Pro Tips for Improving Indoor Air Quality
Preparing for the holidays involves a lot of spinning plates – making plans and travel arrangements, buying gifts, getting the house ready for guests… it can all seem overwhelming. But by taking it one task at a time, everything gets done without too much stress. Unfortunately, one crucial task often gets overlooked in the chaos – ensuring the home has excellent indoor air quality.
Nothing can put a damper on the holiday festivities like sneezing, coughing, runny noses, and clogged sinuses – but if the home has poor indoor air quality, that's just what homeowners can expect. Indoor air quality measures the airborne pollutants in the home, such as dust, dander, bacteria, chemicals, and other substances. Maintaining high indoor air quality is all about removing as many contaminants as possible – so this article will share a few of the best ways to do just that!
Change the Air Filters On Time
The HVAC system's air filters are critical to the home's indoor air quality. As the system pulls air through the return vent to be cooled or heated and redistributed throughout the home, the air filter captures all contaminants floating around. Eventually, these contaminants (especially larger particulates like hair, dirt, and dust) will saturate the filter media, so the system will have trouble pulling air through the filter.
When a dirty heater or AC filter hinders airflow, airborne pollutants will build up in the house, contributing to poor indoor air quality. The lack of airflow will also cause the system to struggle, reducing energy efficiency, hurting performance, and potentially damaging the unit. Homeowners can easily improve their indoor air quality by sticking to a regular air filter replacement schedule (every 1-3 months for most homes).
Get an Evaporator Coil Cleaning
Even if homeowners are diligent about air filter replacement, some dust and debris will enter the HVAC system and ductwork. Some of this debris usually ends up on the unit's evaporator coils – the part of an air conditioner responsible for capturing heat energy and moisture from the indoor air. In a heat pump system, the evaporator coils perform the opposite function when the system is in heating mode: releasing heat energy captured from the outdoor air.
During the cooling stage, condensation forms on the cold evaporator coils. Dust and debris can easily get stuck in the condensation or the array of thin metal fins surrounding the coils. Some dust will inevitably break free and get pumped back into the home, contributing to poor air quality.
But another consequence of dirty evaporator coils is that they hinder the heat transfer process – all that dust and dirt acts as a barrier between the air and the coil's surface. This can hurt the performance and efficiency of the system or even result in a breakdown, so cleaning the coils is essential for indoor air quality and overall HVAC performance. However, the coils and fins are very delicate, so a professional should always clean the evaporator coil as part of routine HVAC maintenance.
Schedule an Indoor Air Quality Assessment
The above tips will help minimize the larger particulates allowed to hang out in the home's air. Still, other types of pollutants are harder to detect and control, such as radon, carbon monoxide, combustible gasses, and VOCs (volatile organic compounds found in many common household products). This is why getting an indoor air quality assessment from a qualified professional is a good idea.
Indoor air quality testing involves the use of special instruments to check for the presence of airborne pollutants like those listed above. By testing for these harmful pollutants, professionals can provide a clear picture of the home's indoor air quality. They can then track down the sources of these pollutants and eliminate them – or at the very least, suggest ways to combat them, such as improving ventilation or installing air sanitizers or air purifiers.
By enlisting the help of a professional for this and other indoor air quality services, homeowners can maintain a safer, healthier home for themselves and their guests this holiday season!
About Barker Heating & Cooling
Barker Heating & Cooling has proudly served Livermore and the Tri-Valley area since 1998. As an award-winning local business with an A+ BBB rating, they always offer flat-rate, up-front pricing, unbeatable warranties, a money-saving maintenance plan, and a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Their licensed, insured, background-checked, and drug-tested technicians are available for same-day service and emergency service, so don't hesitate to call Barker for indoor air quality services in Livermore, CA, and the Tri-Valley area!
