HVAC Maintenance: Is the Air in your Home Clean?

It’s something everyone takes for granted, at least at home, but if the air in your home isn’t clean, it can lead to medical problems, some of them severe. There are several factors that affect the air quality in your home and a qualified HVAC contractor can help you determine just how clean the air is in your home as well as how to make it as clean as it needs to be.

Dust is a constant battle in nearly every home and if you have pets in your house, hair and pet dander could be causing allergy-like symptoms. Remember, if you have dust in your home you will likely have dust in your heating ducts and if those same ducts are used for whole-house air conditioning, you have dust in them during the summer as well. Every time your blower kicks on, that dust and any other pollutants in the ducts are going to be spread around your home.

If you live in a humid climate, it is also possible for mold to grow, not only in your bathroom or other rooms subject to high humidity, but also in your duct work. For your health, it will pay to have an HVAC contractor inspect the ducts to insure they are clean and contain nothing that will cause you problems from being blown around the home.

You first line of defense against dirty air in your home are the filters in your furnace or air conditioning units. Not only will they slow the movement of air, but if they have holes or tears in them, will allow dust or other pollutants to flow through your house. You should change all furnace filters at least once a year, more often if you live in a dusty environment.

There are many pollutants that you are subjected to on a daily basis, but most of them are accompanied by an odor making them easy to detect. However, gases such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide are colorless and odorless and can cause significant health problems. Carbon monoxide can be fatal as it interferes with the oxygen level in the body and nitrogen dioxide can irritate the eyes, nose and throat and causes a host of respiratory ailments.

If you have a furnace that heats through combustion; gas, oil, propane, coal or other combustible material, a CO detector is a must. This simple device can ultimately save your life in the event of a leak in your chimney or in the furnace that allows the gas to escape into the air.

While the common thought is to seal your home in order to prevent heat loss or cooling loss, your home needs a certain amount of fresh air to maintain your health. The trick is to ensure the air coming into your home or being circulated is clean and free of dust and other pollutants. An HVAC contractor can conduct specific tests to ensure your home is free of dangerous pollutants, including mold, and the devise the right steps to eliminate the health threats.