With poor air quality plaguing Chico and surrounding areas, the smoke and ash can seem inescapable. However, there are some great options available that work in tandem with your HVAC/air conditioning system that can vastly improve your indoor air quality and offer a reprieve from the dense and unhealthy outside air.
Ensuring your Ducts are Properly Sealed
Proper duct sealing is always an important part of a functional HVAC system. However, it is now more important than ever. Your air filters are working extra hard right now pulling smoke and soot out of your air and even small breaks in your ducting can greatly reduce the functionality of your system. With large enough gaps in your ducting, dirty unfiltered air can make its way through your system and pumped out of your vents and into your home. This ends up making your home smell smokey and sooty like the outside air it is intended to filter.
If your air inside your home is smelling smokey, there is a very good chance your ducts need to be addressed. This is something we can help with and with your health on the line, don’t wait to give us a call.
Ultraviolet Light HVAC Cleaning Systems
Ultraviolet (UV) Light HVAC cleaning systems offer a very efficient and unique way of cleaning the air circulating in your home. Here’s how it works; A UV light unit is setup in line with your forced air ducting which makes the air that is being pushed through your home, pass the UV system first in order to clean the air of mold spores and bacteria.
Removing allergens and unwanted particles from your air can make a big difference in the health quality of the air you breathe in your home. Right now especially, with the smokey and particle-laden air that is outside of our homes due to the fires, this offers a great escape from that poor air quality we’re all experiencing at the moment.
On top of helping alleviate the smokey air, it also removes allergens and other unhealthy particles as well. If you have asthma or COPD, this type of system can greatly enhance your overall health.
Ionization Generators
Ionization (Ion) Generators are another great way of keeping your indoor air safe and clean. Unlike UV systems which use light to cleanse the air, an ionizer system purifies the passing air by electrically charging the air molecules.
Ion generators are especially useful for odors, smoke and soot. This makes them especially useful during these fires. Almost every day our air quality is labeled as ‘unhealthy’ with a recommendation to stay in doors as much as possible. By cleaning the air in your home, you’re ensuring the health of you and your family.
An ionization system will create charged particles that interact and ‘cancel’ out unhealthy particles that cannot stay in the air (and thus avoid entering your lungs).
Preventative Care
As always, it is a good idea to change your filters regularly and check them often given how poor the overall air quality is in California right now. If you check your filter and there is an unbroken layer of particulates covering the filter (noticeable gray dust), it is time to replace it.
We also offer seasonal checkups so now is the perfect time to give us a call and have us inspect your system. Both UV light systems and Ion generators are great options to help improve the air quality in your home. Give us a call today and we can help you choose the right option for your home!