The Reme Halo is a relatively new invention that harnesses unique technology to clean and purify the air. This device help with allergens, mold, microbes, and the smell of smoke, so it’s no wonder that many people are looking to this technology as a means of better protecting their home and loved ones
It makes sense to look at every aspect of a new device before deciding if it is right for your home. Placement is one of those important factors. It affects the convenience of installation as well as the effectiveness of the device.
The best place to install a Reme Halo is in the supply plenum, before the damper. This ensures the ptimal distribution of the ionized air throughout the house. The return plenum is also an option, but this location will reduce the Reme Halo’s effectiveness.
Optimal Placement According to Manufacturer
According to Reme Halo’s manufacturer, RGF, the best location to install the air purifier is inside the supply plenum—just behind the air handler.
The supply plenum, the recommended location for the Reme Halo, is an air distribution box that is attached to the outlet of your HVAC system. This is the place through which freshly heated or cooled air is released into a home.
In order to understand why this spot is the best location for a Reme Halo, let’s look at how exactly the device works.
How Does the Reme Halo Work?
The Halo works by essentially mimicking a natural event—lightning. The fresh smell after a thunderstorm is caused by lightning, which activates hydrogen peroxide molecules in the air that literally “clean” the atmosphere.
The Reme Halo makes use of light energy to produce hydroperoxide plasma (a “cloud” of ionized air). Alongside the hydroperoxide plasma, the Reme Halo ionizes zinc for additional disinfecting properties.
Not only does the created plasma disinfect by killing microbes in the air, but it also forces many allergen particulates like pollen, dander, and dust to clump together. This makes it even easier for your filter to catch these tiny pollutants as they float through the air cycling within your home.
Why Is This the Best Place?
After understanding how the Reme Halo works, it becomes clear why the supply plenum is the optimal location for installation.
After all, as stated, the supply plenum is directly connected to the output, the “initial” source of treated air to be distributed throughout the home.
This means it will also distribute the plasma generated by the Halo, allowing it to reach every place in the home that air normally circulates.
How to Install Reme Halo in Optimal Location
Installation of the Reme Halo is relatively straightforward, but it can definitely be confusing or difficult if you are not very familiar with the type of work needed to install it.
If that’s the case, it can’t hurt to consider having a professional install the Reme Halo for you! However, it should be noted that this can be pricey. Initial installation tends to run at an average cost of $1,100.
Step 1: Find the Best Spot
When looking to install your Reme Halo, you will need to locate your supply plenum. Depending on how your home is structured, you may have an easier or harder time physically accessing the HVAC unit.
You will also need to ensure that you have an available power source for the Halo nearby.
Step 2: Cut a Hole for the Reme Halo
After you find a suitable spot to place the Reme Halo in your HVAC unit, you will need to cut a 3″ hole into the supply plenum/duct box.
Depending on whether the box is metal or fiberboard, you may be able to get by with a utility knife, or you may need to use a tool such as a 3” diameter hole saw.
When creating the hole, you will need to be very careful not to disrupt or damage anything else.
Step 3: Install the Mounting Plate
After the hole is cut, clean and dry the area around it. The mounting plate, which is self-adhesive, can then be placed.
If you want to ensure security, you might choose to install the screws provided with the Halo into the three holes in the mounting plate, but this is not considered necessary.
Step 4: Fit the Unit
The Halo unit can then be inserted into the mounting plate.
After sitting the Halo into the mounting plate, the provided foil sticker seal can be placed and smoothed over the perimeter of the unit to ensure that the newly installed device is airtight.
Step 5: Connect the Unit to the Power
Lastly, the Halo must be attached to a power source. The Reme Halo comes with a transformer that can be attached to any 120, 208, or 420 VAC power source if need be.
Inside the installation manual, a guide for correct wire splicing should be provided.
Can You Put a Reme Halo in the Return?
It is possible that there is no space within the supply plenum into which the Reme Halo can be installed. In this case, one may look to the return side of the air handler as an alternative spot.
Luckily, the return is a completely viable location for installing the Reme Halo. It is possible to have the Reme Halo installed here due to the cyclical nature of HVAC systems.
When the cooling kicks on, air is pulled from your home, filtered, and cooled via refrigerant coils before being pushed back into the home via the ductwork.
When the heating is on, the cool air from the home is pulled into the furnace via the return ducts, heated, and sent back into the home via the ducts.
While these are very simplified explanations of heating and cooling, it is true that in both cases, air moves in a continuous cycle throughout the home.
This makes it so that the Reme Halo will still work, even if placed in the return rather than in the supply plenum. It will just be ionized before it is conditioned.
With that said, it’s important to note that the Halo’s effectiveness will be reduced if placed in the return and not the supply plenum.
The high moisture levels in cooling coils and the high temperatures of heating elements will impact the Reme Halo’s ability to work at maximum efficiency.
What if You Have an HVAC Humidifier/Dehumidifier?
Even if you have an HVAC humidifier or dehumidifier installed, it is viable to use the Reme Halo.
However, there are two placement guidelines to follow.
- It is recommended to have the Halo installed 10-12″ past the output of the humidifier or dehumidifier.
- It should be placed before the first drop, where the ducts split.
It is difficult to find specific information as to why this is the ideal position when a humidifier or dehumidifier is involved. However, since it is known that high moisture levels can interfere with the Reme Halo’s effectiveness, this could explain why some distance from a humidifier may be beneficial.
Similarly, high temperatures can impact the Halo’s efficiency. As dehumidifiers can increase the temperature of the air it treats, it is possible that this could also impact the Halo when there is not enough space between the two.
As for ensuring that the Halo is placed before the ducts split, this is simply to ensure that the ionized hydrogen that the Reme Halo creates is distributed throughout the home as evenly as possible.
Sources
https://www.comfortmastersla.com/indoor-air-quality/reme-halo/
https://www.daycosystems.com/blog/hvac/what-is-a-plenum-in-an-hvac-system/
https://homeclimates.com/blog/reme-halo-air-scrubber
https://hvac-parts-online.com/product_extra_files/REME-Halo-Manual-Jan-2015.pdf