Indoor Air Quality

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Indoor Air Quality - Tulsa, Ok

Indoor air can expose you to more pollutants than outdoor air. Failing to address issues with indoor air quality can lead to health problems like allergies and asthma. A good starting point for improving your home's air quality is identifying the levels of contaminants. Here are ways to test your home's air quality.

Evaluate Your Health Symptoms

Assessing any signs and symptoms you may have and your home's age and location may help narrow down the potential indoor pollutants. Seek medical attention if you believe your health issues are connected to your living environment. Your doctor will help you identify the health problems resulting from exposure to pollutants like mold, carbon monoxide, or radon.

Install an Air Quality Monitor

Purchase a monitor that measures the specific indoor pollutants you're worried about. For instance, if you live in an older house, you could get a monitor that detects carbon monoxide and radon. If you live in an area with lots of outdoor air pollution, you could buy a model that detects particulate matter.

Install Carbon Monoxide (CO) Alarms

Carbon monoxide is colorless, odorless, and tasteless, and it can build up to dangerous levels in a poorly ventilated space. If you own appliances such as gas furnaces, gas-burning stoves, and gas dryers, installing CO alarms on all levels of your home is crucial.

Carry Out a Radon Test

Long-term radon exposure is one of the leading causes of lung cancer. Radon can seep into your home through the foundation, walls, floors, and areas around your pipes. You can use short-term radon test kits, long-term kits, or continuous tests to find out whether your home has high radon levels.

Call a Professional

You can opt for professional indoor air quality test if you fear you may have severe air-quality issues and are experiencing health problems like asthma and humidifier fever related to exposure to pollutants.

Once you identify the potential indoor air quality issues in your home, you can address them by installing an air purifier, sealing up trouble areas, improving your home's ventilation, and ensuring your HVAC system is working at peak efficiency. If you need any HVAC service or indoor air quality assessment in the Broken Arrow area, contact the experts at Air Assurance.

How to Clean the Air in Your Home

Do you ever think about your indoor air quality? If not, you're like many other homeowners who, while they would never neglect cleaning their homes, don't give clean air a second thought. That's too bad, because research has shown that the air quality in most homes — particularly those with newer, tighter construction — is several times more polluted than the air outdoors. It may not be on your radar unless you have allergies or respiratory problems, but read on to learn what you might be breathing in your home. Then, maybe you'll decide it's time to do something about cleaning the air.

What Types of Pollutants Do You Have in Your Home?

The air in most homes is positive for a variety of airborne pollutants, including:

• Humidity

• Volatile organic compounds

• Dust mites and other decaying insect parts

• Pollen

• Dust

• Mold

• Pet dander

Over time, the pollutants build up, particularly if you keep windows and doors closed or if you do not have some type of ventilation equipment installed.

Cleaning the Air in Your Home

There are a number of ways to effectively go about cleaning the air in your home:

• Fix plumbing leaks, condensate drain obstructions, and leaks in the roof and ceiling to lower humidity in the home. Also, changing the HVAC filter often will help the HVAC remove moisture from the home's air properly.

• Install bathroom and kitchen ventilation to lower humidity in the home.

• Air out dry cleaning or articles made of pressed wood to shed volatile organic compounds, which are types of gases given off by certain products. Also tightly cap chemicals such as thinner, paint and cleaning solutions. Put them away in a cabinet or outside.

• Don't smoke indoors.

• Vacuum with a HEPA filter.

• Brush pets outdoors.

• To get rid of pet dander and insect particles, vacuum and clean rugs, carpets, and drapes.

• Use a quality air filter, changing it as often as the manufacturer recommends.

• Use either a portable air purifier or install a whole-home air purifier in the HVAC system.

For more on cleaning the air, contact Air Assurance of Broken Arrow.

