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The Original Air Probe Sanitizer residential and commercial air purifier systemWhat To Look For in a
Whole-House Ultraviolet "In-Duct"
Air Purifier.

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All these points are
explained here in detail,
one at a time.

 

All UV-C Lamps are NOT the same. Compare.

 

 

 
Shopping for an Ultraviolet-C Germicidal / Air Purification System?

 

The Original Air Probe Sanitizer is the best Central Air Purifier available anywhere at ANY price.

  • Ultraviolet-C rays can be extremely effective at purifying the air in your home or office.
  • But it must be the right kind of UV-C.
  • And it must be designed to be installed in the proper location in your central air conditioner.
  • Filters or electrostatic precipitators cannot kill germs or remove odors.
    But these UV-C air purification systems do it all, and do it best. We guarantee it.

 

Here are 18 Essential Things to Look For in an Ultraviolet light Central Air Purifier.

  1. It must kill bacteria, viruses, mold, and mildew
     
  2. It must purify and freshen the air, eliminating odors
     
  3. What are the exact UV-C Wavelength Specifications? All UV-C lamps are not equal.
     

  4. What is the UV-C Output Power of the ultraviolet lamps at the critical 253.7 wavelength? (254 nM)
     

  5. Should not produce ANY ozone. Read why.
     

  6. Its mounting location in your system. NOT just an "in-duct" air purifier! It must be designed to be easily and properly installed very near the COLD AIR (supply) side of your central air conditioner's evaporator (cooling) coil and water drain pan. DETAILS BELOW.
     

  7. Negative hydroxyl ions must come out vents and registers.
     

  8. It must keep the air ducts and air conditioner cooling coil (if installed) clean
     

  9. Ease and cost of installation
     

  10. UV Lamps supported at one end only
     

  11. Long UV lamp life
     

  12. Number of UV-C lamps (two lamps = four lamps!)
     

  13. Easy UV lamp replacement
     

  14. Ruggedly built, yet light weight
     

  15. Large coverage area
     

  16. Customizable at no extra cost
     

  17. Warranty and guarantee
     

  18. A stable company

 

 

 


The U.S. Standard for Government Buildings requires that "Ultraviolet light (C band) emitters/lamps shall be incorporated downstream of all cooling coils and above all drain pans to control airborne and surface microbial growth and transfer. Applied fixtures/lamps must be specifically manufactured for this purpose."
The Air Probe Sanitizer meets these requirements, are specifically manufactured for this purpose, and are installed in government buildings.

  1. The Mounting Location in your air conditioner system.
    1. Dual-probe Air Probe Sanitizer (tm) central air purifier and sterilizerThe UVC purification lights MUST be mounted next to the evaporator (cooling) coil, AND on the downstream (cold air side) of the coil. The UV rays must shine both on the air conditioner cooling coil and on the water drain pan underneath the coil (if installed), because this is the main area where mold spores grow.
       

      E-200 UV-C probes mounted in duct over A-coil - Click for another view

      The Air Probe Sanitizer in the photo above is
      indeed mounted in a duct, but it is illuminating
      the cold side of the A-coil and water drain pan
      underneath it.
      (Click the photo for a different view).

       If the UV-C lamps are mounted elsewhere, then slime, algae, bacteria, and mold can grow on the cooling coil, drain pan, and even the blower and ductwork. As a consequence, these organisms will contaminate the air that you're breathing, throughout your living space.

       Hydroxyl ions generated by the UVC rays —having a negative electrical charge— cannot pass through the fins on the AC coil.
       

      Instead, they would be attracted to the grounded coil fins instead of passing into the ducts and into your room where they are needed.


      Furthermore, this slime, algae, mold, and bacterial growth can eventually plug up your air conditioning coil so air can't flow through it freely. This increases cooling costs and can even shorten the life of your central air conditioner. Your AC coil will NEVER plug up with a properly installed and maintained Air Probe Sanitizer equipped system. The cooling coil will always look as shiny and new as it did when it came out of the factory.

    2. The UV-C rays shining on the water droplets (the water condensing on the A-coil) increases the output of helpful hydroxyl ions (OH-, a naturally-occurring air purifying compound that scrubs pollution from the earth's atmosphere) and other compounds that destroy organic material such as mold, dust, germs, and pollen.

      An ordinary "in-duct" system can do neither.

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  2. It must kill bacteria, viruses, mold, and mildew.
    Everywhere: in the air handler, ducts, and the rooms. Pandemics

  3. It must freshen the air and destroy odors
    Even strong chemical odors, for people with multiple chemical sensitivities (multiple chemical intolerance, MCS or MCI).*


  4. The Ultraviolet Lamp UV-C output power
    The ultraviolet rays from the uv lamps must be powerful enough to eliminate odors and freshen the air, as well as kill germs, viruses, bacteria, mold, and mildew. Compare the Air Probe Sanitizer™ to others.

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  5. The UV-C wavelength specification
    All ultraviolet-C "light" is not the same. "UV-C" takes in a very broad spectrum of wavelengths. And most wavelengths in the ultraviolet-c spectrum do nothing to either purify the air or kill germs. Still other wavelengths produce ozone. Only an extremely narrow band in the UV-C spectrum is actually useful to purify the air and kill viruses, bacteria, etc. The Air Probe Sanitizer's lamps are unequalled. Click here to see for yourself that all UV-C lamps are not created equal.

