Improve Your Indoor Air Quality
Our Chandler HVAC team recommends scheduling regular air quality testing. It’s particularly important for homes with fuel-burning appliances, including stoves, water heaters, and furnaces. Even beyond the threat of carbon monoxide, there are many potential indoor and outdoor pollution and contaminant sources. Through testing, you can identify issues with allergens, excess moisture, volatile organic compounds, and more.
Don’t overlook your HVAC equipment when it comes to maintaining the best indoor air quality possible. You should schedule seasonal maintenance in the spring and the fall. There are many reasons to do so, but cleaning your equipment is top among them. You should also use premium HVAC filters for your system. Check them at least once a month, and swap them out as needed.
While your HVAC system provides some air filtration, it isn’t an air purifier. For that, you’ll want to consider an in-duct air purifier that can deliver four or more air changes an hour. Air purifiers often have a prefilter to trap the largest particles and a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter. HEPA filters trap at least 99.97% of all particles that pass through the system. Home air purifiers often have activated charcoal, which is effective for odor control while also absorbing gases and chemicals. For the control of viruses and bacteria, you can add an in-duct UV lamp that neutralizes over 99% of them.
Relative humidity (RH) is an important factor for air quality as well. The EPA recommends an RH between 30% and 50% to 60%. Many households find their sweet spots between 40% and 50%, and that can be difficult to achieve without help. Dehumidifiers remove moisture to keep RH lower in summer. Humidifiers add it to increase moisture levels in the winter. Here in Arizona, humidifiers are a great way to help with lots of air quality issues.