How HVAC Maintenance Can Improve Indoor Air Quality

The average human being spends 90% of their life indoors. That’s a lot of time that you’re breathing indoor air. If you’re spending that much of your lifetime breathing indoor air, you should ensure that your indoor air quality is as good as possible. If your indoor air quality isn’t good, you could end up with breathing problems, headaches, allergy symptoms, and slower recovery from viruses and other illnesses. You don’t need a whole-home air filtration system to have good indoor air quality. Sometimes, all it takes is regular HVAC maintenance. 

What Causes Bad Indoor Air Quality?

There are multiple causes of bad indoor air quality. One of the most common causes is dirty air filters in your HVAC system. It happens to the best of us. Sometimes we just forget to change the filter, even though it should be changed every six months (more often if you have pets or if someone in the home has allergies). Dust and dirt can accumulate quickly in those filters. Since most home air systems are forced-air systems, meaning that air is blown through ductwork and the dust can end up back out in the home if the filter is not changed. Another possible cause of bad indoor air quality is inadequate ventilation. This can also lead to your home feeling “stuffy”. 

Replace And/Or Upgrade Your Air Filter

Replacing an air filter is a relatively simple HVAC maintenance task. You can find air filters at your local hardware store, and it’s usually not hard to locate the filter on your HVAC system, remove it, and replace it. However, if you are having continuous air quality issues, you might consider upgrading your filter. Air filters are categorized by MERV (minimum efficiency reporting value) rating. Essentially, the higher the MERV rating, the more particles the air filter can catch. If your filter has a low MERV rating, consider switching to a filter with a higher one. 

Fix Inadequate Ventilation

Ventilation, or a lack thereof, might not be your first thought when you’re considering HVAC maintenance. However, it’s a huge factor in the quality of your indoor air. If there’s no way for heat, dust, or stuffy air to escape your home, the air inside will become uncomfortable at best and unhealthy at worst. Plenty of dust, hair, pet dander, etc. could become trapped in your home and impact the air quality. You really don’t want to be breathing that all day long. Additionally, without proper ventilation, the humidity can become too high in your home. If the humidity is too high, condensation can form and cause water damage or mold. Installing an exhaust fan and having regular HVAC maintenance done to ensure that it’s working properly can help ventilate your space properly and prevent issues. 

Keeping Ducts Clean

Cleanliness of air ducts is a big factor in indoor air quality as well. Homes get dusty. It happens. Unfortunately, that dust, hair, etc. ends up in your ducts. If air is being forced through those ducts, it will likely pick up the dust and dirt along the way and end up spraying it out into your home in tiny, invisible particles in the air that you and your family are breathing. The best way to avoid this is to have a professional HVAC maintenance technician come to your home at least once per year to check on your system and make sure everything is clean and working properly. 

Do You Need HVAC Maintenance in Cleveland?

When your home needs fast, high-quality service, you can count on Stack Heating, Cooling, & Electric! Our skilled technicians will make sure your HVAC system is working as efficiently as possible, as well as performing any necessary HVAC maintenance. We want you to know that your family’s safety and comfort is our number one priority, as it always has been. We are taking all necessary precautions and following CDC guidelines to keep our customers and employees healthy. We’ve been serving the Cleveland area for over 40 years, and we’re not going anywhere. Give us a call at (440) 937-9134 or visit us on our website today and find out what we can do for you!