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  6. It should not produce ANY ozone
    While ozone in some air purification applications is not always a bad thing, you do not want ozone-producing UV in your ducts because:

    1. Ozone from a UV light cannot be adjusted or turned on and off. Once the air pollution and odors are destroyed, you will smell ozone.

    2. Ozone in the presence of germicidal UV-C rays would corrode your air conditioner's cooling system, and even separate the aluminum fins from the copper lines in the air conditioner cooling coil.

    3. Much of the ozone is destroyed by the UV-C rays anyway.

    4. Besides, you don't need ozone to purify the air! The combination of UV-C, the purifying hydroxyls and negative ions can do the job.

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  7. Hydroxyls and negative ions...
    ... Must be produced by the UV-C air purification system and must come out vents and registers. This is very important to purify the air and help keep dust, allergens, and pathogens (disease-causing organisms) out of the air. Negative hydroxyl ions are the key to actually destroying dust, pollen, mold spores, VOC's, drug- and antibiotic-resistant pathogens, and other organic compounds in polluted air.

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  8. It MUST keep the air ducts AND the AC cooling coil clean!
    The Air Probe Sanitizer does just that. (Please see #1 above.).
    The duct-cleaning people hate these things!

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  9. Ease and cost of installation
    If installation of the UV-C air purifier is difficult, then installation will be expensive (or just not done correctly). The Air Probe Sanitizer's different designs accommodate any air handler design you might run into.

     

    • There are a number of clear advantages in this regards of the Air Probe Sanitizer. For one thing, there are many, many different makes, models, sizes, and designs of air handlers (HVAC systems), and as a consequence, we often we have to make a custom-length Air Probe Sanitizer (or a special lamp spacing) to fit a particular air handler. And not only is there usually no extra charge should a custom length, lamp spacing, or mounting configuration is required, but many custom Air Probe Sanitizer lengths and different designs are stocked.
    • BEWARE. Inferior, similar-looking "in-duct" UV-C air purifying products have another major drawback: fixed sizes and designs with little flexibility. The main problem is that other dual-lamp model (which are required on almost all residences without exception) have a fixed lamp spacing. They just plain won't properly fit some air handlers, no matter what. And so they just don't do the job of purifying the air and killing mold. And the only way you can make their unit work on some air handlers is to chop some holes in the sheet metal. Some homeowners don't like that, because it voids the warranty on their air handler.
    • Furthermore, on top of the fixed-lamp-spacing limitation, there's also only one mounting design, either for single-lamp or dual-lamp models.
    • You just don't stick one in a duct somewhere, or blindly mount it "on top" of the evaporator coil. If the lamps aren't mounted on the COLD AIR SIDE of the evaporator coil, and close to the coil so as to fully illuminate it, then the job is not done right. The flexibility of the different Air Probe Sanitizer designs and lamp spacings ensures a job done right, and a happy customer, every time.
    • The bottom line here is this: Flexible installation translates to quick installation, which in turn means the lowest possible installation costs.

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  10. Lamps supported at one end only
    This not only makes for easy installation and replacement, but doubles the effective length (and UV output) of the air purifying UV lamps.

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  11. Long lamp life - Three years or more
    Many ultraviolet germicidal/air purification lamps quickly drop in output power, loosing their effectiveness at purifying the air. These lamps' all-important UV-C output decreases less than 15% after a year (8760 hours) of continuous operation.

    On the average, these ultraviolet lamps can still emit 85% after 1 year, 73% after two years, and over 60% after three years. Lamp life chart

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  12. Number of UV lamps (two lamps in one)
    The dual-probe UV air purifier system effectively give you four lamps, since each lamp is really two lamps in one, side by side (supported at only one end). You have to have enough lamps to provide enough UV-C light energy to purify the air and kill mold, etc.

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  13. Easy UV Lamp Replacement
    No UV lamp lasts forever. When it wears out, it needs to be easy to change. The lamps on the Air Probe Sanitizer just rock out of the sockets. Please see the video to see how easy it is.

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  14. Ruggedly built
    Both the ultraviolet-C lamps and the aluminum frame of the Air Probe Sanitizer air purification system are rigid and solid. The lamps are as highly resistant to breakage as possible.

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  15. Coverage area
    Dual-probe units purify and clean the air in even large houses. Multiple probe units can be built for any application, whether a home or a skyscraper.
    The smaller one-probe "motel room" units can even purify the air in a small townhouse apartment.

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  16. Customizable at no extra cost
    Need a special length? Usually, there's no extra charge. The cost is based on the number of lamps, not the overall length of the unit. (standard length is 17+")

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  17. Warranty and guarantee
    Five years on the unit and two years on the UV lamps Details

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  18. A stable company
    We've been around since 1989, and we plan to be around later when you need replacement parts, service, or an air purifier for your next house.
    About Comtech Research

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Much more information and further explanations are on the Air Probe Sanitizer page.

*In some cases, more than two 8" lamps are required to effectively remove odors or smoke from the air. If you are purchasing the Air Probe Sanitizer to remove odors, just indicate so when ordering.
 

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"Air Probe Sanitizer" is a trademark.

Last modified 12/26/2017  


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