Air Conditioning and the Quality of the Air in your Home
We are very rapidly approaching summer – which means your air conditioning system is going to be getting quite the workout in the coming months. In our area, that means there’s a good chance your system will be running almost continuously in some fashion.
Your HVAC system is something you probably don’t think a lot about… that is, until it stops functioning or requires service. At the end of the day, that’s probably a good thing since a good air conditioning system shouldn’t be ‘calling attention’ to itself. It should simply work and keep you comfortable. That said, even if your HVAC system is working great, you should still be changing your filters and cleaning your ducts regularly.
For maximum air quality, you want to change your air conditioner filter every 1 to 3 months and get your ducts cleaned every two years. Obviously, there’s some wiggle room in either direction depending on your specific home and HVAC system usage, but that is the general guideline you don’t want to exceed.
Changing your air conditioning filter
The changing of your filter is fairly straightforward. You want to do this so that the air being pulled into your system isn’t going through an excess of dust particles. The cleaner you keep your filter, the cleaner your air will be, alternatively, the dirtier your filter is, the dirtier your air will be. Simple. Often times, a homeowner can perform this replacement as a DIY project, however if you don’t know how to change your filter or know where to find it, you can give us a call and we’re happy to help.
Cleaning your ducting system
If you don’t remember the last time your ducts were cleaned, then we can assure you that your ducts need to be cleaned!
Ignoring the cleanliness of ducts is something many home owners are notorious for. There’s actually a good explanation for this; A dirty air filter, even one that was replaced not all that long ago, can lead to your air conditioning unit to fail or frost over at the connections requiring repair, or at least a cool down period. This is because if your air conditioner is not getting enough air from the return (where your filter is), it can struggle to operate properly. During summer months, an air conditioner failing can be a real drag so it likely only takes one repair visit with a cause being a dirty filter to remind a home owner to keep those filters fresh.
Ducts however… those can get GROSS before ever really impacting the actual functionality of your HVAC system. This means that although your air conditioner is going strong and pumping out cool air, it may be pumping that air through a very dirty (and sometimes flat out disgusting) path. From dust, to rodent droppings to insulation particles, the inside of your ducts can really be problematic for the quality of your air.
Think about it, if your air HVAC system is blowing mostly non-stop in the summer, that means that most of the air you are breathing travels all through your home via your ducting system and over whatever is in there. If those ducts are dirty, then that means you and your family are breathing air that can be significantly more dirty than the air outside. Needless to say, making sure your ducts are clean is a big deal.
We have great options for cleaning your ducts and can even show you what is INSIDE of your ducts prior to cleaning.
Adding UV light filtration or Ionization generators to your existing HVAC system
Adding an advanced filtration system is another great option for keeping your air quality high (and even filtering out viruses).
UV light systems treat the incoming air prior to you breathing it in. Think of it as almost a sterilization process for air particles. UV light has been proven to kill airborne viruses and stop the airborne transmission of disease.
Air ionizing generators are another way to clean the air prior to it getting into your lungs and works similarly to UV treatment in that it ‘cleans’ the air of pollutants and allergens.
Make sure the air in your home is clean
The bottom line is that we should all care about the air we breathe. At Bob’s Air Repair, we can help you keep the air in your home clean and safe! Give us a call today, we’re here to help.