For Better Indoor Air Quality, Maintenance is King!

October is Indoor Air Quality Month, a good time to think about what you can do to ensure that the air you’re breathing inside your home is clean and contaminant-free. If you’re already doing routine maintenance on your HVAC system, you’re way ahead of the game. If not, you should know that the single most important thing you can do to improve your indoor air quality is to have your HVAC system serviced regularly.

Maryland is a beautiful state, filled with thousands of species of trees, grasses, and flowering shrubs and ornamentals of all types. While pretty to look at, these plants frequently cause seasonal allergies– including itchy, watery eyes, sneezing, upper respiratory congestion, and runny nose.

Since the average person spends up to 90% of their lives indoors, this shouldn’t be a problem, right?  Actually, it’s more complicated than that.

The air you inhale indoors is filtered through an HVAC system, which brings in air from the outside. Improperly or inadequately filtered air can lead to indoor air quality that is 2 to 5 times as polluted as the air outdoors– which can contribute to headaches, concentration problems, throat and lung irritation, and flare-ups of serious or chronic health problems such as asthma and lung disease.

But don’t despair– there are indoor air quality solutions that can prevent untreated outdoor air from invading your indoor space and protect you from contaminants. Controlling contaminants such as dust mites goes a long way to addressing the ill effects of poor indoor air quality.

Ignoring routine HVAC maintenance means pollutants can get trapped inside your equipment and ductwork. Neglected HVAC maintenance results in moisture problems– creating conditions for mold, mildew, viruses, and bacteria to grow, compounding the poor air quality.

The single most important thing you can do to improve your indoor air quality is to have your HVAC system serviced regularly. You may be able to do some of the following items yourself, but when you need a professional, Holtzople is happy to assist!

Change Filters

A fresh filter is your first defense against dust and allergens contaminating your indoor air quality. When your HVAC system’s filters are not changed regularly, accumulated grime can clog your equipment, end up in your ducts, and eventually degrade your indoor air quality. Suffer from allergies? Look into HEPA filters!

Adequate Ventilation

Because adequate ventilation ensures that your indoor air doesn’t contain too much carbon dioxide, a properly configured ventilation component is essential. A well-designed ventilation system also removes contaminants and controls odors. Correcting a ventilation problem can sometimes be as simple as moving ductwork or relocating intakes.

Controlled Humidity

Foregoing routine maintenance can lead to sediment that blocks or clogs condensate and drain lines. This means that the moisture your HVAC system is removing from the air becomes trapped, creating a breeding ground for mold, mildew and bacteria. These contaminants can collect inside your equipment and travel into the ductwork.

Clean Coils

Clean AC coils are important to how smoothly and efficiently your system runs. An evaporator coil absorbs the heat and humidity from the air space and is part of your indoor air handling unit. A condenser coil discharges the heat to the outside, and is often found on your outdoor unit. When contaminants accumulate on the coils, heat gets tapped and is not released. Keeping those coils clean allows them to more effectively absorb and discharge heat, keeping your indoor air cleaner and circulating better.  

Inspect Ducts

A professional can take a close look at your air ductwork to see if mold or dust is present that may be affecting your indoor air quality.

Consider an Air Purifier

Installing a central air purifier on your HVAC system can help remove dust, mold, bacteria, viruses, and other unhealthy microorganisms from the air. They use a heavy-duty HEPA filter to capture larger particles and electrostatic fields to capture microorganisms. If you’re interested in taking this extra step, talk to your Holtzople team about your choices, including ultraviolet air purifiers and UV air filters .

Here’s the bottom line: if your HVAC system is not working properly, you will not experience consistently good air quality. A Holtzople planned service agreement helps keep your equipment running efficiently and avoid system failures. As a Holtzople Maintenance Agreement customer, you always receive priority service, at the best possible rate–even during the coldest times and hottest seasons. To learn more about our preventative maintenance plans, call us at 800-500-4328.