Poor indoor air quality can affect your health on multiple fronts. Folks with pre-existing conditions tend to suffer the most, but healthy individuals can also develop problems due to exposure. Fortunately, our HVAC technicians can often provide solutions to reduce these issues. Here are a few ways your home’s air quality may affect your health and how to deal with them.
Humidity
In the HVAC business, we typically encourage people to keep the humidity level in their house between 30% and 50% relative humidity. Extra moisture can foster mold and bacteria growth when humidity levels are too high. Especially if you have allergies or asthma, this can exacerbate your condition. When humidity levels are too low, the dry air can also affect you. Many people experience dry skin and eyes from low-humidity air. Also, dry air can cause some respiratory issues to worsen. Some people will even experience nose bleeds from dry air.
Fortunately, a properly designed air conditioning system should easily keep the humidity level in your house below 50%. Testing and regular maintenance are important to ensure the humidity level stays below that mark in every part of your house. If mold starts growing even in a small corner of a home’s basement, that can be enough to trigger health problems.
People often make the mistake of assuming that in Greenville, SC, they don’t have to worry about low humidity. However, heating systems in the winter can cause a house to dry out below that 30% target. Even a long, dry stretch in the fall or summer can be enough. You may want to look at integrating humidification into your HVAC setup.
Pollution and Natural Irritants
Multiple irritants can cause indoor air quality problems. Counterintuitively, some of these irritants originate outside. Pollen is a common irritant. If your house’s HVAC doesn’t have sufficient filtration, your air ducts could drive pollen into each room. The same goes for pollution from industry and vehicles. Dust accumulates from both indoor and outdoor sources. Also, pet dander can be a source of irritation.
These irritants trigger many adverse health episodes. Allergies are the most common, and asthma attacks are often related. You might also notice irritation in your eyes, nose or throat. Some people develop chest congestion, too.
On the upside, a handful of HVAC solutions can typically help. Installing or improving HVAC filtration is often a big win. Also, tightening up the ductwork in a house can keep irritants from entering the ducts through the basement.
One commonly overlooked source of irritation is volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These are products that off-gas from a host of manufactured items in our homes. VOCs emerge from many sources, including printer ink, newly installed carpets, air fresheners, dry cleaning products, non-stick cookware and paints. Some types of wood will even emit VOCs during the treatment process. You also may notice VOCs from glues.
Dealing with VOCs as irritants generally requires more aggressive solutions. High-efficiency air filters are the simplest. Likewise, improving the ventilation in the HVAC might help. Activated carbon filters and ultraviolet (UV) light scrubbers are some of the more aggressive options.
Carbon Monoxide
Carbon monoxide (CO) is among the most underrated air quality issues in homes. Carbon monoxide collects due to emissions from fireplaces, furnaces, gas stoves, space heaters and generators. If you use gas-powered tools too close to your house, the carbon monoxide can collect indoors. Likewise, tobacco smoke can cause carbon monoxide to accumulate.
What is particularly worrisome about carbon monoxide is that it’s colorless and odorless. Consequently, carbon monoxide may be affecting your health without you even knowing it’s there. Carbon monoxide can cause headaches, dizziness and nausea. The worst cases can lead to people passing out or even dying.
Every house should have a carbon monoxide detector present. Likewise, you can mitigate CO risk by improving the ventilation in your house. It’s also wise to schedule annual checks to verify that the heating systems in your home are still operating properly. This extends to checking the condition of your home’s water heater, especially if it uses natural gas. Depending on the circumstances, repairing or even replacing key systems may be necessary to prevent health risks.
Stale Air
The simple lack of fresh air can be an indoor air quality problem, even if none of the other issues here are present. Low air circulation in a house can drive up carbon dioxide levels while also slightly lowering oxygen levels. You may notice reduced mental concentration; this is especially common among children. Headaches and fatigue are also common in households with stale air. Poor smells can also accumulate because the air isn’t exchanging often enough. Stale air can also encourage respiratory diseases like colds and flu because viruses have time to linger and affect people’s health.
One of the most common sources of this issue is excessive insulation. While a well-insulated home is great for efficiency, it can limit air exchange. If you have a well-insulated home, your HVAC may require added ventilation to offset the limited airflow. Houses that frequently host lots of people can have stale air, too. If you host parties or large family events, you may want to explore improving your home’s indoor air quality.
Sometimes, the problem arises from failing HVAC components. If the fans in your home’s system are failing, they could also limit airflow. Likewise, clogged filters are a common source. If you notice stale air frequently, you may want to check your home’s HVAC filters more often than the manufacturer specifies. Some homeowners also opt for smart technologies to better control where air is flowing. Especially if stale air is only a problem in particular locations in your house, zoned HVAC controls can make a difference.
When these options don’t do the job or aren’t feasible, more aggressive solutions may be necessary. UV-based purifiers are a possible option. Likewise, you may need to upgrade to a higher tier of air filters. Note that additional airflow might be necessary with a high-grade air filter because those filters can inhibit airflow. Positive pressurization is another solution. Effectively, the goal is to push more air into the house than it can instantly release. This discourages air from settling in specific spots.
Contact Us Today
Tuck & Howell, Inc. is an HVAC contractor that has proudly served the people of Greenville and the surrounding areas since 1969. We tackle a host of cooling, heating and plumbing issues in customers’ homes. You can trust us because we put customer satisfaction first.
Service agreements are available. We also have specials available on our website that are updated every month. If you need to spread the cost of a project, we are happy to discuss financing options with qualified homeowners. Emergency service is available on a 24/7 basis, too. You don’t have to put up with poor indoor air quality and the associated health problems. If you want help, contact Tuck & Howell, Inc. today, and we’ll send a technician to assess your home’s needs.
