Wave Home Solutions

UV Lamps Can Reduce Sickness

In a study published in the Lancet medical journal, Canadian scientists found that by using ultraviolet lamps to kill germs in ventilation systems, worker sickness was reduced by about 20 percent, including a 40 percent drop in breathing problems.

About 70 percent of the work force in North America and Western Europe work indoors, and have frequently unexplained health problems such as irritation of the eyes, throat and nose, as well as respiratory illnesses.  Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation, or UVGI, is sometimes used in hospital ventilation systems to disinfect the air. 

The use of the UV lamps resulted in a 20 percent overall reduction in all symptoms for some workers; and a 40 percent reduction in respiratory symptoms and a 30 percent reduction in mucous problems.  The benefits were greatest for workers with allergies and for people who had never smoked.

With this study as a reference, it's surprising more homeowners are not seriously looking at installing a UV system in their ventilation system, especially in homes where one or more of the family members struggle with allergies and/or respiratory disorders. 

Winter 2009 -- Indoor Air

The quality of the air we breathe indoors becomes even more important in the colder months, when we naturally spend more time inside. But the list of things that pollute that air is a long one, featuring such varied culprits as combustion sources (oil, gas, kerosene, coal, wood and tobacco), building materials (deteriorated insulation, damp carpet), household cleaners, even our furniture and carpets.

 

Indoor air quality has been a problem since homeowners and builders began to "tighten" the homes with increased insulaton to reduce the overall energy costs without balancing it with adequete ventilation to exchange polluted indoor air with fresh outdoor air.  Plus excess moisture and high temperatures can lead to mold problems.  During the winter (and summer if the house is closed up), carbon monoxide from gas stoves, dryers and furnaces, if not properly vented to the outside, can cause serious health issues.  Studies done by EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and CDC (Centers for Disease Control) have shown that indoor air can be 5 - 10 times more polluted than outside air.

 

Key to managing indoor air is providing healthy air exchanges on a daily basis and expelling the "bad" air that tends to accumulate in the lower levels of the home.  One key element in any home is controlling humidity levels which also tend to build in the lower level of the home and can lead to organic growth such as mold. 

 

By installing a mechanical ventilation unit in the lower level of the home that runs 24/7 expelling the contaminants from the lowest level to the outside and bringing down healthier, drier replenishment air from the upper levels, is being proactive and contributes to an overall healthier home environment.

 

California Bans Water Softeners

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed Assembly Bill 1366 (AB 1366) into law, the Pacific Water Quality Association (PWQA) said in an October 12 press release. News of the signing was also carried in an October 12 report on California Newswire®.

The law will make it easier for regional water and wastewater agencies in California to impose local bans or restrictions on water softeners. Some of the agencies have been seeking to reduce salt discharges from water softeners into local wastewater streams, saying those discharges make it difficult to remove enough salt to be in compliance with state wastewater regulations. They also say softener discharges return unwanted salt to natural water supplies which are already stressed.

In a few communities in the state, bans on new softener installations or orders to remove existing ones have been implemented in the past few years under the older process, which required extensive studies and public ballot approvals. Under the new law, agencies would have to go through a less extensive “findings” process to implement softener bans.

 

Alternatives to manage the single biggest reason Californians have purchased a softener -- limescale -- are limitedbut one solution has been tested and proved effective at eliminating existing as well as pre-existing conditions is the Hydrocare unit.

 

This legislation is being considered in other states as the tainting of the ground water has created problems within local municipalities as they try to cope with the additional amount of salt they are seeing in their treatment plants.

 

Hydrocare costs pennies to operate, is easy to install, and requires NO maintenance. 

Tankless Hot Water Heater Efficiency

An excerpt from a June. 2009 article in Water Technology, about a study done by the Water Quality Research Foundation (WQRF) on the energy efficiency of tankless hot water heaters states that ...... it "found that, after the equivalent of only one year and three months of average household use, such devices can be six percent less efficient when hard water is used" which followed a study that showed 75% of the shower heads became clogged with limescale after just one week of constant testing with hard water.

Several solutions are touted as resolving hard water issues -- salt based water softeners are the most often selected as they have been out there for years and are ingrained in our collective head as "the" solution for hard water.  Problem today is salt based systems are under attack with California being the first to pas a bill giving their municipalities the ability to ban water softeners due to the excess salt in the ground water.  Other states have similar issues but have not adopted California's approach "at this time". 

Magnets have also been around and without a lot of discussion, have generally failed to manage hard water and more specifically, limescale.  They are usually flow dependent, meaning the water has to be running to be working and once water is off, crystals can return to their original state.

One solution has been successfully solving limescale problems for 18 years, primarily in Europe and Asia is the Hydrocare product line.  On the web site, there is a test that was conducted with tankless water heaters and the results are impressive. View the test at: http://www.wavehomesolutions.com/content/hydrocare/test-results.cfm

Hydrocare sends a unique, patented radio wave signal that traverses the entire plumbing system and works 24/7.   How many products have any of us purchased that come with a One Year Performance Guarantee?  Hydrocare provides one and is glad to discuss it with their customers. 

  

   Before Treatment    After Treatment

 

"NEW" UV Light & Flu Season

The flu season is here and at this time of year you're spending more time indoors and the house is closed up. This increases the exposure and inhalation of harmful airborne viruses as well as bacteria, mold and chemicals that will make you and your family sick.

Eliminating the triggers that makes us sick is the first line of defense for better health. You can sterilize the air with our NEW UV Air Purifier, which uses a technology for natural purification without ozone or filters that clog. The technology has been tested by the EPA and Homeland Security and has been found effective in killing 99% of airborne viruses and bacteria.

The NEW UV system is designed with patented ultra violet technology to further increase the time and the volume of air is within the compartment and exposed to the UV lamp. Performance results are measured in terms of how many air exchanges or passes will be required to purify the air. Our unit increases the ability to destroy more pollutants and to sterilize the air with each pass.

It's available as a add on installation to a HVAC system and also comes in a portable version that can handle room sizes up to 900 square feet.  Please view more details on our site at: http://www.wavehomesolutions.com/content/ventilation/uv-air-purifier.cfm