Shocking Factors that Impact Your Air Quality!

When people think about HVAC systems, they are usually focused on the temperature of their homes. They take for granted that the air is clean. However, there are all kinds of impurities that can float in your air supply. If you are spending more time indoors these days, you will want to consider your indoor air quality.

Signs of Poor Air Quality

The quality of your air can have a significant impact on your health and well-being. Impurities in the air like pet dander and pollen grains cause allergic reactions such as chronic cold symptoms or asthma flare-ups. Volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, can cause headaches, nausea, and general fatigue. If you frequently feel under the weather in your home, you may want to check your air supply.

Newer Homes May Not Be Cleaner Homes

New homes are built with advanced materials and techniques that lead to tighter construction. This is great when it comes to your heating and cooling systems. Because air does not escape the home as quickly, they do not have to work as hard to maintain the right temperature. However, the lack of fresh air from the outside means impurities will stay in your home longer and grow in concentration.

Fresh Smells May Not Be That Fresh

When you light a scented candle, it releases more than a pleasant aroma. The scent is a specially-designed chemical meant to trigger your sense of smell. If you hold a piece of white paper above the burning candle, you will soon discover the black soot that the candle releases. HVAC technicians can often identify a family that enjoys candlelight because of the amount of soot on the HVAC filter.

Chemical air fresheners are also designed to linger in your air supply. While they can mask other odors, they also release VOCs that you inhale with each breath. It is easy to become desensitized to the smell, but a guest could be overwhelmed by the concentration.

How HVAC Specialists Can Help

There are a growing number of indoor air quality products that you can install in your current HVAC system. Ventilation systems that create an exchange of indoor and outdoor air can help get impurities out of your home. Air purifiers will remove some of the chemical impurities. Even something as simple as having a technician change your old HVAC filter at your annual maintenance appointment can help.

The experts at Mark Carpenter Plumbing, Heating & Air have many years of experience helping customers with the comfort of their homes and quality of their indoor air. If you have questions about your HVAC system, contact them today at (575) 222-2551.