This time of year, your indoor air quality is of greater importance than it was during the summer. Why? For one thing, you’ll be spending more and more time indoors. For another, germs spread more during the cold weather months, and your indoor air quality could contribute to whether you end up with a cold and the flu or not.
We care deeply about indoor air quality and how it can affect your health. We’d like to take a moment to answer some commonly asked questions about making sure you have good indoor air quality for the fall and winter. If you have any questions about fall indoor air quality in Point Pleasant, NJ, we’d love to chat with you.
Does My Furnace Filter My Air?
Your furnace does indeed have an air filter, and that should be changed monthly during the winter. But that filter’s job isn’t to make sure you have clean air to breathe. It’s to prevent dust, dirt, and debris from getting inside your furnace, causing it to work harder than it needs. If you want a filter intended to clean all the air that passes through your ducts so you’ll have higher-quality air to breathe, you need a whole home air filtration system.
What’s the Difference Between a Filter and a Purifier?
A filter uses the force of air passing through your ducts to trap particles in layers of folded paper, cellulose, or some other material, just like coffee grounds becoming trapped in a coffee filter rather than ending up in your beverage. There are a variety of types, some of which can trap very small particles.
An air purifier actually sanitizes the air that passes through it. This is possible thanks to the impressive properties of ultraviolet light. At the right frequency, UV light can actually kill germs. It’s safe for your home and family as the system is installed within your HVAC system to purify all the air before it comes out of the vents.
Why Are Humidifiers Good in the Winter?
When the air in your home is very dry, it makes it less able to hold the heat. You’ll feel chillier at 68 degrees in dry air, and warmer at 68 degrees in more humid air, so a humidifier can reduce the amount of heat and energy you use. Also, dry air leads to dry skin, including the delicate membrane inside your sinus passages. When your mucous membranes are dry and cracked, you are more susceptible to illnesses like the common cold and flu.
Do My Ducts Affect My Air Quality?
The simple answer here is yes. If your ducts are in poor condition, that can definitely impact your air quality! Picture the ducts passing through a space such as your attic or the gap between your walls. It’s dusty in there, and there could be anything from mouse droppings to insulation fibers. Now imagine that there’s a crack or hole in your duct.
The pressure within the duct can pull air into this hole. Along with the air, dust, and particulates can be pulled in. Then it will simply blow out of your vents, carrying that grime into the air of your home and into your lungs. It’s definitely a good idea to have your ducts inspected with some frequency because these holes and cracks are alarmingly common.
A qualified HVAC technician can seal them tightly, preventing these air quality problems. It will also prevent heated (or conditioned) air from being lost through those holes. That waste can contribute to excessively high utility bills, so you could save yourself a lot of money.
You’re More Comfortable With Atlantic Air Systems. Schedule your appointment with us today.