Even as reports and statistics change and the latest science gets updates, one thing seems certain: Improving indoor air quality is becoming an important topic, especially for bars and restaurants — and investing in an air purifier now may be crucial.
As businesses slowly reopen, people will need to feel safe and comfortable eating indoors, especially as the weather gets colder.
But, from what we see from the science community, air conditioners now, and heaters later, may make the problem worse.
According to the latest reports, HVAC systems can all but render social distancing in an eatery pointless. Even as people stay six feet apart, virus particles are getting sucked up and circulated through the AC or heater.
Most HVAC systems — forced-air, mini split, or anything else — don’t bring in any fresh air. At best, they just treat or recirculate the air inside.
Short of piping in fresh air, you need to make sure whatever your customers are breathing is as clean as possible. Fortunately, an air purifier that attaches to your HVAC system can achieve that.
In this article, we’ll go over how air purifiers work. Then, we’ll dive deeper into the three primary ways they clean the air.
Meanwhile, if you have questions about improving the indoor air quality for your business in Delaware or Montgomery County, call or email us at John Cipollone. 
Passive vs. Active Air Purification
We mentioned passive and active air purification. Just about any model you attach to your HVAC system does both. Off-the-shelf models usually offer only passive. Even your central air or furnace does that to a degree is well.
The passive approach is letting particles get trapped in a filter as they pass through. That’s the average one-inch screen you find in residential and most light commercial systems.
Air purifiers use much stronger filters that trap much smaller particles than one-inch models. If you were to use those on your heater or AC, you’d also drastically reduce your airflow. So, that’s not a good idea.
Meanwhile, active is when the system neutralizes and eradicates all sorts of microscopic, problem-causing particles. When it comes to bacteria and viruses, this is what you need.
Air Purification Systems That Neutralize Viruses
Depending on what air purifier you get that attaches to your HVAC system, it will likely use one of three methods to neutralize viruses, bacteria, and other airborne contaminants:
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Bipolar Ionization (BPI)
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Ultraviolet Light (UV Light)
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Far UV or UV-C Light
Let’s look closer at each one.
Bipolar Ionization (BPI)
An air purifier using bipolar ionization, or BPI, attacks viruses and other particles in the room. These systems send a charge of ionized molecules out into the area they’re treating.
Those charged molecules then bond with the particles they’re looking to get rid of. When this happens, they get neutralized. At the least, they fall to the ground instead of hanging in the air where people can inhale them.
One benefit we hear from people is that the air instantly smells cleaner — peace of mind for your customers and staff.
And, they reach every corner of a room. With UV or UV-C, which we’ll get to next, they can only treat whatever light shines on. You could miss critical spots such as the underside of a doorknob, for instance.
But, the jury’s still out on how well they work. While these have been becoming more popular, the science is still not quite settled.
Meanwhile, BPI purifiers can also produce ozone, exposure to which can cause shortness of breath, coughing, and other symptoms.
Ultraviolet Light (UV Light)
UV light exists in sunlight. It’s the reason you get a tan, but also skin cancer or cataracts with overexposure. You’re too big for it to kill you on its own — sunlight itself isn’t strong enough to act as a sanitizer — but the same isn’t true for microscopic particles.
Purification systems use what’s called Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation, or UVGI. An intense concentration of UV light attacks viruses, bacteria, and other particles. It scrambles the DNA or RNA of these microorganisms so that they can no longer reproduce.
And, when they can’t reproduce, they’re dead. There’s no way for them to build up and eventually harm you.
UVGI has been the most popular method for many years, but there’s a catch: You can’t get exposed to it, either. It’s not lethal, but it will cause those problems we listed above.
So, systems that use UVGI blast the light near the filter. That way, anything that gets caught or is passing through gets zapped. Or, in the case of hospitals, staff can clear a room and sanitize it.
Far UV or UV-C Light
A close cousin to UV light is Far UV or UV-C light. It’s an even narrower band on the light spectrum and, until recently, was only found in outer space. Our atmosphere blocks it. But, when replicated on earth, it very well could be, as Columbia University professor of radiation biophysics David Brenner put it, a “game-changer” when it comes to the coronavirus.
The difference is that UV-C light affects microorganisms only. It can’t pass through our skin or the tear layers of our eyes. It can do everything to viruses, bacteria, and everything else that UV light can do.
This means that we can use UV-C when people are there. You don’t have to wait until closing time to sanitize, or for particles to make their way into a purifier. It’s happening all the time.
The technology’s very new, but we see it applied in some smaller capacities already.
Which Air Purifier is Best for Havertown, PA Bars and Restaurants?
With all the options and all the variables of any given building, we can’t make a general recommendation. However, what we here at Cipollone can say is that, by and large, we’ve had the most success in homes and businesses with the Air Scrubber by Aerus paired with an AprilAire high-efficiency filter.
The AirScrubber uses UV light to do the job. It uses both UV light and an oxidation process — pretty much the BPI technology we discussed. But, it does it all inside the device, which attaches to your ductwork.
We’ll note that this model has not been tested specifically on the coronavirus. But it’s proven to kill up to 99 percent of airborne pollutants. That includes all RNA viruses, which is how the coronavirus is classified.
Indoor Air Quality Assessment and Installations in Havertown, PA
You can call or email us here at John Cipollone at any time to set up a consultation. We’ll help you assess the indoor air quality needs in your bar, restaurant, or any commercial space. And, we’ll help you find the air purification system that’s perfect for your needs.
