HVAC unit. It is
within this system that the UVC lamp should be placed to take advantage
of the one point where the total air can be cleaned.
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Q: How does
the American-Lights® UV Air Cleaner Work?
A. The American-Lights® UV Air Cleaner is installed at either the air
return or supply side of your heating and air conditioning system. The lamp
emits UV light that greatly reduces or eliminates germs such as mold,
bacteria, spores, fungi and viruses
circulated by the HVAC system. The American-Lights® germicidal lamp emits UVC rays
at the optimum level for germ kill effectiveness. It is the
strongest germicidal UV lamp on the market.
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Q: What kind
of germs are affected?
A. American-Lights® UV Air Cleaner is extremely effective against virtually any
airborne microbes including rhinoviruses (colds), influenza, bacteria,
mold, mold spores and viruses.
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Q: Is UV
light harmful to people?
A. Prolonged, direct exposure to UV light is harmful to all living
organisms, including people. However, the American-Lights® UV system has
been designed with safety in mind. There is minimum exposure to people.
This provides for safe operation and maintenance.
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Q: What is
the life of the UV lamp?
A. The American-Lights® High Output UV Lamp has a one year
effective life span. It is strongly
recommended that the UV lamp should be replaced every year to keep the environmental
system in top performance range.
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Q: Does the
American-Lights® UV Air Cleaner operate continuously?
A. Yes. The American-Lights® UV Air Cleaner works 24 hours a day to
purify the
indoor air. This is not true with some other air cleaners that turn on and off
with the HVAC blower motor.
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Q: Is the
American-Lights® UV Air Cleaner expensive to operate?
A. Not at all. The American-Lights® UV Air Cleaner only consumes about seven cents
a day in energy costs. For best results, simply keep the germicidal UV lamp
free of dust and replace it once a year to keep the system running at peak
performance.
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Q:
How do I know when it is time to replace the germicidal UV lamp?
A. The UV lamp should be replaced once every year but also there is an indicator or sight-glass located approximately six inches
from the American-Lights® chassis, that will glow while the UV lamp is
working.
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Q: If UV is
harmful, is it safe to look at the light through the sight-glass?
A. Germicidal UV light (UVC band) cannot pass through glass. There is no harm to look at the
sight-glass to see if the unit is properly operating. The sight-glass is
an indicator and there is no need to look through it to see if the lamp
is working. Just observe from a short distance.
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Q: Why not
use ozone generating air cleaners?
A. The EPA and American Lung Association are strongly against the use of
ozone indoors. It has been determined that ozone is corrosive to
lung tissue. In addition, ozone is known to be very
corrosive to certain materials and can damage your HVAC system.
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Q: Don’t
air filters eliminate germs?
A. Air filters do trap microbes; but even the most sophisticated air
filters do not
contain 100% of the germs. Microorganisms not trapped
will reproduce very quickly and contaminate the indoor environment. In
some cases the air filters become breeding grounds for new colonies of
germs.
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Q: What is
the American-Lights® UV Air Cleaner warranty?
A. The American-Lights® UV Air Cleaner has a 5 year warranty
on the chassis and 1 year warranty on the UV lamp from the
date of installation by an authorized dealer, documented by sales
receipt or dealer warranty card.
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Q: How can I
get the American-Lights® UV Air Cleaner installed?
A. Submit your contact information from our web site
or call American Air & Water®, Inc. at 843-306-0070 and we'll locate a
dealer in your area. You may also call your contractor and ask if
they carry the American-Lights® UV Air Cleaner.
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Technical
Question: During initial operation, the germicidal UV lamp burns green instead of blue. Is this normal?
A. No - The mercury has not had sufficient time to warm-up. After five
(5) minutes, the UV lamp may be deemed defective.
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