Air Quality in Your Home – Why Air Quality Drops
Air is something we can’t see, so we rarely think about it until we start to feel poorly inside the house or spot a mass of dust swirling in a sunbeam. If your home feels stuffy, dusty, or causes frequent allergy symptoms, then it’s vital that you address your home air quality immediately – before the family’s health takes a turn for the worse.
So why do homes need air quality systems? Why can’t air just stay fresh? After all, it circulates through the HVAC.
The answer is that HVAC does keep air moving but there are two essential systems that keep air quality high (and your air clear of indoor pollutants). The first is filtration systems – primarily your HVAC intake air filter. The filter pulls all the dust and allergens out of the air when it’s cycled through the HVAC. The second is an air exchanger – which swaps stuffy air for fresh air without compromising your energy efficiency or indoor climate.
With these two systems, your home’s air quality should be crystal clear.
Air Filtration Systems
The first system to think about is air filtration. You can usually find the air filter located near the indoor air intake vent or right before the HVAC unit intake. This filters all the air cycled through the house – pulling dust and allergens from the air before it is conditioned and sent back out to the rooms.
In addition to disposable filters, you may also want air purification to scrub microorganisms from your home’s air and enhance the functions of your hVAC filter. In this case, an additional unit can be installed freestanding or in-line to purify and cycle air for better home air quality.
Filters get clogged and should be changed every 3-9 months. A clogged filter results in 2 things:
- Less air can pass through the filter
- Fans must work harder to pull air through
- Uses more electricity
- Wears out machine parts
- Cannot catch new air pollutants
- Dust enters the AC unit, builds a dust-blanket, and freezes the coils
- Home cycles dust and allergens over and over
- Rapid buildup of dust in the house
Finding Local Air Filtration Systems
Disposable air filters also cannot catch all air contaminants. Their membranes and filtration processes are limited. Microorganisms smaller than the filter fibers can slip through. This is why many homeowners install an air filtration system. With home air purification, you will filter and scrub the air that cycles through your family home.
Air Exchange Systems
Why does air get stuffy inside a closed house? Air quality noticeably drops in a home if the doors and windows are not open on a regular basis. Modern windows and doors close tightly for better temperature insulation and, of course, to contain conditioned air.
Spend too long closed in your well-sealed home and the air becomes thick with recycled dust and carbon dioxide. But in the winter, it can be freezing to ‘air out’ the house, and scorching summers are similarly motivating. What you need is a source of fresh air that doesn’t impact the temperature inside your house. This is done with a heat exchanger.
The solution is an air exchanger. This device takes stuffy air out of the HVAC vent system and swaps it for fresh air from outdoors. Then the intake air travels through the filters and then to the heat or cooling unit where it acquires the same temp as the conditioned air in the house. In this way, your home gets fresh air without chilling or sun-baked breezes through doors and windows. With an added bonus of filtration before the first time that fresh air comes through your vents.
If your home gets stuffy in the winter or summer when the windows are closed tight, we can help you find and install the right air exchanger system for your home.
Boldt’s Plumbing & Heating is here to keep your home safe and comfortable this year. You can count on us for your home air quality needs from HVAC to filtration and exchangers. Contact us today to schedule a consultation or book a repair.