Did you know that your HVAC system can have a large impact on your home’s indoor air quality? In most cases, your air conditioner filters out airborne particles and improves the quality of the air you breathe, but if your ducts are blocked and your air filter hasn’t been replaced in a while, you could be breathing in dangerous toxins.
Learn how your HVAC system could be negatively affecting your Orlando home’s air quality from our HVAC experts at Frank Gay Services.
Indoor Air Pollution
While leaky ductwork can reduce your air conditioning system’s efficiency, this can also allow unwanted pests to creep around inside the attic or ducting of your home. Rodents can crawl through disconnected return ducts and die in the crawl space if they can’t find their way out again. Once they are stuck in the ductwork, air that passes over their remains or droppings gets contaminated and then distributed throughout your home. Not even the best HVAC system can filter out that smell!
Of course, having animals die in your ductwork is an extreme case, but there are plenty of smaller contaminants like viruses, bacteria, dander, pollen, dust mites, dirt, and other microorganisms to worry about.
Changing your air filter every 30-60 days will help your HVAC system combat indoor air pollution.
Learn More> The Importance of Duct Cleaning
Back Drafting
When combustion gases from fuel-fired equipment, such as water heaters or furnaces, re-enter your home, it is known as back drafting. This happens when inadequate duct sealing undermines the pressure difference that allows combustion gases to escape into the air, resulting in low indoor air pressure.
Back drafting can result in deadly carbon monoxide leaking into your home.
Back drafting can be caused by duct systems when leaking ducts create negative pressure. Sometimes all it takes to create an imbalance in pressure in your home is to shut the door to your bedroom.
Having your ducts checked seasonally by our team at Frank Gay Services and installing carbon monoxide detectors will help keep your family safe and healthy.
Humidity Issues
Your HVAC system is designed to help regulate the humidity levels in your home. When there is a system inefficiency, your home may suffer from too little or too much humidity, making it uncomfortable inside your space.
Your home may feel stuffy and hotter than it actually is due to an excessive amount of moisture in the air, and your air conditioning system may work harder than necessary as a result. Moreover, humidity can encourage the development of fungi, viruses, and bacteria.
Too little moisture can exacerbate respiratory problems and allergies and can cause itchy skin, sore throats, and static electricity.
If you notice a humidity problem in your home, consider calling our team to install a whole-home dehumidifier to help address the problem! Call Frank Gay Services for an air quality consultation today; (407) 329-5145!
Poor Airflow
A common problem found in many modern homes is poor airflow. To save energy, newer homes are built with tighter seals, which limits airflow. Because of this, indoor air may become stagnant and contaminants may enter without a way to leave again.
According to the EPA, the levels of indoor air pollutants in many homes are often 2 to 5 times higher than outdoor levels.
Even if your home has the most energy-efficient HVAC system available, sufficient ventilation is still required to maintain a healthy airflow. Enhancing your ventilation or adding a new ventilation system can replace stale indoor air with fresh air from outside. Further, when it’s nice outside, open your windows to allow fresh air to circulate throughout your home.
Odors
It goes without saying that you want your ductwork to be properly sealed, but what happens if it circulates harmful air throughout your house?
Pet odors, cooking fumes, paint fumes, chemical vapors, and other aromas cannot be eliminated by your HVAC system on their own. A whole-home air filtration system can be helpful in this situation.
Whole-home purification units attach to the air handler of your HVAC system or the furnace, where they remove contaminants before they are circulated through the home. The result? Fresh, clean air without any harmful contaminants!
Improve It! > 5 Tips for Better Air Quality
Breathe Easy with Frank Gay
If you are ready to improve the air quality in your home while also boosting your HVAC system’s efficiency and performance, consider installing indoor air quality products like whole-home air purifiers, ductless HVAC systems, and humidifiers in your home!
Schedule HVAC maintenance and an air quality audit with our friendly team at Frank Gay Services today; (407) 329-5145!
