The Air Reactor is amazing for its ability to remove so many harmful contaminants from the indoor environment, but perhaps its biggest contribution is to the mold sensitive community. The Air Reactor’s ability to destroy mold and mycotoxins at the molecular level, both in the air and on surfaces, has allowed mold sensitive people to heal and recover in the indoor environment that once made them sick. There are so many testimonials from people poisoned by mold and mycotoxin exposure who spent tens of thousands of dollars on failed remediations before ultimately finding success with the Air Reactor.
If you suffer from mold poisoning, if you’ve had your home remediated only to find it’s making you sick once more, or if you’ve just found mold in your home and are looking for a safe and effective product to destroy the mold and mycotoxins, give the Air Reactor a try and experience the difference for yourself.
New Air Reactors come with Hi Tech Air Solutions' 30-day return guarantee, less a 15% restocking fee. Contact us with questions or for additional details.
Testimonial
Bethany had successfully been using the Air Reactors in her own home for several months and knew that her Dad needed the units to address his home too. Her Dad purchased two of the Model 101's from us in November 2020 to address his approximately 2,000 sq. ft. single story home. Here's Bethany's story about her first visit back to her Dad's home in June 2022.
My dad's house in Tennessee was **RIDDLED** with stachy... to the point even being in the driveway would send me straight in orbit! (No joke!) He had active mold growing in his bedroom closets and in some of the cabinets due to water leaks from frozen broken pipes and water intrusions from crazy Tennessee storms. That damage was all "fixed" but I told him that if he didn't get Hi-techs to kill the residual mold & mycotoxins that was left from the water damage I wouldn't ever be able to come visit him again (at his house) because of the mold and mycotoxins there were just ASTRONOMICAL! They themselves were also dealing with an onslaught of symptoms due to all the mold. My stepmom is a stroke victim and is wheelchair bound now (mold probably had a hand in this as well). Dad finally got the machines in November of 2020.
We were just now finally able (and brave enough) to go back to Tennessee to visit him this past June and I was in tears! Those machines had cleared up **EVERYTHING** I didn't react whatsoever! I can't tell you how much we were all soooo ELATED to be able to visit comfortably without having to try and find somewhere else "safe" for us to be able to visit. They are in their late 70's both with *major* mobility issues (dad has late stage chronic lyme) I can't tell you how relieved I was to know that my dad is now breathing safe clean air and that I can safely visit now and if there's an emergency and we have to run back up to Tennessee we can do that without having to worry about being assaulted by mold.
This was the ULTIMATE test in my book!
The Difference Between Killing Mold and Destroying Mold
Why is it important to distinguish between killing mold and destroying it at a molecular level? Products that kill mold spores still leave the dead spore or spore fragments in your indoor environment. Proteins on the surface of a dead mold spore are just as allergenic as a protein on a live spore. Even fragments of spores or other components of a fungal colony can cause serious health issues.
Molds can produce a byproduct as it grows and matures called a mycotoxin. Mycotoxins are highly toxic, secondary metabolites produced by some molds. Mycotoxins are invisible, tasteless, chemically stable and resistant to temperature changes. Almost all mycotoxins disrupt various cellular structures and interfere with vital cellular processes such as protein, RNA and DNA synthesis. Many mold-sick people have health issues not only due to mold but the mycotoxins they produce.
Mycotoxins vary in potency depending on the mold that produces them. Humans are not specifically targeted by mycotoxins but can be caught in the crossfire of the biochemical warfare among different molds and bacteria competing for the same space.
Mycotoxin exposure from indoor mold growth can affect the Nervous system, Vascular system, Respiratory system, Digestive system, Cutaneous system, Urinary system, Reproductive system, and Immune system.
Because mycotoxins are carried in the outer shell of the spores, any fragments of cell-wall material derived from mold colonies can carry the same toxins as intact spores. Mycotoxin release is a passive process, so even when a spore is dead, it can still act as a source of poisons. Since mold spore fragments will not germinate on culture plates, attempts to culture fungi from an air sample may result in what appears to be a room free of mold, even though toxic fragments remain as a source of contamination in the room. Likewise, the small size of the fragments relative to whole spores, and their irregular shapes, would make these particles hidden from investigators trained to count spores on microscope slides.
Since mycotoxin molecules are a much smaller molecule than the mold spore itself, it is much easier for them to travel throughout a structure and through the ductwork. Mold spores are typically 1-6 microns in size while a mycotoxin metabolite is 0.1 micron (that’s about 1/1000th the size of a human hair). This small size, therefore, makes it easy to inhale the mycotoxin or for it to be absorbed through the skin. Spore fragments can mist lung linings with mycotoxins even when very few complete spores are inhaled.
The most common species of molds that produce mycotoxins include:
- Aspergillus flavus
- Aspergillus fumigatus
- Aspergillus niger
- Aspergillus versicolor
- Chaetomium globosum
- Fusarium verticillioides
- Penicillium chrysogenum
- Penicillium citrinum
- Penicillium brevicompactum
- Stachybotrys chartarum
Mold remediations often fail to address the mycotoxin issue since often the only thing addressing the air in a mold contaminated building are air scrubbers using HEPA filtration. HEPA filtration is only required to remove 99.97% of particles of .3 microns or larger which isn’t adequate to address the mycotoxins which can be 0.1 microns in size.
