May is Clean Air Month – Let’s Talk IAQ
The month of May is the EPA’s Clean Air Month, which focuses on promoting clean air for your health and how we can decrease indoor and outdoor air pollution. Starting close to home with your indoor air quality (IAQ) can dramatically improve the health of you and your loved ones. Consider taking a closer look at your air conditioning system and decide which changes will benefit you most this year.
What Affects Your Indoor Air?
There is more pollution in your home than there is outside, because in an effort to make our homes sealed more tightly from energy loss, we’ve decreased the natural ventilation. Toxic fumes from cleaning products, off-gassing from furniture and finishes and spores from mold, mildew and other fungi are more saturated indoors, leading to higher levels of the contaminants in our indoor air. Without filtration or purification, the same air gets recirculated with all the pet hair, pollen, dirt and debris we track into our homes.
Humidity and the temperature outside change the moisture levels in your home, which puts you at further risk of mold and mildew developing in your home and in your HVAC system and ductwork.
Change Your Air Filter Often
The air filter in your heating and cooling unit traps contaminants and pollutants from your indoor air before it cycles through the ductwork. The HVAC air delivered to your home can become compromised when the air filter is dirty or clogged. Check your filter once a month and replace or clean it when necessary to ensure your HVAC air is clean every day. This is the simplest task and easily managed by either yourself or an HVAC technician during routine maintenance.
Schedule Maintenance on Your HVAC Unit
Estes Services offers different preventative maintenance plans to suit any budget, ensuring your home’s HVAC air is kept clean at all times. Maintenance also cleans your heating and cooling components, preventing dust, dirt and other allergens from accumulating and obstructing the system. Anything built up on your components will cycle throughout your HVAC system and your ductwork, reducing your indoor air quality and health.
Control Humidity in Your Home
Your home needs to have an ideal humidity level between 30% and 50%. There are different ways to reduce moisture in your home, including increasing ventilation and installing a whole-home dehumidifier. A dehumidifier works to pull moisture from your indoor air as it cycles through your air conditioner. Proper ventilation allows moisture to evaporate in areas common for dampness, such as the basement, crawlspace or attic.
During the winter, a furnace can leave your indoor air extremely dry, leaving your family susceptible to more illnesses in your home. A whole-home humidifier will add the right amount of moisture to your HVAC air, delivering the right amount of humidity to every room in your home. Fewer viruses and bacteria germs survive establishing a healthier indoor environment for you and your loved ones.
IAQ Product Installation
Indoor air quality technology has improved. If you cope with respiratory ailments such as allergies, asthma or COPD, you might consider IAQ products for your HVAC system. Media air cleaners and ultraviolet air purifiers are amazing at cleaning your indoor air. Ultraviolet air purifiers, for example, capture and kill airborne particles, reducing dust mites, viruses, bacteria and mold spores before they can trigger a single cough. Have questions? Ask your Estes Services pro for information and a free estimate on a new system.
Promote healthiness in your home by providing clean HVAC air to you and your loved ones. The choice to make a difference during Clean Air Month starts at home. Call Estes Services for preventative maintenance or to schedule installation of a dehumidifier, humidifier or other IAQ product for your HVAC unit. Your health is important to us – if expenses are a concern we offer financing plans so you can take action now to start living a healthier tomorrow!
