Indoor Air Quality in Your Tulsa Home - Ways You Can Improve It

How's the Indoor Air Quality in Your Tulsa Home? 3 Ways You Can Improve It

AIR DUCT CLEANING - Broken Arrow

At Air Assurance, we provide many indoor air quality solutions. Many homeowners have dealt with allergies, dust, or other problems in their home never realizing that the indoor air quality can be improved. If too little outdoor air enters a home, pollutants such as dust, mold, bacteria, fungi, and other contaminates can accumulate to levels that can pose health and comfort problems. Health concerns, such as allergies, asthma or the hazards of carbon monoxide can often be attributed to a poorly maintained, designed, or installed heating and air conditioning system. We provide duct cleaning service in Broken Arrow, Jenks, Owasso, Coweta, Tulsa and more!

AIR DUCT CLEANING REQUIRED?

Indoor Air Quality is important. Air duct cleaning helps maintain the hygiene of your household. Unclean ducts make the air unfit for breathing. Bad indoor air quality is one of the major causes of many respiratory problems like asthma and allergies. But did you know, you don't always need a duct cleaning? Often times we can help elimnate the source of the duct problem.

The system cleans your air ducts by brushing and removing debris and dirt directly out of your HVAC system and into our hepa filtration silencing box. We can then apply an anti-microbial protectant inside your duct work that kills most germs and microbes on contact for up to an entire year, greatly reducing or eliminating air-borne pathogens.

An HVAC air filter captures only about 7 percent of airborne debris in the average home. That means that roughly 93 percent of the dust in your air keeps circulating through the heat vents and HVAC system. To improve your air quality and protect your costly HVAC equipment from damage, it's wise to have the condition of your ducts checked every two years. When duct cleaning is needed, make sure you hire an experienced professional who adheres to standards established by the National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA) and uses the correct cleaning procedures to safeguard your home and HVAC system.In between checkups, watch for these telltale signs that your ducts need cleaning.

About indoor air quality

Everyone deserves to breathe healthful air, especially at home. Doing so can be a challenge in today’s modern world, however, when homes are well insulated for energy efficiency. Airtight homes have a downside: They trap contaminated air inside. Many products that we use daily at home contribute to bad indoor air quality, too. Cleaning fluids, pesticides, hobby materials, home improvement dust and even wet carpets emit harmful particles, polluting your air supply. Combustion debris and gases from cooking/home heating float through our indoor air along with pet dander, dust and bacteria. Here in the Tulsa area, we have the added challenge of a humid climate, which encourages mold growth.  

Safeguarding indoor air quality: the three ways 

• Source control: Your goal is to eliminate or minimize sources of poor indoor air quality. Limit the use of harmful chemicals in your home and ensure proper storage. When cooking or showering, use your exhaust fans (properly vented to the outdoors) to clear out cooking odors and humid, moist air. Schedule preventive maintenance to ensure your appliances and HVAC system work properly, limiting the possibility of gas leaks. For safety, install CO (carbon monoxide) monitors/detectors near sleeping areas and test regularly.

• Ventilation: Proper, balanced airflow throughout the home depends on a properly designed, sized and maintained duct system. Have your ductwork sealed to prevent energy loss and maintain air quality. Duct cleaning is advisable in some cases. Since A/C systems can’t provide adequate ventilation, whole-house mechanical ventilation is recommended.

• Air cleaning: No one air sanitizing method is perfect, but using a few specialized tools in combination can provide greatly improved IAQ. Whole-house air cleaning with UV lighting, when incorporated into your home’s air cleaning, heating and cooling system, helps prevent the growth of harmful bacteria. Consider asking your home comfort contractor to apply broad-spectrum antimicrobial microbiocide to further inhibit harmful bacteria. For the best air quality, include a whole-home air cleaner with an advanced filtration system and highly effective air filter.

Concerned about indoor air quality? Contact the experts at Air Assurance. Visit our website to learn more or give us a call.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). 

Considering UV Lights to Improve IAQ? Here's What You Need to Know

Using ultraviolet light to sterilize air and water is nothing new. It's been a proven means to control living organisms such as mold, mildew, fungus, bacteria and viruses for several decades in hospitals and in industrial and research settings. UV lights can also be installed in your home's HVAC system as a means to control these pollutants whenever they threaten your indoor air quality.

How UVGI Works

Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) technology is pretty simple. Focusing light from the ultraviolet section of the light spectrum, UVGI bulbs destroy the reproductive ability of living microorganisms by penetrating cell walls and disrupting their DNA. UVGI air cleaners basically consist of strong light bulbs, installed near the evaporator coils of the HVAC system, and in the ducts. The bulbs shine on the damp areas of the evaporator coils, where condensation may lead to a buildup of mold and mildew. They may also be focused on the surfaces of the ducts, where they sterilize the return air as it passes into the system, killing microorganisms before they can be redistributed into your home's supply air.

