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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!

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AC Heating HVAC HVAC Upgrades Tips and Advice

How to Choose the Best Air Filter

Air filters play a very important role in your HVAC system, but they can be easily forgotten or overlooked. Different homes also need different levels of filtration, which can make shopping for a new filter feel overwhelming. Going too long without replacing your filter, or using the wrong quality filter for your home and air filtration needs, can cause health and sanitation issues for your family.  Here’s everything you need to know about choosing the best air filter for your home.

The Purpose of Air Filters

Air filters can be made of fiberglass, cloth or pleated paper, which is usually surrounded with wire and secured in a cardboard frame. Filters are responsible for cleaning contaminants out of the air that circulates through your HVAC system. When air is taken in, it’s blown through the filter and back out through the vents, cleaning the pollutants from it. Contaminants like dust, pollen, mold spores, lint, dander, pet fur, and bacteria can all be filtered out of your indoor air with the right air filter. This helps to improve your air quality, which can be beneficial for people with asthma, allergies, and weakened immune systems.

What is a MERV Rating?

The strength and efficiency of air filters are measured with a minimum efficiency reporting value, or MERV rating. Most filters score between 1-16 on the MERV scale. The number is used to indicate how well the filter will remove pollutants from the air. MERV 1-4 are basic filters, and they cost the least. MERV 6-8 filters can remove more particles from the air and are the most common filters for residential use. MERV 9-12 filters are at the higher end, and they can filter anything that’s one micron or larger. Finally, MERV 13-16 are the highest quality standard filter and can filter out any particle that’s 0.3 microns or larger. 

Maintaining and Replacing Your Air Filter

It’s extremely important to change your filter regularly, or else your air quality can quickly decline. All the air in your home comes into contact with the filter eventually, and a dirty or clogged filter can cause airflow issues and leech pollutants into your home’s air. Your HVAC system also has to work harder when the filter is clogged, which can spike your electric bill. Check your filter every month or so with a visual inspection. If you hold the filter up to the light and can’t see through it, it’s time for a replacement.

HVAC Maintenance and Repairs with Ellis AC

Ellis AC offers quality HVAC repairs, maintenance and replacements at reasonable prices. We value great services and client satisfaction above all else, and we’re always doing everything we can to keep our clients informed and educated. Our experienced HVAC technicians work hard to help your system last as long as possible, and they’ll take the time to tell you everything you need to know about maintaining it. Call or visit our website for a free quote on our stellar HVAC services!

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AC Heating HVAC HVAC Upgrades Tips and Advice

How to Increase Your Home’s Humidity Level

When the seasons transition into fall and winter, the humidity in our air drops dramatically. The Mayo Clinic recommends a home humidity level between 30-50%. Anything above that can cause mold and bacteria to grow, and anything below can lead to dry skin/lips, nosebleeds, a sore throat and difficulty sleeping. Your indoor humidity can easily stay within the recommended range during spring and summer, but it quickly dissipates during the colder months. Here are a few ways you can improve your home’s humidity when your air dries up.

Invest in A Large Humidifier

This is the most effective trick on the list, but it’s also the most expensive. The best way to quickly boost your indoor humidity to invest in a humidifier large enough for the job. Most small, affordable humidifiers fail to make significant humidity changes in larger rooms or throughout your home, so spend the extra money to get one large and strong enough to suit your needs.

Houseplants

If you don’t have the money or space for a heavy-duty humidifier, buy some houseplants instead. They look nice in your home and they naturally release moisture into the air through a process called transpiration. Research different plants and their requirements beforehand and only choose plants that can thrive indoors, and that aren’t too difficult for you to look after.

Use an Indoor Drying Rack

Save money and improve your humidity at the same time by using an indoor drying rack. These can be found online or at home improvement stores for anywhere between $20-50. Just load your fresh-washed clothes onto the rack and position it anywhere in your home that needs to be humidified. When your clothes are done drying, these racks can be easily folded and stored away in your closet.

Make the Most of Showers and Baths

Try showering with the bathroom door open to let the steam out. If you have family members or roommates, you might want to let them know beforehand so they don’t unexpectedly walk in. When taking baths, let the water sit in the tub for a while before draining it. The excess steam will evaporate into the air instead of fogging up your mirror, and you’ll be able to get the most out of the water you use on a daily basis.

Let Bowls of Water Evaporate

The last tip on this list is probably the cheapest and easiest one. All you have to do is fill some bowls with water and place them near heat sources and sunny spots. Let the water evaporate and refill the bowls when they’re empty to maintain your home’s humidity.

Improve Indoor Air Quality With Ellis AC

If you’re struggling to improve or maintain your air quality, your HVAC system might be the problem. At Ellis AC, we offer a wide range of quality HVAC services at affordable prices. Our clients come first, and we always strive to give the most helpful service at the best rates. Call or visit our website for a free quote today!

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AC Heating HVAC HVAC Upgrades Tips and Advice

HVAC Maintenance for Pet Owners

Our furry friends can brighten our lives and bring us endless joy. Unfortunately, they also leave a lot of dander and fur all over our homes. This fur and dander can build up and cause problems for our HVAC systems, so it’s important to take steps to protect our HVAC systems from our animals. Here’s what you can do to maintain your HVAC as a pet owner.

Wash Your Pet Regularly

The best way to remove excess fur and dander from your pet is to wash them regularly. The bath will loosen shedding fur and wash it away, along with dander that may build up and cause allergies over time.

Manage Pet Fur and Dander

Clean your floors, surfaces, and furniture of pet hair and dander to prevent it from getting in your HVAC system. Vacuum all your carpets and carpets at least once a week, sweep and mop hard floors every few days, and wipe down any surfaces that may collect dander.

Improve Your HVAC Filter

HVAC filters come in different strengths depending on your needs. The strengths of HVAC filters are measured in MERVs, and pet owners should look for a higher MERV filter for their HVAC systems. High MERV filters will stand up to pet hair better, and they’ll filter more dander out of your air. They’ll also last longer between replacements than lower MERV filters.

Protect Exposed HVAC Parts

If your animals spend any amount of time in your backyard, they pose a risk to your outdoor HVAC unit. They might chew on exposed cords or wires, and dogs could urinate on the outdoor unit. This can do serious damage to your HVAC system. Cover any exposed wires in your yard to prevent chewing or breaking, and keep your outdoor unit covered with waterproof material to protect from dog urine. Try to supervise your pets when you let them in the backyard and discourage them from getting too close to the outdoor unit.

Maintain Air Ducts on A Schedule

If your air ducts sustain damage or tears, they could be exposed to pet hair and dander. Pollutants in your air ducts lowers the quality of air in your home, so be sure to check on and clean your air ducts regularly. If you notice or suspect tears, call an HVAC repair service and schedule repairs as soon as possible. Air ducts transport air throughout your home, and polluted air ducts can worsen allergies, asthma, and common sicknesses like the flu. As a pet owner, it’s important to ensure your air ducts don’t collect hair and dander from your animals.

Quality HVAC Maintenance With Ellis AC

Regular HVAC inspections and maintenance are especially important for pet owners. Ellis AC offers thorough inspections, cleanings, maintenance, and repairs at reasonable prices. We take the time to tell you what we’re doing every step of the way, and to educate you on how you can improve the lifespan of your HVAC system. As a family-owned business, we strive to provide quality service to all our customers. Call or visit our website for a free quote on our top-notch HVAC services!