Categories
AC Heating HVAC HVAC Upgrades Tips and Advice

All About Air Purification Systems

Clean air and a great HVAC system are extremely important, and both should work hand in hand! Your HVAC already has an air filter, but how clean does it really make your air? Is a normal HVAC air filter effective in removing everything from the air that enters your home? If so, why should you have a separate air purification system for your HVAC?

Until recently, indoor air quality wasn’t a big concern for most people. Yet this benign neglect could put our health at risk. According to the federal Environmental Protection Agency, the air inside can be at minimum 2 to 5 times more polluted than outside.

It’s not only smog that threatens the safety of indoor air, it’s also mold, bacteria, and viruses. Now, with the pandemic raging around the world, it’s even more important for business owners and homeowners to do everything they can to ensure healthy indoor air within their spaces.

That’s a good reason to consider new technology that can improve indoor air quality, including an HVAC air purifier and air filtration system.

Why not just use a filter?

The pre-installed HVAC Air filter has one major disadvantage: It was designed to prevent collection of dust on the HVAC’s internal moving components and filter all incoming air to a certain degree. Beyond this, this mesh air filter cannot improve the quality or hygiene of air within your house.

While removal of dust from the home environment is ideal to prevent dust allergies and diseases such as hay fever that arise from these allergies, it is vital that your HVAC air purification system also have a filter to clean other microscopic contaminants which may lead to other diseases.

Why use an HVAC purification system? 

Here’s a list of what will be missing from your home when you install a good HVAC air purification system:

Dust mites – While a normal air filter can take care of dust mites, air purification systems do the job more thoroughly!

Bacteria and Viruses – air purification systems are designed to trap all microscopic organisms such as bacteria and viruses thus leading to cleaner, pure air.

Smoke – If you’re a smoker or you have a family member who smokes in your home, it can be detrimental to your health to inhale this smoke. An HVAC air purification system neutralizes all types of smoke – from cigarette smoke to fireplace smoke!

Odors – An air purification system helps to get rid of all odors from trash cans, stoves or even rotting fruit on your kitchen counter!

Pet Dander – Having a pet that sheds hair lowers IAQ, which is why you need an air purification system to remove pet dander from your living space.

Call Ellis AC and purify your air

An HVAC professional like those at Ellis AC can help you determine when your filters need replacing, based on your equipment and your air quality challenges. Ellis AC experts can also help you select an HVAC air purifier that is right for your home or business.

Categories
AC Heating HVAC HVAC Upgrades Tips and Advice

HVAC Maintenance to Improve Asthma Symptoms

Indoor air quality is an important part of keeping your family healthy. Poor air quality can worsen allergies, weaken your immune system, and make respiratory illnesses like asthma worse. Treatment plans and regular doctor visits are key for keeping asthma at bay, but HVAC improvements can help reduce symptoms of the disorder. If anyone in your family has asthma or similar health issues, here are a few things you can do to adjust your indoor air quality and improve symptoms.

Change and Upgrade Your Filter

Air filters are a part of your HVAC system designed to filter pollutants like pollen, dust, dander and pet fur out of the air before it gets released into your home. You should check on your filter at least once a month with a visual inspection. Hold the filter up to the light. If you can’t see through the filter, it’s time to replace it. Air filter quality is measured with MERV ratings. Anything with a MERV rating of 9-16 can filter out much smaller pollutants than lower rated filters, and might be better for the people with asthma in your home.

Adjust Humidity Levels

High humidity is a common asthma trigger. You can reduce your humidity by opening windows, moving indoor plants outside, turning on the fan when you shower, or investing in a smart thermometer. Smart thermometers usually display the humidity and the temperature, and some will allow you to adjust your indoor humidity. The summer months are typically when your indoor humidity will spike, and indoor humidity is usually the lowest during fall and winter.

Increase Your Home’s Airflow

Stagnant air is another common asthma trigger, which is why ventilation is great for improving asthma symptoms. Try opening windows or keeping fans running throughout the home. The exhaust fan in your kitchen is another way to keep air flowing in your kitchen. Airflow is especially important if you’ve made any recent renovations to the home, since strong fumes and dust can worsen asthma symptoms. 

Avoid Strong Air Fresheners

Air fresheners are a great way to keep your home smelling nice and fresh, but they can cause problems for people with asthma. Not only can strong scents make symptoms worse, but the smell of air fresheners masks other important smells. For example, you could miss a problem with your HVAC system because you didn’t notice it was emitting a smell right away. It’s best to catch and repair HVAC issues right away, or else they could cause bigger problems and worsen asthma symptoms. Try to avoid air fresheners, or only get ones that don’t have a very strong smell.

HVAC Maintenance and Repairs with Ellis AC

If you’re trying to improve your indoor air quality, Ellis AC can help. We offer top-notch HVAC maintenance, repairs, and replacements with high client satisfaction, all at a reasonable price. Our experienced HVAC technicians are dedicated to helping you improve your health by improving your air quality. Call or visit our website for a free quote today!