How to Improve Air Quality With Your HVAC System

Air pollution and smog are some issues that are faced by everyone and everyone is concerned about it. However, given the fact that we spend up to 90% of our lives indoors, a little attention is given to the indoor air quality. Many people live in the bubble that external air quality is the only pollutant harming us such as car exhaust and factory emissions and often forget about the indoors.  While these pollutants cause severe diseases, it is still an important concern for people to breathe pollutant free air at their homes or workplaces. This is especially true for those who live in places where the climatic condition prohibits them from moving out frequently.  Since indoor air quality is very important for us, it is beneficial for us to consider ways to improve the air we breathe – and one way through which we can improve it is with your heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system. 

Here are some ways in which our HVAC system saves us from the harmful, toxic air:

1. PROVIDES AMPLE VENTILATION: An important approach to decrease air pollution indoors is to increase the amount of outdoor air coming inside. The fan in your HVAC unit can provide you with the appropriate air flow for your house. Newly constructed homes or buildings have tight seals around them- to enhance their energy efficiency, but the negative point is that these seals can also make the air rancid and stale, thus increasing pollutants and moisture. On the other hand, a well-functioning ventilation system can pass the air throughout your home to prevent mold and other allergens from growing.
2. REMOVES FOUL SMELL AND POLLUTANTS: The unit brings in air from outside and sends it through a filtration system. This filtration system gets us rid of odors and different kinds of allergens. Having a functioning filter helps us in keeping outside pollutants out of your living space to reduce allergies and asthma symptoms.
3. KEEPS AWAY PESTS:  Pets have hair, dander, and saliva (as well as feces and urine). Added to that, pests such as mice, dust mites and cockroaches can further cause indoor air problems. Therefore, it is important to have a well-functioning HVAC system with a proper central air set- up. A functioning central air system includes ductwork and filters that can help keep out insects and pests. However, if you have leaky ductwork or openings around your wall or window unit, rodents and insects could sneak into your home and produce waste which will eventually harm you and your loved ones.
4. CONTROLS INDOOR HUMIDITY:  Other than heating and cooling your living space, an HVAC system also removes the moisture in the air. An environment that is too moist can make you sweaty and uncomfortable, but it could also lead to a build-up of mold, mildew and bacteria. In winter, an environment that is too dry can make you more susceptible to illness.  Dry air has the ability to severe up any illness – from respiratory diseases to skin illnesses to nose bleeding. If you can control your home’s humidity with your HVAC system, you have a better chance of staying healthy all year long.

WHAT IS THE SOLUTION? / HOW TO IMPROVE THE SITUATION?

Here are few solutions on how to improve your home’s indoor air quality:

• CLEAN AND REPAIR YOUR DUCTWORK: Having your ducts inspected and cleaned regularly can help you to get rid of mold and dust that may affect your home’s indoor air quality. An HVAC specialist can tighten up the seals of your ductwork and thoroughly wash this complex system.
• CLEANING YOUR AC COILS: The evaporator coil in your indoor air handling unit absorbs humidity and heat from your living spaces, and the outdoor condenser coil brings the heat outside. The air conditioner’s coils provide reliable operation for your HVAC system, so you need to inspect them for dirt and clean them about once a year.

• INSTALLING A CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTOR: Various household appliances can produce carbon monoxide- a poisonous gas. Inhaling high levels of this gas can result in dizziness, nausea and unconsciousness. A carbon monoxide detector can alert you when you have too much toxic air in your house.
• CHECKING THE VENTILATION SYSTEM: Stale air can work as a house to many viruses and bacteria, so it is essential to have a functioning ventilation system. The fan in your HVAC unit can help you in eliminating odor and contaminants from various rooms in your living space. Even though these components cannot get rid of viruses and bacteria, they can reduce the allergy and asthma symptoms that could harm your immune system.

Talking about the harmful indoor air quality is different from actually understanding the effects of it and how they are dangerous for us. Health problems are one of the most important side effects of polluted indoor air, especially respiratory problems. Excessive pollutants in the air will make your HVAC system work harder and get dirtier. As a result, it will affect the air flow and spread dust, mold and other harmful allergens, which you and your loved ones will end up breathing. Therefore, it is important to ensure that we regularly have checkups for our HVAC system before it turns into a villain of our lives instead of a savior.