The quality of air in your home can have a direct impact on your short- and long-term health, along with that of your home. A home with little fresh air infiltration often has poor indoor air quality, whose sources can include:
- Volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Many new products for your home have high levels of VOCs, including paint, carpeting and furniture. VOCs are also found in air fresheners and many cleaning products, as well as exhaust from vehicles and fueled yard equipment. VOCs can affect people differently. Some have a high tolerance for these gases, while others react with symptoms such as headaches, fatigue or skin reactions. Some experience serious health consequences such as organ or nervous system damage.
- Airborne particulates. Indoor dust is a combination of dead skin cells, lint from the fabrics in your home and, to a lesser extent, outdoor dust. If the humidity in your home is more than 50 percent, the environment is perfect for a flourishing dust-mite community, which also contributes to poor indoor air quality. Pollen in our region can be a year-round problem. Anyone with allergies or asthma can experience adverse reactions to high indoor pollen and dust-mite waste. These particulates are also hard on your HVAC system, since they can quickly clog the air filter. A dirty filter increases energy bills and contributes to more wear on all your cooling system’s parts. If enough dust covers the evaporator coil, it can freeze over, potentially resulting in a costly compressor failure.
- Biological contaminants. Bacteria, viruses and mold can trigger or aggravate health issues. Besides causing allergic reactions in some people, mold inside your home will destroy the organic surfaces on which it grows. High humidity fosters damaging and unhealthy mold growth.
Fortunately there are a number of solutions to improve poor indoor air quality, including effective ventilation devices, high-efficiency air filters, air purifiers and ultraviolet light filtration systems.
If you suspect your home has poor indoor air quality, the pros at Bodine-Scott Air Conditioning Co. can help you find the best ways to improve it. We’ve provided exceptional HVAC services for the greater Corpus Christi area since 1961.
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