Air Quality
When it comes to the air you breathe, there is no second-guessing. People go to great lengths each day to protect themselves and their loved ones from breathing in excessive pollution, second-hand smoke, and detrimental airborne contaminants. Are we escaping these same pollutants within our own home?
It may come as a surprise, but we are often inhaling the very same or even more harmful contaminants every day in our own homes without ever knowing. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has noted that indoor air can be substantially more harmful to the health of children, seniors, and the chronically ill when compared to outdoor air in even the most concentrated cities. The reason being? Indoor air impurities remain stagnant and recycled within a home, business, or any contained facility.
"The air inside our homes, offices, and schools can have up to 5x the pollution and particles than the air outside"
According to the EPA, the air we breathe inside our homes and offices can be up to 5 times more harmful than the air outside. This is because contained areas within the home or office enable pollutants to build up more significantly than open spaces do. The good news? Unlike secondhand smoke, radon gas, and mold, which are all airborne toxins we cannot readily control, most indoor air pollution comes from products we willingly bring into our home.
Symptoms of Indoor Pollution
Breathe Easy, We’re Here to Help
Although the side effects of poor air quality are numerous and worrisome, several measures can be taken to purify the air in your home and reduce the negative side effects on your health. Below are three air quality service options that come highly recommended for any residence. For more information regarding recommended practices to maintain healthy indoor air quality, please give our offices a call.
Proper Filtration
Most standard heating and air conditioning installations come with the run-of-the-mill 1″ pleated filters. In some cases, even fiberglass filters may be installed. Within the HVAC industry, these filters have playfully been coined “B&B” filters because they are essentially only capable of filtering birds and bricks! Humorous or not, the simple fact is that most people are at risk of breathing in contaminants and harmful materials that are recycled through the home each day through the heating and ventilation system.
Nearly every HVAC package offered by SoCal Airflow Pros includes HealthyClimate 5″ Merv 11 high-efficiency filters. These filters remove more than 85% of airborne particles. Unlike many portable air cleaners, the Healthy Climate Merv 11 filters clean the air without emitting any ozone, a toxic gas that can irritate your lungs. These filters also allow for efficient airflow, unlike the 1″ pleated filters that create major air restriction. This filtration system purifies the air you and your family breathe each day while maintaining a clean and healthy HVAC system. Healthy Climate purifying filters provide our clients with a long-lasting system that performs at high-efficiency.
Air Purifiers
See, feel, and smell the difference in your home with the most advanced air purification system available – AirScrubberPlus. The AirScrubber has been tested and certified by some major institutions, including many universities and even NASA. AirScrubberPlus also works to significantly reduce or eliminate organic and microbial compounds, bacteria, viruses, VOCs, and offensive odors. This technology helps to reduce over 50 times more airborne pathogens than typical HVAC filtration. When one person in a family gets sick, the AirScrubberPlus helps to keep the rest of the family safe from airborne particles. Primary benefits include:
- Approved by FDA, EPA, and USDA
- No chemicals, no residue
- Safe Kill: Leaves behind oxygen & Hydrogen
- Increases lifespan of HVAC system
Reduces
- The Common Cold
- Eye/Nose/Throat Irritation
- Fatigue
- Headaches
- Chest Tightness
- Allergy Symptoms
- Coughs
- Nausea
- Sinus Problems
Duct Work
Although they are not always the first thing we think about when considering our indoor air quality, your property’s ducting is a major contributor to the quality of the air you breathe in every day. Improper installation and unsealed connections, tears, and leaks can all expose your home to harmful contaminants within your attic. Asbestos, fiberglass, rodent droppings, pet dander, and numerous other health hazards easily enter our recycled air system when ductwork offers points of entry. In turn, this directly affects the health of residents in your home and can lead to health and respiratory problems.
Duct Cleaning: Don't Be Fooled - Do it Right the First Time
We’ve all seen it – “Only $50 for Duct Cleaning Special!” Sounds great! But what these ads do not want you to know is that duct cleaning is a pretend service. Here on the west coast HVAC systems utilize flex ducting, seen below, or asbestos ducts, neither of which should be cleaned. In the rare cases that we find a duct system that is dusty or moldy, a duct cleaning would only be a temporary band-aide. Mold is often a problem with the AC function. Dust in ductwork is often caused by leakage in the duct system and/or poor filtration. Our flex ducting in California is easily damaged and torn when duct cleaning companies “perform” their service. When this happens, your air may be exposed to harmful contaminants, and at the same time causing repairs that will cost far more than your $50 cleaning job. Do not be fooled – ask that one of our experts evaluate your duct system today.
