As a homeowner, you should understand how incredibly important it is to make your home a safe, clean environment. Unfortunately, there are plenty of things that can go wrong. Your home’s air quality can easily be diminished by an array of outside factors. Poor air quality can make your home uncomfortable and unsafe. It can also lead to various health problems, including asthma and allergies. While your HVAC system is vital to your comfort and sanity, it can also decrease your home’s air quality if you’re not careful. Within this guide, you will learn more about the vitalness of your home’s air quality and how your HVAC unit can play a role in the equation.
The Risks Of Poor Air Quality
First and foremost, you should familiarize yourself with the risks of poor air quality in the home. While many people realize that poor air quality is bad, they do not fully understand the risks involved. For your consideration, some of the most notable risks will be explored in greater depth below.
Possible Allergic Reactions
Some people can actually experience allergic reactions, due to exposure. Indoor pollutants can lead to a wealth of problems, including headaches and dizziness. Depending on the severity of the problem, you may also begin to experience a sore throat, nosebleeds and itchy eyes. How can you know for certain that your allergy problems are directly linked to poor air quality? Leave the area and see whether or not the symptoms improve. If they do, there is a good chance that your home’s air quality needs to be rectified immediately!
Mold Growth
While allergy problems are bad, poor air quality can lead to even more dangerous problems. One thing to remember is that mold thrives in areas with excess moisture and poor air quality. If your home possesses both, there is a good chance that your home will develop mold at some point in the future. Mold can increase the intensity and frequency of allergy problems! At the same time, some specific types of mold have been known to cause cancer. If your HVAC unit is unable to remove the excess moisture, you’re going to have a big problem on your hands.
Increased Energy Bills
Poor air quality will cause your home to become littered with particles. While you might not be able to see these particles with your naked eye, they will have a major impact on your HVAC system. They’ll eventually settle on the system and this can greatly reduce your HVAC unit’s efficiency. In return, your HVAC system will be required to work a little harder to keep your home at the preferred temperature. Even worse is the fact that this will result in your energy bill soaring higher and higher. The importance of indoor air quality is truly paramount.
Indoor air quality is important for your healthy, your home and your wallet.
Clean The Vents And Ducts
When your HVAC unit is switched on, it will begin blowing dust and dirt everywhere. This can create a major problem, if your ducts and vents have not been cleaned in a long time. This is why it is absolutely vital to keep your vents and ducts cleaned as good as possible. You can generally clean the vents on your own. You may also be able to clean a portion of the ducts. However, you’ll probably need to enlist the assistance of a professional to clean the ducts thoroughly from start to finish.
Nevertheless, it is vital to keep your ducts clean to prevent your home’s air quality from dropping.
The Types Of Filtration Available To You
Poor indoor air quality not only affects your health, but it can affect the efficiency of your unit as well. A duct system that is clogged with dust and dirt will have to work much harder to satisfy the thermostat in the home. In return, this puts more and more strain on your system over time. With that being said, any homeowner’s number one defense to fighting pollutants and maintaining good indoor air quality is knowing how to properly filter their system.
Just because you are changing your system’s filter on a monthly basis doesn’t mean that you are promoting good air quality. In fact, you could be using a cheap quality filter that is just allowing pollutants to escape right into the home. This is why it is imperative that you completely understand everything you possibly can about the different types of filtration options available to you.
- Passive Filters – Passive filters are, without a doubt, one of the most common types of filters available on the market today. In fact, this is probably what you have in your system right now. These filters are constructed of fibrous materials and come in a variety of different efficiencies. Some are very efficient, while others are not. Generally, the cheaper you go, the less efficient the filter is going to be.
- Electronic Filters – Electronic filters have been on the market for some time now and they are growing more popular due to their unique properties. These filters utilize an electronic charge to actually attract dirt and dust to a collector plate. The collector plate can be removed, cleaned, and reinserted. While these filters collect more dirt and dust, they can cause major clogs and problems within the system if they are not properly maintained.
Either option is good, but it is best to opt for the highest efficiency you can. This will allow you to keep your home’s air clean and safe for you and your family members!