How Your HVAC System Can Help You Combat Spring Allergies

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This time of year can make you miserable if you have spring allergies. Tree and grass pollen can cause you to sneeze, have watery eyes, and experience other allergy symptoms. You might not be able to avoid going outside, but you can use your HVAC system to keep these allergens out of your home and boost your indoor air quality. Use the following HVAC tips to combat spring allergies.

Replace HVAC Filters

HVAC filters catch allergens and other particles to prevent them from getting into your home through your vents when you’re running your air conditioning or heating system. However, these filters get dirty or clogged and need to be replaced. When your HVAC filters are dirty, this makes it easier for allergens to blow into different parts of your home via your ducts and vents. Check and change your HVAC filters this spring and every month (or few months) after that to reduce the presence of allergens in your home and alleviate your spring allergies.

Clean the Outdoor Unit

Pollen and other debris can cover your outdoor HVAC unit and end up getting into your home. Use a garden hose to rinse off your outdoor unit to eliminate pollen and other debris. In addition to reducing the risk of allergy symptoms, doing this helps your HVAC system run more efficiently.

Schedule Duct Cleaning

Your home’s ductwork can harbor pollen and other allergens, such as dust. When these ducts haven’t been cleaned in awhile, they could be filled with these allergens. A professional duct cleaning helps remove this debris so you’re not breathing it in while running your HVAC system.

Clean Your House

Sweeping and mopping floors, vacuuming, and dusting can help you reduce the amount of allergens in your home this spring. Doing these cleaning tasks on a regular basis can help you keep allergies at bay throughout the season.

If you need duct cleaning or other HVAC services to combat spring allergies, please contact Air Assurance. Our HVAC technicians provide dependable HVAC services to homeowners in Broken Arrow.

indoor Air Quality testing?

Indoor air quality has a significant impact on health. Exposure to the pollutants in indoor air has been associated with sneezing, coughing, respiratory irritation, and more-severe long-term health issues like cancer and lung disease. High-quality air filters can improve the quality of your home's air. Call Air Assurance Co if you would like a no costs assessment and report of your indoor air quality, including VOCS, particulate count, CO2 and more.

How Air Filters Affect Air Quality

The air that your HVAC system circulates throughout your home passes through an air filter before it's distributed. The air filter captures large dirt particles, dust bunnies, hair, and lint. If you have a high-quality filter, it will also capture microscopic allergens. As a result, the high-quality filter leaves the air that's circulated throughout your home cleaner, healthier, and better for breathing.

Cheap fiberglass air filters only trap large particles. As a result, they don't boost your home's air quality. High-quality filters that also capture microscopic particles (helping improve indoor air quality) include:

• Pleated electrostatic filters. Electrostatic filters consist of charged material that attracts oppositely charged particles. These filters capture tiny pollutants like smoke, bacteria, and allergens. Pleats improve their filtering performance.

• HEPA filters. These utilize specially formulated filtration technology that captures up to 99.97% of airborne particles equal to or greater than 0.3 microns in diameter. As a result, they capture a wide variety of microscopic particles like mold spores, tobacco smoke, pollen grains, pet dander, bacteria, and some viruses.

• Carbon filters. Carbon filters are specifically made to remove odors. They also remove gaseous vapors, smoke, and certain chemicals, such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

• Air purifiers. Air purifiers use the same filtration types as HVAC air filters. They pull air from a room, pass it through a filter, and send purified air back to the room. Modern purifiers typically use a multilayer filter system comprising prefilters, carbon filters, antibacterial filters, and HEPA filters.

Considering the large volume of indoor air that passes through an air filter, well-maintained filters can have a significant positive impact on your home's air quality. Make sure you replace your filters regularly to keep them working efficiently. For the best indoor air-quality solutions in the Broken Arrow area, don't hesitate to contact us at Air Assurance.

What is a Humidifier's Role in Curing a Cough?

Many people instinctively plug in humidifiers to soothe and cure coughs. That may lead you to wonder if science agrees. So what does a humidifier do for a cough? Find out below.

