Many Kentucky homeowners are concerned about the air their family breathes. Indoor air pollution is a growing health concern, and indoor levels can often be much higher than outdoor concentrations. Removing those pollutants can protect your health long term but also improve sleep, reduce fatigue, and much more. Let’s explore the steps you can take toward easier breathing.
Install a Whole-Home Air Purification System
A whole-house air purification system is the most powerful way to avoid airborne pollutants and contaminants in your home. There are many systems on the market. One that has proven quite popular with and effective for our customers is the Lennox PureAir system. It provides several levels of protection for your home, including mechanical, absorptive, and germicidal filtration.
This particular air purifier has two levels of mechanical filtration: a prefilter and a primary filter. The prefilter protects the system and preserves the other filter media. The primary filter removes 99.99% of large particles down to 3 microns. This includes dust, pollen, pet dander, and carpet fibers. It also filters 95% of finer particles down to 0.3 microns. This includes the particulate matter that modern medicine associates with many cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.
The PureAir system also provides absorptive filtration through an activated charcoal stage. Activated charcoal is a manmade form of carbon. The manufacturer processes it to have many microscopic pores. Those pores provide tremendous capacity and surface area for absorption. Activated charcoal can absorb bad smells for freshness. It can also absorb volatile organic compounds and other chemicals and gases.
This system also protects against pathogens through ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI). It does this via an integrated ultraviolet (UV) lamp that gives off UV-C. UV-C is a germicidal light. It kills bacteria, viruses, mold spores, fungal spores, dust mite eggs, and more.
Lennox has rated all three filter components for 12 months. That means you only need to replace the filter media once a year. Our team can do that for you during an annual appointment.
Another important note about the PureAir system is that it generates no ozone at all. It can even filter ozone that finds its way into your home through other sources. Some air purifiers do generate ozone, which is a concern because ozone can be an intense irritant for people with respiratory conditions.
Schedule Seasonal HVAC Tune-Ups
Even if you have a heat pump that provides both heating and cooling, schedule maintenance twice a year. Schedule in spring before the cooling season. Book another appointment in the fall before the heating season. There are many good reasons to do this. Your HVAC warranty likely requires it, and you can lower your operating costs by up to 15%. Another is that we’ll clean all your equipment, including your evaporator coil and furnace burner. That makes a big difference with indoor air quality.
Upgrade Your HVAC Filter
All HVAC systems have one or more filters designed to keep dust and other impurities out of the system. A good HVAC filter isn’t a replacement for an air purifier, but it can make a big difference in air quality. The industry uses the minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV) to rate filter effectiveness. Choose a filter with the highest MERV your system supports. Have spares on hand. Check your filters at least once a month. Replace them whenever you hear whistling or see dust caking up.
Upgrade Your HVAC System With Humidity Control
Humidity is the measure of water vapor in the air. It can make a big difference in indoor air pollution, respiratory irritation, and so forth. In summer, target a relative humidity (RH) no higher than 60% and, ideally, 50%. If you can’t do that through AC alone, a whole-house dehumidifier will do the trick. In winter, target an RH between 30% and 50%. Some homes will need a whole-house humidifier to achieve this target.
Your Reliable Source for Indoor Comfort
Affordable Service Solutions Heating & Air Conditioning is an HVAC company that’s served Richmond and the surrounding areas since 2012. We help our residential and commercial customers breathe cleaner air through air purification, humidity control, and better HVAC air filters. Our HVAC technicians specialize in furnaces, boilers, heat pumps, air conditioners, geothermal systems, and ductless mini-splits. We perform installations, replacements, conversions, maintenance, and repairs.
Our company also offers a maintenance agreement through which you can save money and keep your equipment on schedule. Call today or contact us online to request service or with questions about the products we offer.
