OVERVIEW

How is the air you breathe in your home? There are two sets of filters in your home or business, can you name them and do you know where they are? Let me help, there should be one in your furnace or air handler, have you checked, is it there? Is it dirty or clean? The other filter is your lungs, harder to see if they are dirty, and I don't think you want to change them quite often. The fact is that Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) studies have proven that concentrations of toxic pollutants can be up to 10 times greater inside homes than outside, even in our smoggiest cities. And some of these pollutants have been known to cause headaches, nausea, and contribute to allergies and asthma attacks. Indoor air pollutants can affect us all. Children and the elderly are especially threatened by these conditions. Some of the most common indoor air pollutants and allergens are bacteria, mold spores, fungus spores, dust, dust mites, pet hair and dander, pollens, pet odors, tobacco smoke, off gassing of furniture and building materials, household chemicals and even sucking in outdoor pollutants if your heating and cooling system is not installed correctly. Big list, what can be done?

The first step is making the air you breathe in your home or office a priority. Start by having a qualified contractor perform a thorough maintenance of your system(s) to determine if your filter is adequate and installed properly, that your ductwork is sealed properly and that the unit is working at performance standards to remove moisture from the air. Next is to ensure that you are filtering your air seven days a week, twenty-four hours per day. You can have the best filter system but if your unit is not moving air, it can't filter it. To increase indoor air quality you must be proactive and diligent or it won't happen.

PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE AGREEMENTS

Many contractors offer programs where they will come out once, twice and sometimes three times per year and check your system. The program that Christian Brothers Mechanical, Inc. offers includes cleaning of your indoor coil and drain pan, and check your ductwork for proper sealing. Changing your filter during each maintenance is a good practice to follow. A good maintenance will go a long way in helping with your indoor air quality and help extend the life of your equipment. [ TOP ]

FILTERS

The most important step in making sure your indoor air quality is good is that you filter all the air that is flowing through your duct system. This not only includes having a good filter, but just as critical, making sure that your ducts and units are sealed properly. Most new units come standard with 1” filter, this type of filter is the least effective in removing particles from the air flow. All filters or filter systems are rated by the amount and size of the particle they stop and catch, the higher the number, the better. Listed below are some filter facts.

1 or 2” Fiberglass filter
These are the most inexpensive filters and the poorest performers. They catch only 10-15% of the largest particles in the air. Throw these away and do not let a contractor put these in your system.

1 or 2” Pleated Paper filter
These filters catch between 40-45% of the particles in the air. If you are going to the store to purchase your filters pay a few more pennies and buy these, it will increase your filtering by as much as 35%. This filter needs to be checked once a month and may go four months without changing.

Media Filters
These filters come in various widths depending on application and are effective from 75-85% of particle removal. Having this filter in your system will probably involve duct modification and space may be an issue. For the money this product is your best choice for a good filter system. This type filter will require that you check it every six months, and may need to be changed only on a yearly basis

Electronic Filters
An electronic filter is one of the most effective filtering systems in the industry. It can remove up to 98% of air flow particles and helps trap fungi, pollen, bacteria and dander. The filter is charged electrically and attracts particles to it. This filter should be checked every six months and cleaned with soap and water. If air quality is a critical issue for someone in the home or office this should be considered when choosing a filter type. Another choice would be a HEPA System where there are multiple filters in one unit. This type of system is used for clean room or extreme asthma or allergy patients. [ TOP ]

UV LIGHTS

This new technology has enjoyed a lot of popularity the last few years in the Indoor Air Quality arena. The C band of the ultra-violet spectrum (UVC), produced by these lights, can kill mold spores and other airborne bacteria. The UV Light is typically placed at the furnace or air handling unit, either in the return and or supply duct. This light zaps away a high percentage of airborne particles that flow through the air stream and help eradicate mold off your cooling coil. UV technology has been used for years in food processing, water treatment, health industry and even clean room applications. [ TOP ]

HUMIDIFIERS

Do you have dry, scratchy skin in the winter? Do you awake with a dry scratchy throat or nose? Is your wood home furnishings cracking and splitting in the winter? During the winter months the average homes relative humidity can average 15%. Add to it a dry heat, such as gas heat, and you need to add moisture to the air inside your home. This is easily accomplished by adding a humidifier to your system. There are several options available including a Bypass flow-through, Powered flow-through, Steam Humidifier and Drum Humidifier. They all produce moisture, but application and space will sometimes dictate which unit is required. For maximum humidity a steam humidifier will perform the best, and if your water costs are high a drum humidifier will be your best bet. The most popular is the bypass flow-through. There are several options available for measuring your humidity level including thermostats that sense humidity levels, or a separate humidistat that usually mounts next to your thermostat. [ TOP ]

FRESH AIR CHANGES

Buildings today are being built tighter with more insulation, greater energy efficient windows and doors and tightly weatherized, that they cannot breathe. For maximum comfort and health, fresh air should enter a home every three hours, and in commercial applications the fresh air change can be even greater. Getting air in can sometimes be tricky, short of opening windows and doors, but if it is extremely cold or hot outside this won't work. There are several ways of accomplishing the intake of fresh air from simply using a vent outside with ductwork connected to your indoor unit, to having a separate system designed, called air exchangers or recovery units, based on what area of the country you're in. It is critical that whatever application is used that it is sized properly or it will cause your heating and cooling system to operate poorly. [ TOP ]

My Breathing Structure

Did you realize that your house can breathe? Heating and cooling systems act like a set of lungs when they are on causing your home or business to exhale and inhale. The exhale comes from your system blowing hot or cold air into the space. The inhale is caused by the same system feeding air back into it through the return system. Why is this important? Read on.

The perfect scenario is that the structure be in a positive state, simply meaning that it is exhaling a little more air than it inhales so that no air can leak back in. If a building becomes negative, or inhaling more than exhaling, you risk exposing your indoor air to the outdoor pollutants, dust and dirt, and even pollen.