Reason for Using Humidifiers for Respiratory Conditions

So, what does a humidifier do for a cough? Expert opinions vary on how exactly humidifiers ease coughs and cold symptoms. It is well known that dry air isn't good for coughing. Inhaling dry air may cause or worsen coughing. By adding moisture to your home's air, a humidifier can help relieve dry coughing during sleep.

Pediatricians often recommend using a humidifier at night to help children with an upper respiratory infection, which causes difficulty breathing, nasal congestion, and coughing that tend to worsen at night. While you may find a warm-mist humidifier to be the most soothing, it is safer to choose cool-mist humidifiers for kids to prevent them from sustaining burns if they get too close to the hot steam.

Dry air makes mucus more difficult to cough up or blow out. Humidifiers help moisturize your lung, throat, and nasal passages. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) suggests that by helping loosen mucus, a cool-mist humidifier can soothe coughs.

Humidification can help relieve coughs linked to bronchitis. However, it's not recommended for people with asthma-related coughs.

Tips for Using a Humidifier Effectively

For you to use a humidifier effectively and get the expected benefits when it comes to what does a humidifier do for a cough, you'll need to follow the manufacturer's instructions and the following tips:

• Use distilled water. Avoid essential oils and vaporubs, as they can release chemicals that can irritate the respiratory tract.

• Clean your humidifier regularly. A humidifier that's cleaned inappropriately can cause microbes to grow in the unit and be dispersed into your home's air. Clean your unit thoroughly every one to three days, and replace the filter every week.

• Monitor the humidity levels. Your home's humidity levels shouldn't exceed 50% to avoid mold and condensation problems.

Be sure to use your humidifier properly to help you breathe easier indoors. For top-quality humidifiers or other indoor air-quality products in the Broken Arrow area, and to learn more about what does a humidifier do for a cough, get in touch with the trusted professionals at Air Assurance.

How Often Should You Open Your Windows for Natural Ventilation?

Maintaining good airflow throughout your home is important. Your HVAC system circulates and filters your air, but it also uses a lot of energy. Opening your windows, on the other hand, provides great natural ventilation that can reduce your energy bills while keeping your air clean.

Benefits of Natural Ventilation

The air in your home is filled with contaminants. Fresh, outdoor air is much cleaner. By opening windows to let that fresh air in, you can improve your indoor air quality. Opening two windows on opposite sides of a room provides a cross breeze, letting the bad air out and the good air in. This can also help your system's air filter last longer by filling your house with clean air.

Additionally, letting cool air in on a summer day reduces the burden on your AC. Fresh air provides natural cooling so your HVAC doesn't have to run as long. This not only saves energy but it may help extend the life of your system.

Drawbacks of Natural Ventilation

As great as fresh air is, you can't just leave your windows open all the time. The air may be cleaner, but there are still pollutants to worry about. Pollen and dust can get in, as well as exhaust from passing cars and other sources.

Moreover, while cool air may help you save energy, once the weather gets hotter, it has the opposite effect. If the air outside is warmer than your thermostat setting, you're raising your indoor temperature, making your AC work harder to cool your home.

So how often should you open your windows? It's recommended that you do so once a day, for at least five minutes. Fifteen to 20 minutes is preferable. However, when you open them is also important. Keep them open at night or in the early morning, when the weather is cooler. Then, before things start to heat up, close the windows and draw the blinds to keep that cool, fresh air inside as long as possible.

For more help with natural ventilation, contact us at Air Assurance. Broken Arrow's home comfort is our top priority.

Spring Cleaning Tips to Improve IAQ

Not only will spring-cleaning make your house look beautiful again, it will also improve its indoor air quality, which can benefit the health of those in your household. To get you started, we've compiled a few of our favorite tips that will make improving IAQ in spring quick and easy.

