Indoor air pollutants make our homes less safe for you and your family, contribute to allergy problems and otherwise threaten your health. Sometimes these problems may be lessened by simply solutions such as houseplants that help remove or neutralize pollutants. For serious indoor air quality concerns, more professional solutions are needed. In some cases, indoor air pollutants may be caused by inefficient or improperly maintained HVAC systems.
Out of all air pollutants found in homes, the three most common are microorganisms, odors and gases, and miscellaneous particles.
- Microorganisms are those very small living, but unwanted, guests in our homes. They may include things such as dust mites, mold spores and bacteria. Filtration systems that use UVGI (ultraviolet light) technology can be installed in a forced-air HVAC system's ductwork, or positioned to shine UV light directly on system components such as the indoor coil of an A/C or heat pump.
- We all know what odors and gases are. Chances are that you have plenty of these within your home. Sometimes these occur in the process of trying to eliminate other forms of air pollution. The cleaning products used to remove microorganisms may actually contribute to more odor and gas pollution. These pollutants may also be caused by day-to-day cooking activities. Carbon-activated filtration systems may be able to help eliminate some of these problems.
- Finally, there are miscellaneous airborne particles. While you can see many of these particulates in the form of common household dust, some of these particles may be so small that they cannot even be seen with our eyes,. They include materials such as pollen, pet and human skin dander, and hair. As long as they are changed or cleaned routinely, high-efficiency or HEPA air filters should be able to combat these problems. Other options might include electrostatic filers.
- Some filtration systems can target all three types of pollutants at the same time. These systems are available as stand-alone air-cleaning systems and versions that work with your forced-air HVAC system to filter air from the entire house.
Please contact us at Hartman Brothers Heating & Air Conditioning for a professional evaluation of your HVAC system and suggestions on how you can reduce the indoor air pollutants in your Fort Wayne area home.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in New Haven, Indiana and surrounding Fort Wayne area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about indoor air pollutants and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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