Does flu season hit your family hard every year? Do you regularly have to deal with allergies or asthma issues in your home? Do you get a nagging cough
These could also be more serious health issues that should be discussed with a doctor. But oftentimes, they’re related to irritants in your home that contribute negatively to your health.
Additionally, many of them can be minimized through the use of HVAC technology that’s designed to keep the air you breathe clean and healthy.
Simply having an HVAC system in your home isn’t enough, though.
Health Problems With Indoor Air
We’re all aware of some problems that can occur as a result of poor air quality, but rarely do we think about all of them.
Mold and mildew can create respiratory issues. These can also create long-term health issues if it gets too bad.
Flu virus particles can live in your ventilation or throughout your home. This can lead to you and your family getting sick more often or for longer periods of time during flu season.
Allergies can attack at any time of the year. While a sensitivity to allergens or living with pets or plants may mean that you are never fully free of allergies, the air in your home can make this problem even worse.
The good news? Each of these can be eliminated or minimized in the home. But it doesn’t happen automatically.
Below we look at each of these major problems and then discuss the solutions that can help to minimize them.
HVAC and Flu Season
If your child comes home from school sick, or you catch a bug at work, there may be nothing you can do to keep from getting sick.
But what about everyone else? If everyone in the household gets sick whenever one person does, chances are you lack adequate air quality in your home.
The filter in your HVAC system can trap flu and other virus particles, but only if it’s a high-quality filter. MERV Rating, or Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value, measures filter efficiency. Higher ratings are better.
A MERV rating of 13+ will capture the majority of flu virus particles. However, the cheapest filters are not as good at capturing microscopic particles and will allow viruses to circulate throughout your home.
As we’ll discuss below, changing out your filter regularly and other home comfort steps such as controlling humidity and installing air purifiers can aid in removing virus particles from your home.
HVAC and Coronavirus
Can HVAC protect you from COVID? Yes, it turns out.
There’s no guarantee here, since you breathe air outside your home as well. But there is a lot of evidence that can be used to stay safe.
Similar to flu virus particles, high-quality filters can capture coronavirus particles. This is actually similar technology to what makes N95 masks so effective against various airborne viruses.
Air purifiers have also been tested against COVID-19 and many have proven to be effective at minimizing the virus in homes.
While fears surrounding the coronavirus have subsided significantly since the pandemic in 2020, it can still be a major concern for some, particularly anyone who is immunocompromised or elderly, and is thus more vulnerable to infection.
Knowing your options to keep your home as safe as possible can be a great step toward a healthier lifestyle.
HVAC and Mold or Bacteria Particles
If mold is in your home, it’s not limited to a particular corner or room. Once your HVAC system gets going, it can carry the smell throughout the entire home unless you have ways to combat it.
If the problem gets too bad, you could also end up with more severe respiratory problems. This can lead to illness, trouble sleeping, and persistent coughs or sneezing.
There are a few considerations here that can help curb a mold or mildew problem.
- Reduce Humidity. Mold and mildew thrive in high humidity, and HVAC specializes in humidity-controlling products.
- If the problem is widespread, you may need to consider having your evaporator coil cleaned or ductwork cleaned.
- Good filters and air purifiers can make the air more breathable, but won’t eliminate the problem at its source.
RELATED: What Is the Ideal Home Humidity?
The best solution is a combination of all of those things, and we’ll talk specific of humidity control below, since that can be the only long-term way to avoid the problem.
Air Cleaners in Your Home
These can be particularly during air quality alerts that are prevalent in some areas of the country. If your area of the country regularly has air pollution warnings, wildfires that create hazardous air, or other airborne pollutants, air purifiers can be a necessity.
The budget option is a standalone purifier that can be moved from room to room, and often stays in the bedroom to clean the air while you sleep.
However, these are only useful for individual rooms.
UV lamps can be installed within your ductwork and they will actively kill bacteria, viruses and other organic particles.
Additionally, some ducted air purifiers have secondary methods of purification. This involves emitting harmless ionized particles into your ductwork. These bond with bacteria and virus particles and make them inert.
These ducted, professionally-installed devices can be a solution for your whole home. Some will require occasional maintenance, but are made to last several years so that you can enjoy your home environment without stress over air quality.
Filtration and Airflow
We’ve already mentioned filters a couple times, and it’s because they’re your first and best lie of defense against pollutants in your air.
Two important pieces of advice should always be included here:
- If you want to stop all possible pollutants, a high-efficiency filter is necessary, not the cheapest option. Aim for a MERV rating of 13 or higher.
- Even the best filter is useless (and is actually harmful!) if it’s clogged. Change your filter regularly!
These two things alone would dramatically help many homes, and they’re very easy to do. You can change your own filter, or have it changed out during regular tune-ups from your trusted HVAC partners.
Humidity and Health Concerns
Humidity is the lesser-known factor in this equation, but humidity contributes directly to several health-related issues.
High humidity can increase allergens, mold and mildew in your home.
Low humidity can allow virus and bacteria particles to survive for longer both in the air and on surfaces in your home.
Maintaining proper humidity is a huge deal in staying healthy and comfortable in your home.
Expert advice is to keep your home between 30% and 60% relative humidity. This can be easier said than done, though.
Air conditioner upgrades for the humid summer months can help, as can whole-home dehumidifiers. Similarly, ducted, whole-home humidifiers can be a lifesaver in the dry winter months when illness spreads most easily and dry air can contribute to respiratory issues.
A trained HVAC specialist can provide you with a quote for any of these, and can also install them as needed.
The Limits of HVAC Protection
There’s nothing that can guarantee that you’ll never get sick or be subjected to airborne irritants or pollutants.
That’s why, in addition to everything we listed above on the HVAC side, adhering to commonly accepted medical advice from experts can help you stay healthy year-round. Get enough liquids and rest. Wash your hands after using the restroom. Wear a mask if you are concerned about crowds or when traveling in densely populated areas.
These are the precautions that will go beyond what you can do to safeguard your home.
Staying Healthy in Your Home
We all spend a lot of our time in the home, so it’s worth taking care of it.
You eat, sleep, host and live most of your life indoors. Particularly if you have a family, live with an elderly relative, or are at risk in some other way, keeping your home’s air healthy is – in large part – going to help keep you healthy more often.
We’ve listed a lot of potential problems and solutions in this article, and the risks you face and solutions you’ll want to consider will be unique to your needs.
The best solution is one that incorporates everything we’ve discussed when necessary. High quality filters, frequent filter changes, air purifiers, humidity controlling products, ductwork cleaning, and more can all help, but only you can decide which is needed.
To work with a trusted HVAC partner who can help you navigate these options, call us today! CABS has helped thousands of homeowners feel more comfortable and healthy in their home, and we can do the same for you!
