HVAC Technician’s Guide to Home Air Quality

No matter which part of Michigan you live in, home air quality will be an important factor for you and your family. The air you breathe inside your home can be even more polluted than outside air if you don’t take the right steps; on the flip side of this coin, a few simple approaches will ensure your home’s air is clean and healthy at all times.

At FLAME Heating & Cooling, we’re here to help with numerous air quality-related areas, including air duct cleaning, furnace repair and many other services. What are common threats to indoor air quality, and what do our technicians recommend for improving your air if it’s of poor quality? Here’s a primer.

Risks to Indoor Air Quality

Here are the common sources of poor indoor air quality in homes:

• Pollution sources: There are several forms of pollution that may enter your home, including radon gas, pesticides, lead paint and pollen. All of these pollutants can affect your air quality in big ways. In some instances you may need a professional to come into your home and test the air for dangerous amounts of pollutants; if that’s the case, FLAME Heating & Cooling is here to help!
• Filter issues: Your HVAC air filter is meant to remove most or all of those forms of pollution we just mentioned, but it needs to be replaced on a regular basis. If you don’t regularly change your air filter, contaminants will be allowed back into your home’s air and impact your overall health.
• Poor ventilation: If too little air is flowing into and out of your home, pollutants can accumulate. If you don’t have a cross breeze — that is, air flowing into one room and out of another in a way that ensures everything’s being ventilated fairly — then your home may suffer from poor ventilation and even high humidity, which contributes to the development of mold.
• Old or worn-down components: In other cases, worn-down or older components in your primary HVAC fixtures may cause or exacerbate poor air quality. If you find your air too dusty or otherwise poor during the upcoming fall and winter, for instance, repairing or replacing your furnace if it’s near the end of its lifespan may benefit your air quality significantly.

Air Quality Improvement Tips

Here are some basic approaches for solving home air quality issues if they’re present:

• Eliminate individual pollutant sources: If you think a certain type of pollutant might be impacting your indoor air quality, look into the ways it’s entering your home. If it’s coming from an area that can be reached by one of our technicians repairing or replacing it, let us know and we’ll do all we can to address this issue.
• Keep proper ventilation: As noted above, the right amount of air flow is instrumental to a clean indoor environment. Make sure you have cross breezes in your home if possible, and that the ventilation system is always on during both heating and AC seasons.
• Change air filters regularly: No exceptions here! If you’re trying to maintain decent air quality, it’s crucial that you keep your air filter changed on a monthly basis. If you have pets in your home, consider getting an especially high-quality filter because they may be bringing in allergens that can clog up a standard filter quickly.
• Consider furnace/AC upgrade: If you’ve determined that an older heating or cooling component is partially or fully to blame for your deteriorating air quality, our team is here to help with repair or replacement. As we enter the fall and winter, call on us at any time for assistance with furnace repairs or replacement options if necessary.

For more on maintaining indoor air quality, or to learn about any of our other HVAC services, speak to the staff at FLAME Heating & Cooling today.