UV Lighting

Q: Does UV really work?
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.

Q: Has UV technology been tested?
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.

Q. Have indoor airborne contaminates increased?
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.

Q: What kinds of germs are affected?
UV Lights are extremely effective against virtually any airborne microbes including rhinoviruses (colds), influenza, bacteria, mold, mold spores and viruses.

Q: Is UV light harmful to people?
Prolonged, direct exposure to UV light is harmful to all living organisms, including people. However, our UV Lights has been designed with safety in mind. There is minimum exposure to people. This provides for safe operation and maintenance.

Q: What is the life of the UV lamp?
Our UV Lights have 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.

Q: Is the UV Light expensive to operate?
Not at all. The UV Light 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.

Q: How do I know when it is time to replace the germicidal UV lamp?
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.

Q: Don’t air filters eliminate germs?
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.