Revised:
September 30th, 2022
You deserve to breathe clean, healthy air. In this video, we’ll go over common causes of poor indoor air quality in your home and some ways to help you breathe easier.
Hi, I’m Luke with Fire & Ice. Over the years, I have sat down with thousands of Central Ohio homeowners to discuss their indoor air quality and help them find custom solutions to help them breathe easier. In this video, we’ll go over some of the common reasons behind poor indoor air quality and some solutions to help improve the air inside your home. the reasons behind higher energy bills and some solutions to help lower your utility bills. By the end of this video, you’ll have a better idea of how to improve the indoor air quality inside your home.
Common indoor air quality issues found in homes
It’s been said that the air we breathe inside our home can have 2 to 5 times the number of pollutants compared to outside. Some of the major culprits of poor indoor air quality in a home include emissions from fireplaces, stoves, smoking inside, cleaning products, and more. And indoor air quality can be affected if you live in an area with high humidity (like here in Columbus, Ohio, during the summer). Combine all of that with neglecting routine maintenance and forgetting to change your air filter can result in some poor indoor air quality. Your HVAC system is the perfect environment for bacteria and mold to grow, which thrive in cold, damp environments. Which just so happens to exist inside your furnace and ductwork.
Best Way to Improve Indoor Air Quality Issues
If you or a loved one have asthma or breathing difficulties, addressing these concerns is essential to help alleviate discomfort and prevent illness. So let’s go over some possible solutions to help improve the indoor air quality inside your home.
The first solution is to increase the air circulation inside your home. Switching your furnace’s blower to continuous operation will help circulate the air inside your home and pass it through your filter, removing excess impurities.
The next solution is to check your HVAC filters regularly. Your filter is responsible for catching any nastiness floating in the air. Depending on your filter type it should be changed every month for standard 1-inch filters and six months to a year for larger 4-inch media filters. However, check your filter once or twice a month and change it accordingly when it gets dirty, especially if you’re running the fan continuously.
The third solution is to invest in a more extensive filtration system with a higher MERV rating. Standard 1-inch filters can only go so far with filtering the air you breathe. Upgrading to a four-inch filter can catch debris as small as .3 microns, such as bacteria, pet dander, pollen, and mold spores.
Next is to schedule regular maintenance on your indoor and outdoor unit once per year. For example, during a furnace tune-up, your HVAC technician should clean dust or debris trapped inside the cabinet and examine the blower. Any debris caught inside will only be pushed out into the house every time the blower turns on. And during an air conditioner or heat pump tune-up, the tech should check the evaporator coil for any signs of bacteria buildup, which could lead to abnormal smells that we call dirty sock syndrome.
Fourth is to invest in indoor air quality products like a whole home humidifier or dehumidifier to help manage humidity levels. And if you’re looking to clean the air, consider air purification systems like the Trane Clean Effects or the Reme Halo to further filter and clean the air inside your home.
The last solution involves a whole home duct cleaning that uses a truck-mounted vacuum to rid your entire ductwork of dust, debris, and other nastiness. Our duct cleanings also go the added step to cleaning those areas that bacteria and mold are known to grow. Optional disinfectants can also be added to the ductwork to clean further.
What are the next steps?
I hope by now you have a better understanding of the importance of indoor air quality and are on the path to breathing cleaner, healthier air. If you feel one of the solutions we discussed is right for you, click the free estimate at the top of the screen. We’d be happy to sit down with you and discuss your options. Thank you for watching, and we look forward to making your day better.
