The air quality inside your Denver, CO, home is vital to your well-being. If you have a large concentration of contaminants in your air, your risk of several health issues can increase. For example, allergy sufferers may experience more symptoms from exposure to pet dander, dust, mold spores, and dust mites. Exposure to volatile organic compounds can lead to symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, and dizziness. People with asthma may suffer more breathing difficulties when indoor air quality is poor. Luckily, you can do several things to improve the quality of your indoor air. This includes investing in purification equipment.
Comparing a Whole-House Unit to a Portable Model
You’re probably familiar with the portable air purifiers that can be plugged into the outlet of your choice and moved around your home as needed. While portable air filters and purifiers can be convenient appliances to address specific rooms in your home, they don’t address indoor air quality throughout your home as a whole. A whole-house air purifier will purify all the air passing through your HVAC system and out into your living spaces. You will experience improved indoor air quality anywhere with air vents and registers.
The Downsides of a Portable Air Purifier
Not only does a portable air purifier not tackle enough of your home at one time, but it has other downsides as well. These units often work with simple filters that don’t trap many particles. A whole-house unit can handle high-efficiency particulate air filters, or HEPA for short, as well as activated carbon filters, which are great for removing odors and volatile organic compounds from your indoor air.
Some low-quality portable air purifiers can be just as dangerous and harmful as the particulates they are supposed to remove. Many of these small units emit chemicals or create ozone. They can also be ineffective, simply consuming an excessive amount of energy but not removing enough contaminants.
Different Types of Whole-House Purification
You have several choices regarding the type of whole-house purification equipment you have installed. What you select may be based on your IAQ needs as well as your budget.
Media Filtration
Whole-house purification devices often use media filters to remove particulate matter. These filters are effective but also surprisingly affordable. Media filters and purification equipment are typically installed near your return air duct or air handler. You can select filters based on the minimum efficiency reporting value scale, or MERV for short. MERV filters that are between 8 and 12 are commonly used for your standard residential furnace. Most air purifiers can handle higher MERV ratings, allowing for more particulates to be removed.
Electrostatic Filtration
Rather than using a physical filter that needs to be replaced periodically, electrostatic filtration collects particles on oppositely charged collection plates. You simply remove these plates periodically and clean them. You can use this type of filtration to remove dust, dust mites, pollen, pet dander, and other common pollutants. In many cases, whole-house electrostatic filtration can remove as much as 99.97% of particulate matter in your air.
UV Light Technology
By passing air through UV-C light, you can kill any pathogens, viruses, and bacteria in the air. This process can also remove mold spores from your indoor air, which can cause serious respiratory and whole-body issues. This process doesn’t remove particulates from your air. Rather, it’s something that homeowners often combine with other types of filtrations.
Do Whole-House Filtration Units Require Maintenance?
Whole-house filtration equipment often has minimal maintenance needs, making it attractive for homeowners who prize convenience and simplicity. As a homeowner, the only thing you will need to do is keep up with changing filters. The frequency for this task can be anywhere from once every 30 days to once every few months. You might need to inspect your filters periodically to see if they require cleaning or changing.
When you schedule your annual routine HVAC maintenance, this is a good time to have our team inspect your whole-house purification equipment as well. We will clean interior components and inspect your unit to see if anything needs to be repaired.
Securing Professional Installation
An experienced professional will need to install your whole-house air purifier. This is not a DIY project. Professionals will ensure that this work is done according to local codes and safety requirements. The goal is to ensure that your equipment works efficiently to help you maintain optimal indoor air quality at all times. We will help you choose a unit based on the size of your home, your IAQ needs, your budget, etc.
Other Ways to Improve IAQ
There are other methods you can use to improve the quality of your indoor air.
Sealing Ductwork
The ducts in your home may have small gaps, cracks, or damage that allow particulates to enter your HVAC system and circulate through your home. Pests can even enter your ducts, creating quite a mess and decreasing the quality of your indoor air. We recommend having your ductwork inspected and sealed. If there are large portions of your ductwork that cannot be repaired, we can replace these sections with new ducting.
Controlling Humidity
It’s important that your home has a level of relative humidity that is between 30% and 50%. Excessive moisture in your air can allow more particulates to be suspended in the air. Humid air can also promote the growth of mold. We can install a whole-house dehumidification unit to reduce the amount of moisture in your indoor air.
Promoting Ample Ventilation
A healthy exchange of air between the outside and the interior of your home can reduce the number of contaminants present. Use your exhaust fans in your bathrooms and kitchens when bathing, cooking, or cleaning. We can install ventilation equipment in areas like your attic or basement as well. You can spot ventilation issues by noticing stale odors in your home, especially those that are musty or moldy.
Using Plants for Purification
Several houseplants can help naturally purify your air as well as add to the ambiance of your home. Some of the most beneficial varieties include the peace lily, spider plant, pothos, weeping fig, and bamboo palm. Just make sure that you are watering your plants as needed and not keeping them too damp. This can increase the humidity in your home.
If you would like to have your indoor air tested to see what kind of contaminants you’re dealing with, give us a call at Summit Heating, A/C, Plumbing & Electrical. We can provide you with recommendations for whole-house purification equipment that can improve your indoor air quality. We can install this equipment and provide ongoing maintenance and service. We also install, repair, and maintain heating and cooling equipment. Plus, we perform duct cleaning. We offer plumbing services like water heater repair, drain cleaning, drain repair, pipe repair, and sewer replacement. We offer a variety of electrical services and commercial HVAC assistance as well.
Contact Summit Heating, A/C, Plumbing & Electrical in Denver today to schedule an appointment.