What does positive and negative pressure in my home have to do with mold?
Depending on the direction of the air flow, the movement of moisture in the air can result in areas of high humidity. If condensation occurs, one of the needs of mold growth is met. High concentrations of humidity will equalize by migrating to lower humidity areas. So, if an attic has high humidity or a crawlspace has moist air from the ground below, it can be drawn into the wall or floor cavities by negative pressure in the home. The difference in temperature between the outside and the inside of the home can allow the humid air to condense where warm air meets a cold surface, providing the water needed for mold to start growing.
Leaky supply ducts
One system that can cause pressure imbalances is the HVAC system. Leaky supply ducts create a negative pressure within the house, causing outside air to force its way into the house. Think of it this way, the blower on the HVAC unit must pull in as much air in as it pushes out. It’s pulling air in through the return ducts from the house and pushing air out into the supply ducts into the house in a constant cycle.
If there were no leaks in the home the air volume that is pushed out through the supplies would go right back into return ducts and be cycled back through at a 1:1 ratio. However, if there is a leak in the supply ducts then some of the air that is being pushed out by the blower is not making it into the conditioned space but is leaking to the “outside”. The blower still requires the same amount of air volume to be pulled in via the return ducts, so it must pull air from somewhere outside the conditioned space to make up for the air lost to the leaking supply duct.
One area that it can pull this make up air from is cracks and openings around light switches and outlets. Because the openings are very small the return air must be pulled from these small areas at a greater velocity. This higher velocity disturbs the air within the wall cavities and can cause the small mold spores to become airborne pulling them into adjacent rooms and eventually into the ductwork. The ductwork provides a pathway for the mold spores to be moved into the other areas of the home.
Leaky return ducts
The opposite occurs with leaky return ducts. Leaky return ducts cause positive pressure within the house. This pushes air out of the house via the paths of least resistance: doors, windows, and pathways around electric and plumbing penetrations and gaps in insulation. In winter, when we humidify the inside air, this humid air is forced outside through cracks and openings. When this warm moist air hits portions of the cold outside wall, it can condense and cause mold.
Attic ventilation
Improper attic ventilation can also contribute to moisture problems within the home. During the summer months a poorly vented attic gets very hot and humid. An air-conditioned house can pull that hot, humid attic air down through gaps at the tops of walls and around ceiling fixtures, into improperly sealed wall cavities. In areas with high humidity this warm, moist air can condense on the cool back side of drywall, providing the moisture needed for mold growth.
Mold Tips
I don't see any mold. Can I still have a mold problem?
Yes. Most mold in our homes is hidden. It can grow undetected behind walls and under floors for years before anyone finds it, and even unseen it can affect your health. Air currents and pressure differences in a building can pull hidden mold spores from behind walls into the air you breathe. The air pressure section above explains how air pressure moves them.
How soon can mold grow after a leak or a flood?
Mold can grow in as little as 24 to 48 hours, and some molds need very little moisture to thrive. That goes for a small flood from an overflowing sink as much as a whole-house flood from frozen pipes or a storm. Signs of mold and water damage can be hidden behind a wall or cabinet or under the floor, and a small amount of trapped moisture is enough. Even after remediation, mold and mold toxins are often left behind. The Air Reactor helps by destroying the mold and mycotoxins a flood leaves behind.
Where does mold hide in a clean house?
In the dust you seldom reach: under the refrigerator, oven, washer and dryer, on top of cabinets and on fan blades. If you have had a mold problem, that dust can hold mold spores, mycotoxins and other contaminants, and they stay there until the dust is removed. When the dust is disturbed, they go back into the air. The Air Reactor treats the mold, mycotoxins and contaminants in these spots too, as long as air can carry its Super OH Radicals there.
Can a live Christmas tree bring mold into my home?
Yes. A tree begins to decay as soon as it is cut, and the mold on it releases spores and mycotoxins into the air. Within a few days the spores build up indoors. For people with mold sensitivity, a fresh-cut tree or wreath can bring symptoms with it. A 2015 study in The National High School Journal of Science found that mold spores in household air doubled when a family brought in a live tree. 42% of people with allergies or other breathing problems had more symptoms with a live tree, against 13% with an artificial one.
I have UV lights in my HVAC system. Do I still need an Air Reactor?
UV lights in an HVAC system may help keep the evaporator coil clean, but they do little for the fast-moving air that passes by them. The Air Reactor puts out stabilized Super Hydroxyl molecules that seek out and destroy contaminants inside the HVAC system and throughout the rest of your home, on surfaces as well as in the air.
The HiTech Air Reactor Solution
The Hi Tech Air Solutions Air Reactor addresses both the mold spores and mycotoxins by breaking down the hydrogen bonds and destroying the molecular structure. What sets the Air Reactor apart from other PCO and Hydroxyl Generator devices is the ability of the Air Reactor to generate a stabilized Super Hydroxyl Radical that is projected out of the machine to address the air and surfaces throughout the indoor environment. This means that you can destroy mold spores and mycotoxins on your personal belongings too.