Indoor air quality isn’t something most people ever give much thought to. Ignoring the air quality in your home or business is always a bad idea since the fact is that indoor air typically contains so many allergens and pollutants. Here, we’ll look at why indoor air quality is definitely something you should be concerned about and also discuss what options you have for improving it.
Why Poor Indoor Air Quality Is a Major Concern
Most modern buildings are built quite well. This is a great thing in one way since it makes the building more energy efficient, which means you don’t have to pay as much for cooling and heating. The downside is that the well-sealed exterior structure results in lots of airborne pollution and allergens getting trapped inside the home or business. This issue is why the EPA estimates that the air quality inside most buildings is three to five times worse than the air quality outdoors. One reason indoor air pollution is especially concerning is that the average individual spends at least 90% of their time indoors. That means you’re constantly breathing in a wide variety of allergens and potentially harmful chemicals and pollutants.
Airborne particles like dust mites, pollen and pet dander are obviously major concerns for anyone who suffers from allergies. They can also be an issue for people with other respiratory issues like asthma or COPD. Another major concern is that the air inside most homes and businesses contains a fairly high concentration of different volatile organic compounds or VOCs. VOCs are airborne chemicals that continually “off-gas” or flow out of things like furniture, building materials, cleaning products and electronics.
Formaldehyde is one of the most common VOCs and is found in virtually every building. That’s because it’s used when manufacturing mattresses, couches, glues, varnishes and many other products. It’s also a major concern since long-term exposure to it has been shown to lead to an increased risk of various health issues including certain types of cancer. The same is true for many of the other VOCs commonly found in indoor air.
Even short-term exposure to VOCs and other pollutants can lead to a person developing various symptoms related to an issue known as “sick building syndrome.” This describes acute health problems related to spending a lot of time in a building. This can include headaches, nausea, dizziness, fatigue, difficulties concentrating and irritation of the eyes, nose and throat. There is evidence that directly links these symptoms to a lack of proper ventilation, resulting in people inside the building continually breathing in things like VOCs, ozone and other airborne contaminants. Another issue is that all of these contaminants continually circulate throughout every part of the building when the air conditioning or heating system runs.
The Benefits of a Professional Indoor Air Quality Assessment
Different buildings can have different issues that contribute to poor indoor air quality and can also negatively affect indoor comfort. For instance, some buildings may often experience issues with the air being overly dry or overly humid. Dry air is mostly a comfort issue since it can make your skin, eyes, nose and throat dry and itchy. High humidity can affect both comfort and air quality. That’s because people always feel hotter in a more humid environment and because overly humid air creates the potential for mold to grow inside the building.
Many buildings also have issues with poor ventilation, which causes the air inside to be stale, smelly and overly polluted. There can also be issues with the HVAC system in the building that lead to worsened air quality. This can include a lack of proper air filtration or things like dirty air ducts or duct leaks that lead to more contaminants circulating around the building.
There can be many different things that contribute to air quality issues. This is why the best way to tackle your home or business’s specific problems is with a professional air quality assessment. When performing an air quality assessment, an HVAC technician goes around the building to identify all areas and factors that are affecting the building’s air quality. This allows them to then make specific recommendations in terms of the services and equipment that will best overcome or eliminate the issues and greatly improve the building’s air quality.
Effective Options for Tackling Airborne Pollution and Improving Indoor Air Quality
Many people mistakenly believe that HVAC systems provide effective air filtration and work to improve indoor air quality. The truth is that the standard air filter in an HVAC system has little effect on air quality since it simply doesn’t provide sufficient filtration. Standard air filters are mostly designed to just trap dust and larger airborne debris so that they can’t get inside the central part of the HVAC system and damage it or decrease its efficiency. This is why you’ll need to take additional steps if you want to effectively improve the air quality in your building.
Options like whole-building air filtration systems, air cleaners, media filters and ultraviolet lights will make a much bigger difference and decrease the amount of allergens and contaminants circulating inside a building. Media filters are much thicker and more effective than standard air filters and are designed to be used in place of a standard air filter.
An electronic air cleaner is another effective option, which works by ionizing airborne particles so that they then get stuck inside the unit and removed from the air. There are air purification systems that will fully circulate and clean the air inside a building up to eight times per hour. All of these options are great for eliminating allergens so that you’re not constantly coughing and sneezing. They’ll remove the majority of other pollutants so that you can breathe more easily and feel better.
Ultraviolet lights are also an effective solution for eliminating bacteria and mold spores from the air inside a building. That’s because these microorganisms get damaged when UV light shines on them, which makes it impossible for them to spread or reproduce.
Another effective solution for improving indoor air quality at certain times of the year is to install a whole-house fan. You run the fan when a few windows are open, which allows it to quickly pull all of the polluted, stale air outside. At the same time, it brings fresh air inside to provide effective ventilation. As long as the temperature outside is no hotter than the temperature inside, the fan will also help to quickly cool the building. That means you can shut your air conditioning off to save money on your electricity bills. You won’t be able to use the fan at all times. However, just running it for 30 minutes in the morning and late evening will eliminate the majority of airborne pollutants inside the building.
Your Trusted Indoor Air Quality Experts
Since 1961, Kahn Air Conditioning has been expertly serving residential and commercial customers in Northridge and the surrounding Los Angeles communities. We offer professional indoor air quality assessments. You can count on our team to come up with an effective plan for overcoming any air quality issues in your home or business. We carry a range of high-quality indoor air quality equipment, including air filtration and purification systems, media filters, UV lights, humidifiers and more. You can count on our experienced, NATE-certified technicians to take care of all of your cooling and heating installation, maintenance and repair needs. To schedule an air quality assessment or any other service, contact us today.
