Your home is a safe space. A place to relax, be yourself and enjoy precious time with your friends and family. You take extra measures to make sure your home stays safe like adding a security system, keeping up with routine maintenance and spraying for pests, for example. But have you ever thought about how the air you breathe in your home could be negatively affecting your family’s health over time? What is indoor air quality? Indoor air quality refers to the quality of the air in a home, school, office, or other building environment. According to the EPA, Americans, on average, spend approximately 90 percent of their time indoors, where the concentrations of some pollutants are often 2 to 5 times higher than typical outdoor concentrations (1). These pollutants can include:
How does poor indoor air quality affect your health over time? Individuals with pre-existing conditions may have a harder time with poor indoor air quality conditions but even a healthy individual may experience symptoms like increased allergies after being continually exposed to poor indoor air conditions. Symptoms could include (1):
How to improve the air quality in your home or office. Luckily, there are several ways to combat poor air quality conditions in your home or office.
Consult a professional. A licensed HVAC company will be able to go over all the indoor air quality improvement options available and see which one will best suite your family’s budget and needs. We offer a wide range of options here at Country Air and are always happy to answer your questions and give free estimates. Give us a call at 281-356-8564. Sources: 1: Indoor Air Quality | US EPA
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I need to get my ducks cleaned – what?! NoOoOo, not your ducks, your ducts! Your air ducts are conduits that run throughout the attic space in your home. They deliver and remove air for both the AC and heating system. Each room in your home is connected to the ducts with a supply register and some rooms will also have a return register. Why do air ducts need to be cleaned? A buildup of mold, fungi, bacteria, and dust in your air ducts directly affects the indoor air quality of your home. Poor air quality can result in a decline in the overall health, comfort, and well-being of the building occupant. People who are more sensitive to their environments that have allergies or certain diseases may be impacted further by poor air quality in the home. Getting your air ducts cleaned when needed will help improve indoor air quality and your overall health and wellness. Clean air ducts can also result in more energy savings on your monthly bills depending on how clogged they were before cleaning. How often do air ducts need to be cleaned? A general rule of thumb is every 3 to 5 years, but this depends on several factors, like:
Depending on how these factors may affect you and your home will determine how often your ducts need to be cleaned. Some homes can go longer than 5 years before needing a good duct cleaning. Look for these clues to know when it might be time to get your air ducts cleaned:
What can I do to prolong the time between duct cleanings? Make sure you are taking care of your home and HVAC system properly. This includes:
How should a residential HVAC system be cleaned? An air duct system should be cleaned by a reputable professional. The air duct system will be placed under negative pressure using a specialized duct cleaning system that functions like a vacuum cleaner. While the vacuum draws air through the duct work, a rotating brush head is inserted into the ducts through the registers of each room which dislodges any debris and gets sucked into the vacuum, leaving the system like new again. How much does duct cleaning cost? Costs for duct cleaning vary depending on how many HVAC units your home has, whether you own a one or two story and how large your home is.
Country Air specializes in whole home air duct cleaning and provides free quotes. Give us a call today at 281-356-8564 and we’ll be happy to answer any more questions you have about duct cleaning and provide you with a free quote at no obligation to you. |
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