As the weather gets colder, many homeowners spend more time indoors. This can make you wonder about the air quality inside your home and how you should improve it. Below, we will discuss air quality and how to improve it inside your home.
What Is Poor Indoor Air Quality?
The air quality inside your home can tremendously impact your health and the overall state of the items in your home. Indoor air is said to have poor quality when it has concentrations of one or more airborne contaminants considered less-than-ideal. There are many types of airborne contaminants, with mold, pet dander, smoke, cooking oil, VOCs, and dust being the most common inside residential settings.
Poor indoor air quality can have a detrimental effect on health. You may experience symptoms of fatigue, dizziness, congestion, eye irritation, dry throat, and headaches. Furthermore, poor air quality can aggravate symptoms associated with chronic conditions like asthma, allergies, and respiratory conditions.
Start With an Air Quality Assessment
One of the best places to start when you desire to enhance your indoor air quality level is with a professional assessment. Getting an air quality test will reveal the specific concentrations of contaminants in your air throughout the various areas of your home. This can give you valuable insight into your air’s biggest problems so you can strategically address them. Furthermore, this test provides a designated starting point where you can compare future air quality tests to see what improvements you’ve achieved.
Investing in a Whole-Home Air Purifier
Most people are familiar with portable air purifiers that plug right into their wall outlets. These systems have a series of filters that remove various contaminants from your home’s air. A whole-home air purification system works similarly, except it filters air for your entire home.
Whole-home air purifiers are installed right inside your return ducting. They help filter out unwanted airborne particles before they enter your HVAC system. There are a few different types of air purifiers that you can invest in for your home.
Electronic Filters
Electronic filters are a high-tech option that emits a high-voltage electrical current through the air that passes through the filtering system. This electrical charge essentially charges the airborne particles. As they continue to flow, they’ll go through a series of collector plates, which will naturally attract the now-charged airborne contaminants.
Electronic filters can capture even the smallest of airborne particles. However, they do require a lot of energy to run. As far as maintenance goes, you’ll need to clean the collector plates deep every few months to remove the airborne pollutants.
Extended Media Filters
Extended media filters combine flat and pleated air filters with a wide range of filtering fibers. They come in a large stack around eight inches in depth and fit right into your return ducting. As air is forced through the filter, small and large airborne particles get trapped inside the filter’s media. To stay effective, an extended media filter must be replaced every six months.
UV Sanitizing Lights
UV sanitizing lights are specifically designed to disrupt the DNA of unwanted airborne particles. Two main types of UV sanitizing lights are coil and air. Air sanitizing lights get placed inside your ducting and treat all the air that passes through it. This is the most effective type for increasing indoor air quality during winter. UV sanitizing lights have the added benefit of treating bacteria and viruses that can be present in your indoor air.
Upgrading Your HVAC Air Filter
Your HVAC system will come with a built-in filter. This filter traps harmful airborne pollutants before entering your HVAC system’s internal components, naturally enhancing the quality of air inside your home. All HVAC filters have a rating notated as a number of 1 to 20 MERV. The higher the number, the better filtration it offers.
Typically, residential HVAC systems can handle a filter as high as 13. Anything higher could result in system inefficiency and take a toll on your system’s internal components. Filters rated 6 to 10 are reasonably effective at removing most airborne contaminants. However, if you would like to do as much as possible to boost your indoor air quality level, you may want to consider investing in an HVAC filter with a MERV rating between 11 and 13.
A newly installed AC and furnace can improve indoor air quality through more efficient airflow. Modern HVAC systems are designed to remove dust, pollen, and other allergens, circulating cleaner air throughout the home. Many new units also offer improved humidity control, which helps prevent mold growth and reduces airborne irritants. Additionally, new systems are less likely to have internal dust or mold buildup, which older units can develop, further guaranteeing a fresher, healthier indoor environment year-round.
Other Useful Tips for Enhancing Air Quality
Apart from investing in a better HVAC filter and an air purification system for your home, there are some other things you can do to help improve the quality of air in your home. One of the most important is to ensure that you seal up any new air leaks that develop on your exterior walls. Air leaks are most common around door and window frames but can also occur around light switches and outlets.
You can locate these air leaks by running your hand around these areas to see if you notice a temperature difference. If so, use caulking or weather stripping to seal any leaks around door and window frames. When it comes to outlets and light switches, you can get foam pads that sit just behind their cover plates. You can prevent outside air from entering your home by sealing off these air leaks. This way, your air purification system can effectively treat all your indoor air without constantly combating new air seeping in.
Another thing to keep in mind when it comes to your air quality is the use of your indoor exhaust fans. It’s best to run the exhaust fan to remove the moisture and soapy contaminants whenever you’re taking a hot shower. Additionally, it’s best to have the range hood fan running whenever you cook on your stove. This will divert steam contaminated with oils and other substances to the outdoors instead of leaving it to build up inside your home. The more you restrict how many contaminants you create inside your home, the better your indoor air quality will be.
It’s highly advisable to avoid smoking in your home or burning any sort of candles, as both can emit toxic fumes into the air. When purchasing cleaning agents for your home, opt for green or organic options that don’t contain harmful VOCs. Furthermore, consider using a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter, as it can trap more of the smaller airborne particles.
Reliable IAQ Service
Greiner Heating and Air offers the Dixon, CA community, reliable indoor air quality services. We can also help with all your heating, cooling, electrical, water heater, ventilation, ductwork, thermostat, and energy upgrade needs. Simply call our friendly staff today to book your next service consultation.
