Indoor Air Quality

1. Air Filters & Vents: Change your air filters regularly. Remember to replace all filters in general. This includes your vacuum filters, cleaning your bathroom vents, and Kitchen vents.
2. Carpets: Carpets can increase the comfort of your home. They also act as air filters, trapping dust, and other particles in their many fibers. Vacuum your carpets and rugs weekly, and they will help your indoor air quality. We recommend getting a professional cleaning once a year for typical households.
3. Use the Kitchen Vent While Cooking: We use several different heat sources to cook food, but mainly gas and electricity. Gas stoves release carbon monoxide, and harmful pollutants into the air. This can be toxic to your family. Additionally, there are by-products created from heating oil, fat, and other ingredients. There have been numerous reports as of late in regard to Teflon coated pans as well. One way you can improve air quality is to make sure you have adequate ventilation. In fact, we recommend employing an exhaust that removes double of what code calls for.
4. Humidity: Humidity can make or break your indoor air quality and it needs to maintain a healthy range. Too much and you can create a breeding ground for mold and other air quality issues. Too low and you will have problems with your skin, your wood flooring and furnishing, and trouble breathing in general. In Northern Virginia, we experience a huge fluctuation in humidity. The goal range is between 35%-40% humidity. This is optimal for indoor air quality. We recommend a two-phased approach. Read more below.
5. Air Duct Cleaning: Duct cleaning can be necessary to improve your indoor air quality. There can be many contaminants in your home through everyday use. These contaminants include dander, dust, chemicals, and mold spores. Each time your HVAC system runs, the pollutants are recirculated in your home. A clean air duct system can contribute to healthier indoor air quality and the environment for you and your family.

Residential Air Conditioning Systems are not designed to run continuously. That is why recommend having a Whole House Humidifier and a whole-house dehumidifier installed in your home. During winter in Northern Virginia, the relative humidity can get very low (3-12%). During these winter months, we recommend utilizing the humidifier. In the summer months, we see extremely high humidity (50+%) and during this time of year, we recommend dehumidifying the air to reduce potential microbial and pest activity. For more information or questions just give us a call.

UV Lights: These lights disinfect the air within your home. Listed below are some of the benefits of having one installed in your home.

• Kill Bacteria, Germs & Viruses
• Controls Allergens
• Removes VOC’s
• Reduces smells and odors.
• Maintains a Cleaner HVAC Units

Recently we have added steam humidifiers to our service offerings. We really like these units as maintenance is a breeze. Also these units only turn on when the unit is operating unlike some of the prior humidifiers that seem to run all the time.

How they work

Steam humidifiers use electrode technology and are simple to install, operate, and maintain. With electrode technology, electrical current flows between submerged electrodes, the water’s resistance to the electric current heats the water. The submerged electrodes are found in a replaceable canister. At the end of a humidifier season, the canister – including the electrodes, is replaced. No cleaning, no scrubbing, replace the canister, and you’re ready for the next humidifier season. Electrode technology requires impurities in the water to promote the transfer of electricity.

If you want more information on the humidifiers see this link.