Making an effort to improve health and wellness can often yield amazing benefits, from improved energy to clearer skin and even an increased life span. This is why so many people are so careful with what they put on and into their bodies, choosing to invest in organic foods and additive-free soaps and makeup products. However, many people often neglect one of the most important variables in long-term wellness: indoor air quality.
Each breath of air you take doesn’t just contain life-giving oxygen. It has the potential to contain dust, chemicals, mold, and other particles that can be hazardous to your health. That is, unless you’ve made an effort to enhance your indoor air quality. That’s why it’s important to have your HVAC system regularly maintained by a professional HVAC contractor such as All Weather Heating & Cooling.
Air Quality: The Basics
When we refer to air quality, we essentially mean the amount of pollutants in the air. Pollutants are usually very small, even microscopic particulates that accumulate over time if steps are not taken to reduce or remove them.
Inside a home or commercial building, there are many things that contribute to an overall decline in air quality. Debris like pet dander and particles of clothing and carpet can enter the air and form dust while byproducts from gas cooking and household chemicals can also become part of the indoor atmosphere. Naturally occurring substances such as mold and even insect droppings will also become pollutants and may create health hazards.
Pollution in the wider environment will also negatively impact the air inside of a building. For example, a wildfire can fill the atmosphere with carcinogenic soot, which is dangerous to the health and wellness of anyone who lives or works near the fire’s location.
If your building does not have measures for maintaining indoor air quality, the above-mentioned pollutant particles will accumulate over time and be circulated and recirculated throughout each room due to inadequate filtration and ventilation.
How It Affects Your Health
You probably won’t be surprised to discover that repeatedly breathing in dust, mold, smoke, chemicals, and other pollutants is harmful to the human body. This is particularly true for people suffering from allergies, asthma, or other respiratory conditions, although everyone is at risk.
As the pollutants enter your lungs, your body’s natural filtration system will capture them, up to a point. However, if poor indoor air quality is not addressed, the volume of particulate matter will eventually overwhelm your body’s natural defenses, leading to health problems.
At best, poor indoor air quality may reduce your quality of life as you begin coughing and sneezing when you enter the building. You may even begin to wheeze and struggle to breathe as deeply as before. Ultimately, poor indoor air quality could also lead to more severe problems, up to and including COPD, heart disease, and even cancer.
Importance of HVAC Maintenance
Whenever you activate the HVAC system, it circulates the air in your building in a continuous cycle. When the HVAC system is turned on, most avenues that dust, dirt, and other impurities would normally have to escape are sealed off, meaning that any pollutants are simply blown from one room to the next.
A well-designed heating and cooling system is built to address this, using a filtration system to catch particulate matter before it can spread. Over time, however, the continuous buildup of dust and dirt will cause the filters to become dirty and to function less effectively. Eventually, other elements of the HVAC system will also begin to degrade, allowing more irritants to be introduced into the air.
This issue can largely be avoided through regular HVAC maintenance. By replacing your furnace filter regularly and having a professional contractor perform routine inspections and necessary repairs, the system will continuously operate at a high level of efficiency and maintain optimal air quality within your home or workplace.
Keep to a Regular Schedule
As we’ve mentioned, regular inspections and repairs should be included in your yearly budget. This will both ensure your HVAC system is free of dust and pollutants and help reduce the need for expensive repair work down the road.
During an annual inspection, your HVAC professional will work through a checklist, ensuring that all systems are in good working order and recommending any necessary repairs or part replacements. In most cases, they will also clean the ducts in the home to limit the accumulation of harmful dust and other airborne particles.
Invest in HVAC Upgrades
Regular indoor air quality services can also go beyond simple repairs. It’s a good idea to occasionally upgrade your HVAC system as technology improves.
For example, you should consider investing in a filter with a high MERV rating. The term is an acronym for “minimum efficiency reporting values,” and filters are rated from 1 to 16, with 16 being the best.
The best-quality filters will have HEPA ratings, referring to “high-efficiency particulate air” filtration. These are even capable of filtering microscopic bacteria and viruses from the air, making them a valuable weapon against airborne diseases such as colds, the flu, and other viruses.
Asking your HVAC contractor to install a humidifier and dehumidifier can also be an excellent way to boost the air quality in your home. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, humidity in a building should be kept at around 30 to 50 percent in order to optimize air quality. Too little moisture in the air can dry out soft tissue and cause sore throats and other problems. Too much moisture, however, will enable the spread of pathogens and encourage the growth of harmful mold. By installing a humidifier and dehumidifier, you will be able to adjust the humidity in your building as needed.
Getting Started
To get the ball rolling on an inspection or upgrade of your HVAC system, begin by contacting All Weather Heating & Cooling and asking for a maintenance quote. We also offer products such as humidifiers, dehumidifiers, and air purifiers so that you can optimize your indoor air quality and unlock complete wellness in your building.
