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Tips to Improve Your Indoor Air Quality – Part 3

In the first two articles, we explored the importance of Indoor Air Quality and discussed some common kinds of indoor air pollution and their health effects.

 

In this article, we at Pickerington Heating & Cooling will discuss the different products and services we offer Franklin County residents to help them improve their home’s Indoor Air Quality. By doing so, experts say, homeowners can breathe better, healthier air and have peace of mind in knowing their air quality is cleaner.

 

The following is a list of the products and services we provide:

The iWave-R

The iWave-R is an air purification system that is especially helpful in the wake of COVID-19. The iWave-R goes inside the air ducts in any ducted air conditioning system. When the air passes over the iWave ion generator, the system purifies the supply that goes into the home of pathogens, viruses, pathogens, bacteria, particles, mold, smoke and odors, leading to a healthier indoor air supply that doesn’t have any of the harmful byproducts.

 

Utilizing an innovative one of a kind technology, the iWave-R mimics the way nature cleans the air. Using the pressure and energy of things like lightning, ocean waves and waterfalls, nature breaks up molecules in order to naturally clean the air and create a healthy breathing environment. The main difference between this iWave’s technology and the way nature does it has to do with how the iWave does not generate harmful ozone gas as a byproduct like nature does.

 

The iWave-R can be installed in any type of HVAC system, as long as there are air ducts and the system doesn’t weigh more than six tons. The good news is, once it has been installed, it doesn’t need maintenance or replacement parts. In fact, it even cleans itself.

 

Humidifiers

Humidifiers raise the level of moisture in the air in a home. This moisture increases the level of humidity in the home, including the air you breathe, which can be excessively dry in the winter. As such, this helps alleviate a lot of cold-weather symptoms. Humidifiers help eliminate the static electricity in a home (which is prevalent during winter in Ohio) and help prevent dry cracking in paint and furniture. Another way humidifiers help is they improve indoor air quality, which alleviates all kinds of health problems.

Lastly, humidifiers are popular because they can help lower energy bills.

 

Dehumidifiers

Ohioans know all-too-well how humid the weather can get in the summertime. When those hot and humid days are upon us, it sends the best of us back inside, seeking cool shelter from our AC systems. But what can be done if it gets humid indoors, and you can feel the moisture in the air or smell a musty odor? Experts say the relative level of humidity of a residence should be maintained between 30 and 50 percent. If it becomes higher than 50 percent, it can make a residence feel uncomfortable and make the air unhealthy. This can give your AC system problems and aggravate asthma problems and allergy symptoms. It can also encourage the formation and growth of mold and mildew, which can cause health problems. As such, investing in a whole-house dehumidifier can boost a homeowner’s Indoor Air Quality by maintaining healthy humidity levels. Because of this, they are a smart investment to ensure you and your family’s overall health and comfort.

Thermostats

Today’s modern thermostats are a vast improvement compared to those old hockey-puck-looking dials on the wall many of us grew up with. In addition to their cool features and designs and fancy LED displays, today’s thermostats can be adjusted from any smartphone or smart device. They are also compatible with most other Indoor Air Quality products. 

 

With smart thermostats, a homeowner can control a lot more than their heating and cooling systems. They can regulate and/or monitor air purifiers, dehumidifiers, humidifiers, ventilation systems and any other IAQ devices. Smart thermostats are designed to conserve energy, reducing overall costs by eliminating waste. Because they are more advanced, or “smart,” they have better control over a home’s indoor air quality. As such, investing in a thermostat upgrade means greater efficiency and a more even temperature consistency all throughout the home. 

This saves money on energy bills while keeping an HVAC system performing at its peak and improving the quality of air in the home for better overall health and wellness.

Some of the most popular brands of thermostats we carry include Honeywell, Nest and Ecobee.

 

Air Filters

Upgrading a home’s air filters is another great way to improve indoor air quality. Having said that, it is important to note, that not all air filters are created equal. Moreover, they have to be changed regularly to work.

Homeowners looking to improve indoor air quality need to know that the inexpensive washable fiberglass air filters barely even improve the performance of the HVAC system, let alone promote better quality of air. For that, upgrading to an air filter with a higher MERV rating will help. Additionally, upgrading to a thicker air filter, like a four-inch air filter instead of the standard one-inch filter that’s most common, will help improve air quality.

MERV, which is short for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value, is a rating system for air filters that uses a scale of 1 to 16, with 16 being the highest rated air filter. Usually, residential HVAC systems can’t use a filter rated above 13 on the MERV scale. 

 

UV Lights

For a long time, the only means a homeowner had to improve Indoor Air Quality was tied to ventilation, filtration and humidity control. And even though these methods were useful, they couldn’t do much to remove biological pollutants like viruses, mold, bacteria and fungi ‒ the hazardous “dark side” of indoor air pollution.

Then one day someone switched on the light, the UV Light that is.

Getting Ultra Violet lamps for an HVAC system gives a homeowner an extra level of protection against these ultra-hazardous organic indoor air pollutants. For those who are susceptible to allergens and other dangerous organic particles, UV lamps are very effective because they kill these allergens in addition to germs before they get circulated into the air throughout the home. As these pollutants pass in the air supply moving under these UV Lights, it kills them and neutralizes the air before being circulated into the home.

Air Duct Cleaning

If you’re looking for an option to improve your home’s indoor air quality, promote airflow efficiency and remove certain fragrances lingering in the home, having your air ducts clean will help in these ways.

Because air ducts transport all the cooled or heated air from your HVAC system to all the different parts of your home, it makes sense that keeping this air quality as clean as possible depends on the cleanliness of a home’s ductwork. 

As part of our professional duct cleaning service, we clean out accumulated dust, dirt and grime that gathers and clings to the interior walls of many duct systems. A proper cleaning helps to remove allergens and certain unpleasant odors in the air ducts. Removing this stuff is important, because even though you don’t see it, it eventually ends up in the air you breathe. 

WE CAN IMPROVE YOUR INDOOR AIR QUALITY TODAY!

We at Pickerington Heating & Cooling care about your home comfort levels. However, we also care about the health of you and your loved ones. Because indoor air quality has such a substantial impact on your health and well being, we hope this information is helpful. If you are interested in any of the products and services we listed above, or if you’d like to know more, give us a call 614-837-4026 or Click Here to schedule an appointment now.

Indoor Air Quality 101: Part 1

Indoor Air Quality 101: Part 2

Indoor Air Quality 101: Part 4