The Hidden Dangers of Poor Indoor Air Quality and How HVAC Maintenance Help

Since most of us spend a lot our time indoors due to modern lifestyles, maintaining our health and well-being depends on improving indoor air quality. This article will examine the harmful effects of indoor pollution sources such as mold, radon, carbon monoxide, and household chemicals on human health, and how proper HVAC maintenance can mitigate these risks. With expert insights from Solutions Heating & Cooling, you will learn practical ways to ensure your house's air is safe and clean, including the use of cutting-edge HVAC technologies like smart thermostats and HEPA filters, improved ventilation techniques, and effective pollutant removal strategies.

The Health Effects of Poor Air Quality on People

Numerous health problems can be brought on by poor indoor air quality, including:

Irritation of the Nose, Eyes, and Throat
Headaches, Vertigo, and Fatigue: Headaches, vertigo, and unusually high fatigue levels can result from indoor pollution exposure.
Serious Health Issues: Breathing in dirty air over time can lead to serious health issues like cancer, heart disease, and respiratory ailments.

The following are some particular indoor air pollutants and their effects:

Radon: This gas is a major cause of lung cancer, second only to cigarette smoke.
Carbon monoxide: If exposed to high concentrations of this dangerous gas for an extended time, it can be fatal.
Legionella: Legionnaires' disease: It is a type of pneumonia brought on by the bacteria legionella. It is frequently discovered in poorly maintained plumbing, hot tubs, and air conditioning systems.

Asthma attacks can also be brought on by other common indoor pollutants such as dust mites, pet hair, cigarette smoke, and cockroach particles, particularly in individuals with asthma.

Sick Building Syndrome: There are conditions when being in a specific building makes a person feel ill. However, once they leave the building, symptoms such as headaches and irritation also go away. Numerous factors affecting the indoor air quality of the building are thought to be the cause of this.

While we understand a lot about how bad air affects our health, scientists are still learning more about certain aspects of indoor air quality.

"Acceptable" Air Quality

According to Allen, engineers have been designing buildings with tighter "envelopes"—ones that permit less air exchange with the outside—in the last forty years or so to increase energy efficiency. However, the result is that many of our structures are now highly efficient germ factories.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's primary responsibility is to monitor and assess outdoor air quality, an area of great importance. However, since people spend a lot more time indoors, we are frequently exposed to indoor pollutants such as chemicals released by furniture, cooking fumes, and pathogens.

Common Air Pollutants

Dangerous gas leaks and pollutants your pets may have brought in from the outside are two examples of air pollutants. One common air pollutant from natural gas seeping into your home unburned is carbon monoxide. Additionally, particles of lead and asbestos, which are harmful to the lungs when breathed in, may be found in older homes. Since moisture levels in bathrooms and kitchens are usually higher than in other parts of your home, mold mould, and mildew can also become a risk factor.

Expert Tips to Improve Your Indoor Air Quality

Here are some expert solutions to improve indoor air quality:

Eliminate Obvious Air Pollutants

According to data from the Environmental Protection Agency, people spend roughly 90% of their time indoors. Furthermore, the air we breathe ninety percent of the time or higher is critical to our general health. Eliminating anything from your house that is contributing to a decline of in indoor air quality is the first step toward improving it. This may or may not be a complex thing to do. For example, moving any chemicals, paint, or cleaning supplies in the house, for instance, to the garage and away from the main living area may be a good and simple way to start.

Bring In Fresh Air

Opening your windows may be the simplest and quickest way to air out your home But whenever you feel like the air inside is stuffy. Although this may not always be feasible depending on the outside weather, humidity, pollution, pollen counts, and other local factors, That is why our experts at Solutions Heating & Cooling always recommend integrating advanced HVAC systems with proper filtration and ventilation technology. This is a more consistent and effective way to improve indoor air quality.

Update Your Thermostat

Solutions Heating & Cooling also recommends upgrading to smart thermostats that not only circulate air efficiently throughout your house when the heat or air conditioning is off but also optimizes energy use and maintains ideal indoor air quality. Look for a thermostat one that has a circulating mode option for. A circulating thermostat may set your indoor fan to run for 20 minutes every hour at a lower speed to maintain consistent airflow, With a smart thermostat you may even be able to change your setting to circulate right from your phone.

Turn On the Kitchen or Bathroom Exhaust Fans

Clearing out poor, humid air from the house and running an exhaust fan in the kitchen or bathroom can help improve indoor air quality. With the help of this feature, air will be continuously drawn out of the house and replaced with fresh air. Focus on running the exhaust fan for an additional 20 minutes after a shower or whenever your house needs a makeover if you don't want to run it nonstop.

Maintain Balanced Humidity Levels Your Dehumidifier

The ideal range for indoor humidity is thirty to fifty percent. As the weather changes these numbers can also change drastically. April through October, for instance, tends to be the most humid months of year, even for those here in Virginia. Maintaining the right humidity level, especially during this time, is crucial for indoor air quality, and Solutions Heating & Cooling can help you achieve this balance by checking and maintaining your existing HVAC system.

Increase Humidity During the Winter

That said, winter can make humidity in your home lower than recommended. Maintaining your house's humidity level during winter months will help you keep the air quality healthy. However, since the winter usually brings dry air, giving your HVAC system winter specific maintenance can help maintain humidity at optimal levels.

Source Control

Removing specific sources of pollution or lowering their emissions is often the most efficient strategy, and Solutions Heating & Cooling can assess your home's environment to recommend the best HVAC solutions and maintenance plans to achieve this. Since increasing ventilation can raise energy costs, source control is frequently a more economical strategy for maintaining indoor air quality than increasing ventilation.

Filtration

The process of filtering involves taking out other airborne contaminants and particles. A means of comparing various filters is provided by a standard known as minimum efficiency reporting values (MERV). A high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter is considered the gold standard because it can effectively remove 99.97% of airborne particles smaller than 0.3 microns and a higher percentage of particles larger or smaller (both of which are more efficiently trapped). A MERV 17 or higher rating corresponds to HEPA.

For most indoor environments, such as offices or schools, Prather and Corsi advise updating filters to at least MERV 13. It is possible to upgrade many HVAC systems to meet this standard; however, some very old systems might need help handling the higher-efficiency filters, which could result in air leaking around them.

Instead of relying on portable air cleaners, contact our experts at Solutions Heating & Cooling to explore integrating air purification technologies directly into your existing HVAC system, providing a more efficient solution to indoor air quality.

Conclusion

You can greatly reduce your chance of developing health problems and make your home healthier by proactively managing indoor air quality. These tactics, which range from updating filtration systems to putting source control measures into place, aim to improve the quality of air and the quality of life in general. Recall that keeping your home's air clean can help prevent illnesses and provide a safer, cozier living environment for you and your family. Our experts at Solutions Heating and Cooling will be happy to help you develop