This page is organized in a question-answer format for easy access to particular information you might be interested in.

What does UV-C light do? | Why is ozone used? | Is ozone harmful to your health? | How is Sol Aire installed? | Why is Sol Aire installed in the ductwork? | What makes Sol Aire different from other air cleaning devices? | Is there any maintenance required? | How much does Sol Aire cost?

What does UV-C light do?

When ultraviolet light reaches a specific wavelength (253.7 nm), it becomes UV-C light and acquires germicidal properties, enabling it to kill tiny airborne microorganisms.  At the moment UV-C light contacts a microbe, it penetrates through the organism's cell wall and deconstructs the DNA (the cell's genetic material.)  Consequently, the microorganism is no longer able to reproduce and encounters its ultimate and final death.

Why is ozone used?

Ozone is an essential element for removing odors in your home.  Scientifically, ozone is recognized as O3 or composed of three oxygen molecules.  When ozone interacts with other gases, such as the gases found in cigarette smoke, it willingly gives up one of its molecules.  Ozone (O3) then becomes O2, which is the breathable oxygen we inhale everyday.  The oxygen molecule that was released attaches to other, possibly harmful, gaseous compounds and produces elements in their natural, safe, breathable state, such as N2 (nitrogen) and H2 (hydrogen.)    

Is ozone harmful to your health?

In large quantities ozone is harmful to your health.  The EPA has established an exposure standard at 0.1 ppm (parts per million) in a 24-hour period as a safety precaution.  Sol Aire emits approximately 0.025 ppm of ozone, significantly below the safety standard.  Ozone is necessary for the removal of odors and, when present in large quantities, has also been known to kill microbes.  However, due to the health concern and safety of our customers, we constructed Sol Aire to release ozone in substantially low levels, which, unfortunately, decreases its ability to actively kill airborne organisms.  Only the ultraviolet light is capable of destroying the microbes it comes in contact with.  If you have further concerns or questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.  We will be happy to assist you in any way we can.   

How is Sol Aire installed?

As illustrated in the picture below, Sol Aire is installed into your cold air return next to your central furnace.  The only part that you are able to see is the small black box or the system control unit, which displays the Sol Aire label. 

Why is Sol Aire installed in the ductwork?

Sol Aire is installed in the ductwork because that is where most of your dirty air originates.  By killing microorganisms in the ducts first, Sol Aire prevents the particles from even entering your home!  Other devices wait until the substances are already in your home and already in your exposure before filtering them out. 

When the UV-C light strikes inside the ducts, it is reflected and bounces off the surfaces, reaching all areas of the ductwork and killing 99.999% of all the microbes hiding in the cold air return.  It is important to keep the fan running at all times in order to achieve maximum efficiency of the Sol Aire system.  Sol Aire has an air sensor that automatically turns on when air flow is detected, thus requiring air movement to activate.

What makes Sol Aire different from the other air cleaning devices?

Sol Aire is unique for several reasons.  First of all, Sol Aire is not a filter, does not use electrostatic energy, and is not merely an ozone generator, which has been known to release incredibly high and unsafe levels of ozone.  Sol Aire uses UV-C light as its primary organism-killer and ozone to deodorize your home.  No filters are required for this device. 

Secondly, Sol Aire does not just trap microbes in a flimsy filter, which allows the organisms to reproduce as if it were a petry dish.  Instead, Sol Aire kills the airborne microorganisms and instantly halts any possible reproduction. 

Thirdly, Sol Aire is completely out of sight and is completely silent.  It can be self-installed into the cold air return of your HVAC and automatically activates in an extremely powerful, entirely silent manner. 

Unlike most clean air units, Sol Aire also has the ability to kill viruses.  Filters are not capable of catching viruses; they are too small and pass right through the filter holes.  Sol Aire's technology allows viruses to be killed effortlessly and instantly. 

 Finally, Sol Aire cleans your entire house (up to 3000 square feet) for a relatively cheap price.  At the cost of $595.00, you would only be spending about $0.20 per square foot per year.  This is significantly lower than a room unit that costs $200.00 and cleans only 100 square feet ($0.50 per square foot.)  While searching for an air cleaner similar to ours, the closest one we found would cost you twice as much as Sol Aire and would only clean 3/100 of the space Sol Aire cleans.  Plus, there are very few devices that clean your entire house with only one small unit.

In summary, ionizers work by adding weight to the particle, thus making them fall to the floor (and accompany thousands of other particles that the floor and/or carpet already contains.)  In addition, some ionizers can only be in use for one hour per day.  Electrostatic air filters attract and hold particles (only a certain amount) to the filters. Mechanical HEPA filters push particles to walls and onto objects instead of removing them from the contaminated area.  Lastly, HEPA filters merely trap particles that are 0.3 microns or larger in size, neglecting to remove viruses and other smaller organisms.  They also produce an annoying humming sound that some people cannot tolerate. 

Sol Aire is a one-of-a-kind device that kills microorganisms in your entire home and/or business quietly, inexpensively, easily, safely, automatically, and efficiently, while eliminating odors and maintaining a clean, safe, healthy atmosphere.   

Is any maintenance required for Sol Aire?

The only maintenance required is the replacement of both the ozone and UV-C light bulbs once a year.  A set of two is priced at $80.00.  We also ask that you clean off your bulbs with either alcohol or glass cleaner about every three months to sustain maximum proficiency.  

How much does a Sol Aire unit cost? 

As mentioned above, Sol Aire sells for $595.00 plus shipping and handling.  If you want to become a dealer or distributor, the price will vary.