1) Check Your HVAC Filters
Your AC system’s filter can negatively affect indoor air quality in two ways if not handled properly:
- By reducing airflow
- By neglecting to catch harmful particulates
Your AC filter’s job is to remove dust, debris and allergens from the air circulating throughout your home. As your filter collects particulates, it’s normal for your filter to get dirty. This is why it’s important to regularly change your filter. If you notice weak or reduced airflow coming from your vents, it may be time to change your filter. The longer you leave your filter in your system, the dirtier it will become. If you go too long between replacing your filter, it can become clogged. And clogged filters can seriously damage your system. Changing your filters can also improve air circulation throughout your home. At Total Air, we recommend four-inch media filters which are capable of catching particles as small as 0.3 microns and can also help your family with allergies or asthma.
Other particles that a four-inch filter can catch:
- Bacteria
- Pet dander
- Pollen
- Mold spores
- Soot
- Lingering pet or cooking odors
2) Schedule Regular Maintenance for Your HVAC System
Although maintenance primarily ensures that your system is operating safely, scheduling regular maintenance for your AC system can also help improve indoor air quality. When our technician services your system, they check for proper heating operation but will also examine your blower fan for cleanliness. Debris like pet hair and lint that ends up in your system can collect on your blower fan. Because the blower fan controls air circulation year-round, this can affect your heating and cooling system’s performance. If you notice abnormal smells when your system runs, this could mean that your system is circulating air pollutants like mold, spores and bacteria. If this is the case, call Total Air immediately to schedule a Tune-Up.
3) Invest in Indoor Air Quality Products
Sometimes your existing AC system needs a little help to address indoor air quality issues. If your health and comfort are at risk, Total Air can add IAQ products to your existing system.
Indoor Air Quality Products Include:
- Humidifiers
- Dehumidifiers
- High-Output Germicidal UVC Lamps and Control Chemicals & Odors with UVV Oxidation
- Time Release Drain Pan Treatments
Humidifiers
Dry air can create several issues for you and your home:
- Dry, itchy skin
- Bloody noses
- Static electricity
- Gapped or cracked hardwood floors
Dry air can also make your furnace work harder to heat your home. Because they add water vapor to the air inside your home, humidifiers help prevent the negative effects of dry air. Humidifiers also give your furnace a break. Since water vapor helps air hold heat better, your furnace won’t need to run as often to maintain the temperatures in your home.
Dehumidifiers
Too much humidity can also affect your comfort and your home. Dehumidifiers help by removing humidity from the air. Dehumidifiers can be essential to not only keep cool but also protect your home and possessions. A dehumidifier can help if you deal with any of the following:
- Warped wood floors or woodwork
- Damaged furniture
- Insects like spiders and silverfish
- Dust mites
- Muggy upper floors
Although your air conditioner does dehumidify your home, adding a dehumidifier can give it a break. Because a dehumidifier’s only job is to remove humidity from the air, your air conditioner will be able to focus on cooling your home. Removing humidity from the air can also help you feel cooler. With less water vapor, the air won’t be able to hold heat as easily. And because warm air and humidity tend to rise, a dehumidifier can help you reclaim upstairs rooms that are typically too muggy and hot. Dehumidifiers can also help drive creepy crawlies from your home. Insects and spiders, centipedes and silverfish thrive in spaces with more than 70% humidity. Cutting the humidity in your home to the 30% – 60% range can discourage insects, mold, and bacteria from settling into your home.
Dynamic Air Quality UVC & UVV Lights
The EPA states that our indoor air has 2-5 times more volatile organic compounds, chemicals and other pollutants than the worst outside air. Our high-output UVC Lamps also sterilizes airborne viruses, bacteria and germs as they pass by the lamp in your AC system, rendering them harmless and incapable of reproducing. UVC Lamps are 3.3 times more powerful than standard lamps and will disinfect your air 24 hours a day naturally, without adding chemicals or sprays into your environment.
Time Release Drain Pan Treatments
Most homeowners are unaware of the dangers lurking within their heating and cooling system. The dark damp environment is a perfect breeding ground for mold, bacteria and water-borne microorganisms. Inside your AC system there is an indoor cooling coil that pulls the humidity from the air and cools it to make you comfortable in the summertime. When the hot moist air hits the drain pan beneath the coil. If not treated, standing stale water can breed contaminants that can cause challenges with your system and in the air you breathe. By comparison, a properly maintained cooling coil that is regularly protected with Time Release Drain Pan Treatments will stay clean and fresh, operating at its intended efficiency like the day it was installed.
If your home’s air quality isn’t up to par, speak with Total Air. We will be able to recommend and install equipment that can improve your safety and comfort at home. We’d love to speak with you about the best way to improve your indoor air quality! At Total Air, we offer a variety of options to customize your HVAC system to your needs. Call Total Air to schedule a free in-home estimate. We look forward to speaking with you!
