Atchoo. Gimme gamma sterilization.
December 31, 2005 10:30 PM   Subscribe

Why doesn't my furnace have a sterilizer?

I can purchase one, but it costs the earth. I assume this is mainly a supply and demand problem. So why can't I do it myself? Toss a chunk of gamma-emitting death in the ductwork, or wire up a rack of UV tubes, or some sort of emitter-receiver device that would electrostatically charge all impurities and zap 'em on a titanium dioxide plate?

Seems silly to me that in an age where it's efficient for me to run my DC-drive circulation fan 24-7, that I'm not also zapping hell out of the cooties. What ideas or solutions are cost-effective and practical?
posted by five fresh fish to Home & Garden (12 answers total)
 
What exactly is in the air that you feel the need to zap? If you've not the boy in he bubble, what is there to be afraid of?
posted by cosmicbandito at 11:53 PM on December 31, 2005


Well, Consumer Reports takes a skeptical view of standard ionizing air cleaners, and suggests a better filter instead. So even that's overkill.

As for "sterilizing" the air, this is probably also a waste of money, and possibly counterproductive. It's increasingly clear that repeated exposure to bacteria strengthens the immune system, which is why some experts are concerned about antibacterial soaps. I would be more concerned about a source of radioactivity in my home than run-of-the-mill biological infestations. (What if you have an immune system that is only activated when you visit friends' homes?)
posted by dhartung at 12:43 AM on January 1, 2006


Despite marketing for things like Oust there really isn't a whole lot of bacteria in the air, especially in comparison to the amount on every surface. Bacteria is ubiquitous in the world, it's honestly not a bad thing. Humans have evolved along with the bacteria, and, unless you have legionnaires in your ductwork, there's probably nothing to be concerned about.

As an aside the ionic filtration systems cause dangerous levels of ozone, and of course gamma radiation sources in your home should be avoided haha.
posted by rhyax at 2:52 AM on January 1, 2006


Bacteria is ubiquitous in the world

Yes, around 1 kg of your body mass is composed of bacteria. Enjoy.
posted by meehawl at 7:39 AM on January 1, 2006


That's an awesome statistic.
posted by aramaic at 9:05 AM on January 1, 2006


Response by poster: I wrote that question while my head was beginning to implode from a month-long viral infection that seems to be just another variation on a year-long cold.

At this point I'm ready to gamma-radiate myself. Sigh.

So purifying my air won't help, eh? Poop.
posted by five fresh fish at 10:16 AM on January 1, 2006


So purifying my air won't help, eh? Poop.

Yeah, just try washing your hands more often. If you want to go crazy, it's probably a better use of your efforts to wear a mask and glasses than to sterilize the hot air coming out of your furance.
posted by rxrfrx at 10:32 AM on January 1, 2006


Response by poster: I thought I was already OCD about handwashing.

Maybe the solution is to just shoot everyone that gets within a hundred feet of me.

I'm not bitter.
posted by five fresh fish at 11:17 AM on January 1, 2006


Response by poster: btw, it's not hot air coming out of the furnace. i've got one of those newfangled super-high efficiency furnaces with the ability to run a dc circulation fan 24/7. most of the time, then, it's circulating room-temperature air. got a mirv 11 filter, too.
posted by five fresh fish at 11:19 AM on January 1, 2006


Also, even if you purify air coming out of the furnace, you still have to worry about all that dirty air coming in through doors and poorly insulated windows.
posted by monkeyman at 11:26 AM on January 1, 2006


Response by poster: Heat exchanger + HEPA filter = positive-pressure home = no bad guys getting in.
posted by five fresh fish at 12:02 PM on January 1, 2006


Don't be going and tossing UV at the problem. If you're generating a strong enough field of UV to kill airborne bacteria you're also generating Ozone, which is both a health concern and really hard on plastics.
posted by Mitheral at 8:05 PM on January 1, 2006


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