Do you get frequent headaches, fatigue, dizziness, or cold-like symptoms whenever you are home? If you answered, “Yes,” you may have bad indoor air quality.
When your indoor air quality (IAQ) is poor, it can cause havoc on your health. The mildest effects are allergy symptoms, but if your indoor air quality is bad enough, it can even cause lung damage or worse.
Contributors to bad indoor air quality include:
- Carbon Monoxide
- Pollutants
- Particulate Matter
- Pollen
- Dust
- Mold
- Bacteria
- Viruses
- Pet Dander
Don’t risk your health or the health of your loved ones. If you suspect that your home’s air isn’t the cleanest, call on your trusted local air specialists, the cooling and heating experts at Action Air Conditioning. We can provide you with an air quality test and offer you solutions to clear your air and help you breathe well again.
Not sure if you have bad indoor air quality? No problem! There are many ways to determine if your home’s air is in trouble. Read on to discover 4 signs that your indoor air quality is bad.
#1 Excessive Dust Collection
Low air exchange rates from an inefficient HVAC system can greatly reduce how well your furnace filter can purify the air. If the air can’t circulate well through your ventilation system, it’s not getting clean.
When pollutants and particulate matter are given the chance to collect and become concentrated, their effect on our health can be tremendously impactful in a negative way. Luckily, particulate matter doesn’t remain suspended forever.
As it falls to the surface of objects in your home, you notice them as dust and dirt. If your tables and shelves are becoming dirty at an unusual rate, your indoor air quality is at a concerning level.
The first things you should check are your vents and furnace filter. Your filter should be changed every 90 days at a minimum, and all of your vents should be completely open and unobstructed.
If you find that your filter is clean and your vents are clear, you should schedule a visit with one of our friendly and informative representatives. We can help you to determine the problem and help you to improve your indoor air quality.
#2 Lingering Smells
When we think of odor, we typically consider unpleasant smells, but even good scents should dissipate in a well-ventilated home with clean air.
If you can still smell breakfast when you come home from work at night, your HVAC system isn’t doing what it should. Just as the molecules from this morning’s bacon are still lingering in the air, so is everything else.
There are also plenty of bad odors we don’t want to smell, like musty rooms, off-gassing from new carpet or furniture, and Fluffy’s cat litter nuggets. These scents are indications of microorganisms and pollutants hovering in the air we breathe.
If you have this problem, your home’s ventilation system is not what it should be. Your indoor air is stale and loaded with irritants and toxins.
#3 Cool and Warm
Does one room feel cool and the other one warm? If so, this is a sign of where your air is remaining stagnant.
If you are running your air conditioner, but one room doesn’t cool off well, there is something off about your HVAC. Your ducts could be leaking or improperly installed, your unit could be too small, or you could just need some simple maintenance.
The one thing we can tell you for certain is, when you turn on your AC, every room should cool off equally. The temperature should remain the same throughout your entire home. If that isn’t the case, you need a skilled and knowledgeable technician to assess your HVAC and get to the bottom of your air quality issues.
#4 High Humidity or Low Humidity
The humidity in your home should average between 40% and 60%. When your humidity is too high, it leads to bacteria, mold, and dust mite reproduction. But if it plummets below 40%, everything including viruses hangs in the air longer.
Especially with it being cold and flu season in a COVID-19 pandemic, viruses are the last thing you want thriving in your home.
The ideal humidity is one that weighs down particulate matter and ruins the mood for microorganisms.
When your HVAC is too large or your home is drafty, your AC won’t run long enough to properly rid your air of excess moisture. If your HVAC is too small, it may run all day and dry out your air too much.
Either scenario is bad for your indoor air quality and needs to be remedied!
Indoor Air Quality Testing Service and HVAC Maintenance in Tampa Florida
At Action AIr Conditioning, we care about your total comfort. But we also care about your budget. That’s why our technicians will always consider your needs and discuss your options.
Our experts on staff are ready to install, repair, or service your HVAC and bring quality air through your home through careful investigation and innovative technology. When you want superior service that you can trust, Action Air Conditioning is here for you. Get your free estimate today!