Facts About UVGI

1. Before you install UVGI technology, be sure you address any excessively moist conditions in your home. High humidity is usually caused by leaking plumbing, leaks in attics or flooding in basements. Fix these problems so that you can maintain balanced humidity in your home. If you suspect mold or mildew (a musty smell and the visual presence of mold are key), UVGI lights should be used in conjunction with efforts to reduce high humidity.

2. UVGI lights have been shown to be effective at reducing microorganisms that aggravate allergies, asthma and other respiratory issues.

3. UVGI systems are fairly easy to install and use, although installation can be a bit pricey.

4. Ultraviolet light bulbs should be changed annually, as they are only effective when the light is strong.

5. Never look directly at a UV light. Although they do not burn hot, the light can damage the retina.

For more information on UV lights, contact Air Assurance. We've been serving Broken Arrow and the surrounding area since 1985.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about UV lights and other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273. Credit/Copyright Attribution: “geralt/Pixabay”

Air Cleaners May Offer Relief If You Suffer From These Breathing Ailments

If you or someone in your Broken Arrow home has asthma, allergies, COPD or other respiratory illnesses, an air cleaner may help you breathe easier. The air in the typical home contains particles of dust, mold, pollen, bacteria and viruses. In fact, the EPA cites indoor air in the home as one of the top five environmental hazards. An air cleaner can help reduce the number of particles in your air that trigger or aggravate allergy and asthma symptoms and improve your indoor air quality. There are several types of air cleaners on the market.Electronic cleanersElectronic air cleaners use electrical charges to trap particles.

• Electrostatic precipitators draw in air and give it an electrostatic charge. The particles adhere to an oppositely-charged plate in the unit. The plate must be cleaned periodically to remove particle buildup.

• Ionizers send ions into the air, giving airborne particles a charge. The charged particles attach themselves to surfaces such as walls and tables, where they must be removed by hand, ideally with a cloth containing an electrostatic charge.

Mechanical cleanersMechanical air filters use a fan to pull air into the unit. Particles are trapped in a filter, which is cleaned or replaced when it's full. A high-efficiency particulate air, or HEPA, filter is the most effective for this type of air cleaner. HEPA filters trap 90 percent of particles 0.3 microns in size and larger.Hybrid air filtersA combination of the electronic and mechanical air cleaner types, hybrid filters use both types of technology to clean your air.It's important to note that an air cleaner will only trap particles that are airborne. If you have carpets, the particles that are trapped in them will remain trapped until agitated or vacuumed. Air cleaners should be used in the most-inhabited rooms in your home, such as the bedroom and TV room.For more expert advice on air cleaners and choosing one that is right for you, please feel free to contact us at Air Assurance, serving the greater Tulsa area, including Broken Arrow, with a high level of customer satisfaction.

What Could Be The Source of Your Home's Poor Indoor Air Quality?

Indoor air pollution is a serious cause of concern because most people spend a vast majority of their time inside. Poor indoor air quality can result in poor health, so it’s important that you understand what the sources of indoor air pollution are and how to stop them.There are two categories of pollutants that can decrease indoor air quality:

• Particle matter: Microscopic solids and liquids are considered particle matter. They come in a wide range of sizes, and the smallest particles with a diameter of 2.5 microns or less create the greatest health concern. Unlike coarser particles, fine particles can be inhaled and penetrate deep into the lungs.

• Gaseous pollution: Chemicals and gases that are not attached to particles are considered gaseous pollutants. It can be difficult to capture gaseous pollutants, which is why source control and ventilation are so important for promoting good indoor air quality.

There are many sources of pollutants that degrade indoor air quality:

• Combustion Sources: Oil or gas furnaces, kerosene lamps, wood-burning fireplaces, wood stoves, gas space heaters, and tobacco products

• Building materials and furnishings: Insulation, paint, adhesives, damp carpeting and pressed wood cabinetry

• Cleaning and personal care products: Bleach, air fresheners, hair spray and bug spray

• Biological sources: Pet dander, cooking, pollen, mold spores, dust mites and skin flakes

There are ways to decrease the presence of these pollutants and increase indoor air quality:

• Improve ventilation: Your home is like a thermos, keeping moisture and pollutants inside, if there isn’t enough ventilation. If your home is tightly sealed, a whole-house ventilation system could be beneficial.

• Source control: Use solid wood instead of pressed wood, adjust combustion appliances to reduce their emissions, enclose asbestos-containing insulation and ask smokers to take their cigarettes outside.

• Install air cleaners: While this method isn’t a substitute for ventilation or source control, it can supplement your efforts. Air cleaners can reduce the amount of airborne particles and gases and encourage better indoor air quality.

For more advice about reducing air pollution in your home, please contact Air Assurance in Broken Arrow today.Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Air Assurance services Tulsa, Broken Arrow and the surrounding areas. Visit our websiteto see our current promotionsand get started today!     Indoor Air Quality image via Shutterstock