Because of the many health benefits of high indoor air quality (IAQ), residents of Summerville, SC should devote at least some time and energy to either maintaining or raising it in their homes. This is a challenge at any time of year, but it’s especially difficult to do during the winter. Here are a few reasons why IAQ tends to become naturally worse once winter rolls around.
Heating Systems and Appliances
Due to the cold winter weather, you’ll probably spend more time indoors for the next few months than you would at any other point during the year. Consequently, you’ll probably use various heating devices rather intensively this season. Your heating system is the most significant of these appliances, but your stove, dryer, water heater and fireplace may also play prominent roles.
Each of these devices can generate pollutants that reduce IAQ. Your fireplace and oven may release smoke into the air while your dryer may spew out tiny pieces of lint.
Your water heater may raise humidity levels in your home, especially if it malfunctions. This may attract various insects and make it easier for minuscule particles to accumulate in the air.
However, the threat to IAQ that comes from your heating system surpasses all these other potential hazards. If your system runs on natural gas, there will also be at least some risk of a gas leak. Various mishaps with the heating system’s machinery may also cause carbon monoxide or exhaust smoke to flood into your home.
Because of chemical modifications that make the natural gas your furnace uses smell like rotten eggs, it will be easy to spot the first kind of leak. Carbon monoxide, however, is both odorless and highly toxic. Therefore, you’ll need to rely on your furnace’s pilot light turning blue to know that this dangerous gas is in your home.
All these dangers make it crucially important to keep your heating system in optimal condition throughout the winter. You must remember to provide your system with annual or semi-annual tune-ups and recognize the signs that it needs either repairs or an outright replacement.
The Consequences of Staying Indoors
Staying indoors for longer periods will likely have more adverse consequences for your IAQ. For one thing, dust, which is by far the most common of all airborne pollutants, will be more likely to congregate in relatively large quantities in your home this season. This is because your windows will almost certainly remain closed throughout the winter, allowing for less general circulation and exchange between indoor and outdoor air.
For the very same reason, you can also expect to deal with larger concentrations of other pollutants, like dust mites, volatile organic compounds and various biological spores. This fact makes it doubly important to clean or replace your HVAC system’s air filters regularly. In fact, you may even want to buy some stronger filters to counteract these dangers.
Pet Dander
Since you won’t be leaving your home as often, your pets won’t either. That means they’ll spend more time running around indoors and shedding their hair and dander all over your home.
Of course, that hair and dander will diminish your IAQ. They’ll also glom onto your HVAC system’s filters and restrict airflow, which will curtail the system’s ability to function and cause IAQ to plummet even further. If you happen to suffer from allergies, they will be almost certain to worsen them.
Though you must always remember to thoroughly clean and brush your pets no matter the time of year, the foregoing facts make this even more essential during the winter. Be sure to vacuum your carpets and furniture upholstery, wipe down all hard surfaces, and buy an air purifier as well.
Despite the issues we just examined, you can still enjoy clean air in your Summerville, SC home this winter. You simply need to have the right sort of professional assistance. Call Berkeley Heating & Air Conditioning to schedule an appointment for our IAQ services today.
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