Indoor air quality is very important for your health, well-being, and comfort. Most homeowners in the White Plains, MD area focus on heating and cooling for maintaining a comfortable residence. However, there are other indoor air quality system upgrades that can address particulate matter, allergens, and humidity. Our team here at Southern Pride Service can help you manage your indoor air quality (IAQ) using some of the upgrades below.
Indoor Air Quality Concerns
Indoor air can be two to five more times polluted than the air outside your residence. While a tight home envelope can reduce energy consumption and keep your HVAC costs low, this also leads to high concentrations of contaminants. Common indoor pollutants include pollen brought in from outside, dust, mold spores, pet dander, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), bacteria, and viruses.
Ongoing exposure to these contaminants can lead to an increase in allergies, asthma, headaches, brain fog, fatigue, and dizziness. It’s ideal that you learn how to improve your indoor air quality and protect your health. Investing in IAQ system upgrades is one way to do so.
Poor indoor air quality can lead to overuse of your HVAC system. Turning on your heating or cooling equipment to address bad odors, humidity, or allergy flareups can strain equipment. This can also shorten the lifespan of your HVAC equipment.
Upgrading Your HVAC Filter
The filter inside your HVAC system is designed to protect interior components of your system from damage and strain. It also improves indoor air quality. The minimum-efficiency reporting value scale, or MERV for short, indicates the effectiveness of these filters. The higher a MERV rating is, the more particulate matter it will trap. However, it’s important to note that filters with a high MERV rating may be too restrictive for a residential HVAC system. Ideally, you want to use a filter that has a MERV rating between 8 and 12. This is restrictive enough that it traps many types of particulates. However, you shouldn’t experience any system damage.
Keep in mind, standard HVAC filters don’t remove things like VOCs from the air passing through them. You can upgrade to a filter with activated carbon to remove odors and VOCs.
You may see HVAC filters that use HEPA technology to promote healthier indoor air quality. While HEPA filtration can remove up to 99.97% of particulate matter from the air, it’s generally too restrictive for HVAC use. This is a type of filtration that is ideal for whole-home filtration equipment.
Whole-Home Air Purifiers
You may be familiar with a portable air filter, which can be moved from one room of your home to another. While these units can remove some larger particulates from the air, they only cover a small amount of square footage at one time. Instead, we recommend having a whole-home air purifier installed onto your HVAC system. As air passes through your system during the cooling or heating process, filtration equipment will remove a variety of contaminants. The air moving out of your vents and registers will be much cleaner and safer.
Whole-home air purifiers use different types of filtrations to support healthy indoor air quality. As mentioned, HEPA filtration removes many contaminants, including bacteria and viruses. Activated carbon removes odors and VOCs. Electrostatic filters trap particulate matter that a standard HVAC filter leaves behind.
Be sure to change or clean your filters regularly. Dirty filters will allow particulate matter to circulate back into your indoor air. This can also damage your HVAC system and filtration equipment.
UV-Sanitizing Lights
A UV-sanitizing light can get installed onto your HVAC system and destroy the cellular structure of biological contaminants. By exposing pathogens to UV-C light, they become harmless. This is a very affordable and low-maintenance IAQ upgrade that makes a big difference, especially during cold and flu season.
UV-sanitizing lights can also kill mold spores. If you’re dealing with high levels of humidity in your residence, consider a UV light for peace of mind and IAQ protection.
A coil-sanitizing UV light will prevent mold and biofilm growth inside your HVAC systems. This reduces corrosion and damage that can lead to frequent repair needs.
Whole-Home Humidity-Controlling Equipment
It’s ideal that the level of relative humidity inside your home is always between 35% and 50%. Anything higher than that promotes the growth of mold and mildew. Humid air can hold onto particulate matter easier than dry air, increasing your risk of exposure to allergens and contaminants. If you have low levels of moisture in your indoor air, this can irritate sinuses and airways.
A whole-home dehumidifier removes moisture from the air as it travels through your HVAC system. Rather than a standalone unit that removes moisture from a small area, a whole-home model can help you tackle humidity concerns with ease. Moisture will be removed through a drain line, eliminating the need for frequent emptying of a reservoir tank. Inspect this drain line periodically to ensure it doesn’t experience a buildup of hard minerals or sediment.
You can add moisture back into your air using a whole-home humidifier. As air passes through your HVAC system, a small amount of moisture is added to the air. You can control how much moisture is added. This equipment is beneficial during the winter months when cold air results in dry indoor conditions.
You can monitor your relative humidity levels using a hygrometer. Some homeowners choose to install both a whole-home dehumidifier and a whole-home humidifier. You can switch between the two units depending on the time of year and the conditions inside your residence.
Energy Recovery Ventilators
A tight home envelope promotes an efficient home. However, it can lead to poor indoor air quality when contaminants become trapped. Exchanging air between the inside of your home and the outside is important. You can use an energy recovery ventilator (ERV) or heat recovery ventilator (HRV) to exhaust stale air and bring in air from outside. This is done in a way that also balances humidity and improves HVAC efficiency. An ERV is ideal for humid climates, as they can help control moisture. An HRV works well in a cold climate when heat loss is a concern.
Air Scrubbers
An air scrubber combines a UV-sanitizing light with ionization and catalytic processes to clean the air and surfaces inside your home. This is a very advanced piece of technology that removes odors, bacteria, mold spores, smoke, and VOCs. When traditional IAQ system upgrades aren’t sufficient for your home, an air scrubber may be necessary.
Thanks to modern HVAC technology, there are many types of indoor air quality upgrades that can remove contaminants. Our team can help you figure out which IAQ solutions are ideal for your situation. Routine inspections and maintenance can also keep your HVAC system working efficiently to support optimal indoor air quality. Contact our team at Southern Pride Service today to schedule an appointment for IAQ support in White Plains.
