Clean, healthy air is essential to your family’s overall health – have you ever wondered about air pollution in Atlanta, Georgia? Fulton County scored an “F” on the 2019 “State of the Air” report conducted by the American Lung Association.
What precautions exist to protect you and your family from indoor air pollution in Atlanta Georgia? We cover the basics here.
If you think about it, you spend one-third of your life in your home asleep. Even if you only sleep at home, that is a huge portion of your life. How many of us really only sleep at home? Probably not many – tons of different activities take place indoors.
According to the EPA, the majority of us spend 90 percent of our time indoors, whether at home, work or school.
When you consider how much time you spend inside your house, ensure the air you breathe is healthy. If you or your family members are elderly, very young, or have breathing difficulties, it is especially important to focus on clean air.
The EPA has done extensive testing on indoor air quality and has come up with three factors that greatly contribute to the health of your indoor air; ventilation, filtration, and controlling humidity.
Focus on improvement in these three areas in your home to greatly improve your indoor air and your health.
Air Pollution in Atlanta, Georgia: Ventilation
The first and most effective way to improve your indoor air quality in Atlanta, Georgia, is to ensure you have proper ventilation in your home. If you do not, you breathe the same contaminants in the air over and over.
Ventilation doesn’t have to be a complicated process. When the weather permits, just open a window! If pollen or humidity are a problem, consider an Energy Recovery Ventilator, or ERV from Carrier.
Use fans or built-in ventilation systems in any room or around appliances. For example, use the fan in your bathroom or above the range anytime you are using those rooms/appliances. This sends the moisture and pollutants outside and fresh, clean air comes inside. The last thing you want to do is breathe the same, unhealthy air all the time.
Air Pollution in Atlanta, Georgia: Filtration
Your HVAC system is equipped with a filter that must be changed per your manufacturer’s instructions. Change monthly, depending on your filter type. Filters are rather inexpensive and easy to change. Just check your user manual or ask your HVAC professional for help.
Your HVAC system’s filter traps dust, dander, and other pollutants as they circulate through your system. A clean filter allows your system to circulate cleaner air. By contrast, if you have a dirty filter, it continues to circulate dirty, contaminated air throughout your home. This is especially harmful for the elderly, the very young, or those who have breathing issues.
Install an air cleaner that works with your HVAC system to remove additional contaminants your furnace filter does not catch. Air cleaners pull out contaminants as air cycles through the heating and cooling system to reduce air pollution in Atlanta Georgia homes.
Air Pollution in Atlanta, Georgia: Control Humidity
Excess humidity causes all sorts of problems with your indoor air quality. Warm, moist environments are excellent for mold and mildew growth. When the air in your home passes over these areas, it picks up the mold and mildew and carries it through your ducts and into your living areas for you to breathe.
Dust mites multiply in humid environments as well. Improve your air and reduce these common allergens with dehumidification.
Humidity in your home should be between 30 – 50 percent. In the humid summer months, many homes’ air conditioners are unable to keep up with controlling humidity. Use a supplemental dehumidifier to aid in humidity control.
In the south, achievable indoor humidity may be closer to 45 – 60 percent. Talk to your HVAC contractor, like Estes Services, about what’s appropriate for you.
When purchasing a dehumidifier, you have two options. The best solution is a dehumidifier incorporated into your HVAC system, or purchase a stand-alone unit. An HVAC expert will recommend the right solution for you.
Whole-home dehumidifiers provide the dehumidification you need across the entire home.
Estes Services Provides Indoor Air Quality and HVAC Solutions for Atlanta
In conclusion, be sure that the air you breathe inside your home is as healthy as possible! Be mindful of the health of your heating and air system. Get regular preventive maintenance with a trusted HVAC contractor like Estes Services.
Take care to review the ventilation and air filtration in your home. If you have someone in the household with respiratory or cardiac issues, especially, get a free estimate of a dehumidifier, media air cleaner or a UV air purifier.
Estes Services makes the process a breeze. Call us today for a free assessment and consultation. Breathe easier in no time – we help homeowners reduce air pollution in Atlanta Georgia homes.
You’ll find us solving air quality issues in communities in Atlanta, including Dunwoody, Decatur, Druid Hills, Johns Creek, Virginia Highland, Midtown, Peachtree City, Fayetteville, Marietta, Buckhead, Sandy Springs and Kennesaw.
