By mid-summer, we’ve gotten used to chilly AC and tightly closed doors and windows. Air conditioning, properly maintained, can improve indoor living when it’s blazing outside, and moderates indoor temperatures to a more consistent and safer level. It’s also a must for those with seasonal allergies. But there are important considerations for keeping the air treated by AC truly healthy.
Filters
Choosing the right HVAC filter for your indoor and outdoor environment, and changing it at the right interval is key to a healthy indoor atmosphere, especially when hot temperatures force you to keep your doors and windows sealed. Filters come in so many different shapes and sizes, but also levels of filtration. It’s important to choose one that reduces contaminants effectively but that doesn’t suffocate your system and cause it to overwork. For tips on choosing a filter, check out this previous post.
Duct Cleaning and Maintenance
If your HVAC air ducts have extensive dust, dirt, or even mold buildup, it will negatively affect your indoor air quality. While many airborne contaminants can reenter the AC’s system and get filtered out, heavier particles may stick to the ductwork and only periodically get forced out with the moving air. Those contaminants just “hang around” and end up in the air you live in. Take a look into your ductwork and call a professional for a cleaning if they’re quite dirty. Here are more tips on keeping ductwork clean.
Humidification
A healthy balance of humidity is important for respiratory, skin, and overall health, but also for avoiding the dangers of over-humidification, which can lead to mold and mildew growth. For your comfort, air conditioning removes excess humidity from the outside air so that it’s not passed into the living space. But closing up your home or office tightly in the hot summer months can actually result in overly dry indoor air, skin cracking, and breathing challenges. Adding a humidification unit to your HVAC can balance out these climate control issues and maintain comfortable and beneficial humidity levels year-round.
Air Purification
Maintaining proper humidity levels is important to reduce the risk of mold and mildew growth, but the only sure way to keep it out of your indoor air is to add air purification features to your HVAC. UV germicidal lamps can be installed to kill contaminants at the source, which means safer air to breathe and, well, just live in. These units purify the air and the surfaces within the AC unit where air passes as it is cooled and treated, sterilizing the system from mold spores, bacteria, and fungi.
Maintenance
Regular maintenance also ensures that your HVAC is up to the task no matter what the season holds. More than just emergency repairs, an ongoing professional maintenance plan helps you avoid surprises and unexpected bills.
Give us a call for a free estimate to review your HVAC system, or take advantage of our reasonable 24-point inspection. After all, as we always say around here, “Your comfort is our concern!”
