The V in HVAC means ventilation, which means it’s your HVAC system’s job to maintain your indoor air quality. As long as you schedule a regular winter heater inspection and keep up with your home furnace maintenance, air quality shouldn’t be a serious problem. Unfortunately, it’s also easy to overlook these crucial tasks, as the signs of allergens and viruses in the air are hard to spot.
Home Air Filtration Systems Catch Allergens and Viruses
The biggest reason why you should keep up with your heater maintenance this winter is to keep as many allergens and viruses scrubbed out of your indoor air as possible. Yes, there are always things that get past even the best air filtration systems, but for the most part a good HVAC air filtration system will keep dust, dander, pollen, and anything else that could trigger one’s allergies out of your home. And a high-level air filtration system will also capture viruses. On the other hand, when your HVAC system isn’t doing its job, you and your family could suffer reactions.
If you notice symptoms such as a runny nose, a cough, sneezing, or itchy eyes, you might have allergies that are getting worse thanks to an HVAC system. The best way around this is to either replace your HVAC system with a newer model or have your existing model inspected, but there are a few things you can do yourself before you schedule a winter heater inspection.
Changing Your Furnace filter
The simplest thing that you can do to cut down on allergens in your home is to change your furnace filter regularly. You should at the very least check it once a month, especially during the winter. You’ll most likely need to change it that frequently, although some high-end filters can last a few months before they need to be changed.
Cleaning Your Air Ducts
Cleaning your air ducts regularly will also improve your home’s air quality. You might need to contact an HVAC professional if your ducts are particularly bad or if they haven’t been cleaned recently, but you can at least dust off your air vents and clean directly behind them by yourself.
Install a Humidifier
A humidifier is a useful addition to a winter home, especially if you keep your furnace on more often than not. Furnaces can dry out the air in your home, which can irritate your skin and eyes and aggravate any allergy symptoms. You can install a whole home humidifier if you have a larger home, but a smaller humidifier will do if you live in a smaller space or you only need to humidify one or two rooms.
Upgrade Your Home Ventilation System to Improve Indoor Air Quality
When your HVAC system is functioning properly, it will improve the air quality of your home. To make sure that your system is functioning properly or if you need to update your indoor ventilation system, contact Element Home Solutions today. We serve homes from San Jose up through San Francisco and Oakland up to Santa Rosa, and the surrounding areas. We will be glad to answer any questions you might have about your own home’s air quality.
