Maintaining quality indoor air is important in any home. It’s especially important in homes where allergy and asthma sufferers reside. You can choose from several products, including dehumidifiers and air cleaners, to improve your home’s indoor air quality. Some homes might only need one type of indoor air quality (IAQ) product, while others require two or more. An air quality specialist can help you determine which IAQ products are best for your Hoover, Alabama, home.
Dehumidifiers
Biological growth in a home can be detrimental to your health and is likely to spread when a lot of moisture builds up in the air. Fortunately, a dehumidifier can reduce or eliminate biological growth and improve indoor air quality. Dehumidifiers are available in several versions, with some being portable and others connecting directly to your home’s HVAC system. The latter provides whole-home dehumidification, which can contribute to better air quality throughout the whole house.
Air Cleaners
Air cleaners, also commonly referred to as air purifiers, are also available in several versions. Air cleaners run the air in your home through a special filtration process, removing up to 99.99% of all harmful airborne toxins and particles. The type of filter used on an air cleaner will largely impact how it cleans the air in your home. Some filters, if not compatible with the air cleaner, can actually damage the system and worsen your indoor air quality. This is why it’s always important to follow the manufacturer’s recommendations when choosing a filter for an air cleaner.
Humidifiers
Maintaining the proper humidity level in a home is essential to good indoor air quality. Ideally, you want the humidity to be between 30-50%. Anything lower than 30% can irritate your nasal passages and make it difficult to breathe. To maintain a higher humidity level, you can use a humidifier. You can place humidifiers in individual rooms or have a whole-home unit installed.
Ventilators
Ventilators help remove stale air in a home by replacing it with fresh air. Ventilators deliver whole-house balanced ventilation. They also contribute toward a more positive pressure within a home, which can help reduce energy expenses. With the right ventilator, you can rest easy knowing the fresh incoming air is filling the home without any cross-contamination. During periods of excess humidity, the ventilator will also work to remove moisture from your home’s air.
Some of the best ventilators have an integrated whole-home HEPA filtration system that uses heat recovery to improve your home’s ventilation. These ventilators can often remove allergen materials as small as 0.3 microns. This is particularly of benefit in homes where people with respiratory health conditions reside.
HVAC Filters
An important air quality product that people often overlook is the air filter on a home’s HVAC system. The filter itself is designed to remove harmful particles from the air while balancing airflow to the HVAC unit. When the filter becomes clogged, it restricts airflow and makes the HVAC unit work harder than necessary to heat and cool the home. It also hinders the filter’s ability to filtrate air, which harms your home’s indoor air quality. One of the easiest ways to keep this from happening is to change filters regularly.
If you don’t know whether it’s time to change the filter on your HVAC system, simply hold it up to the light. If you don’t see any light passing through the filter, then you should change it. You can also check the manufacturer’s recommendations to determine how frequently to change the filter. However, because no two homes are the same, inspect your air filters regularly to see if they’re clogged and need replacing.
Contact Total Comfort Heating and Air LLC at (205) 386-2056 to learn more about indoor air quality products. One of our technicians can also explain how we perform indoor air quality inspections. During the inspection, the technician will identify sources of air pollution and recommend types of indoor air quality products your home can benefit from. The technician can also check to see which indoor air quality products are compatible with your home’s HVAC system.
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