Schedule HVAC Maintenance

Spring-cleaning should always begin by ensuring that your HVAC equipment is running properly. If you haven't had it checked out in the past year, it's time to call a professional and get it done. This will help maintain its efficiency — and even prolong its operational life span.

Change the Filter Every One to Three Months

Your HVAC equipment's air filter is essential to maintaining healthy air quality, but unfortunately, it gets clogged up pretty quickly. On average, the filter must be changed every one to three months to work properly. Check each month and then either clean or replace it, depending on what type you have installed.

Don’t Forget Fan Blades

Whenever you dust around the house, it's very important that you don't forget about the fan blades. In fact, we're guessing that when you do clean the blades, you might be surprised at the amount of dust that has collected up there. If you don't clean this area on a regular basis, then the accumulated dust will be spread out each time you turn on the fan.

Get Your Ducts Professionally Cleaned

Your air ducts might be acting as a haven for harmful particles without you even knowing it. Left unchecked, this can greatly hurt your indoor air quality every time your HVAC equipment is in operation. To keep this from happening, hire a professional to clean the ducts at least once every five years.

If you follow these simple housecleaning tips, then improving IAQ during the spring will be a cinch. If you need more advice or have any other home-comfort concerns that you would like to discuss, the HVAC experts at Air Assurance can assist you. We've been servicing the needs of Broken Arrow and the surrounding communities for more than 30 years.

How to Prevent Irritants From Getting Into Your Home

Everyone wants clean, breathable air in their home, but so many homeowners seem to struggle with this. We don't want you to suffer any longer, so we've put together a quick list of ways that you can prevent irritants from entering your air.

Upgrade Your Air Filter

If you want an air filter that's even more effective in reducing the number of contaminants in your air, then you should upgrade to a HEPA-style filter with a MERV rating of 10 or better. This will help provide optimal filtration for your entire household.

Replace Your Air Filter Every One to Three Months

Your HVAC system's air filter does a great job keeping harmful pollutants from being recirculated into the air. Unfortunately, while it's doing its job, it doesn't take long before the filter gets clogged up. Checking the filter each month and replacing it every one to three months will ensure that it continues to work properly.

Use UV Lights to Kill Contaminants

Ultraviolet lights can be used to kill several different types of pollutants that can cause irritation and respiratory issues. These lights are installed within your HVAC equipment and will treat the air as it passes through on its way to get recirculated into your home.

Get Your Ducts Cleaned

Over time, your home's air ducts gather dust and other allergens as air moves through them. These allergens can be picked up at any time and delivered back into your air. Getting your ducts cleaned by a professional is a great way to keep your air clear of irritants.

Use a Humidifier or Dehumidifier

To maintain healthy air in your home — air with fewer irritants — it is recommended that the relative humidity level be around 40%. Depending on your current humidity level, this can be achieved with either a humidifier or a dehumidifier.

Once you learn how to prevent irritants from circulating in your home, the members of your household will breathe a lot easier. For more expert advice on this or any other home-comfort subject, contact the friendly professionals at Air Assurance. We've been handling the HVAC needs of Broken Arrow and the surrounding areas since 1985.

Indoor Air Quality Testing - Tulsa, OK

Indoor Air Quality Testing - Tulsa, OK

We spend a great deal of time in our indoor environment, whether it’s at home or at work in our place of business. Air Assurance provides many air quality services including air duct cleaning, air duct sealing, and indoor air quality testing. The professional at Air Assurance can also help correct and improve your indoor environment with a number of options. Call on Air Assurance when you need air quality testing - We service all of Greater Tulsa, including Jenks, Broken Arrow, Owasso, Sapulpa and more.

Way to Improve Indoor Air Quality

Maintaining indoor comfort involves more than keeping your home's living spaces warm or cool. Indoor air quality is also a major factor that affects how comfortable your home will be. When particulates and contaminants such as dust, pollen, mold, and related materials get into your home's air, you can have problems such as allergy and asthma attacks, worsening of respiratory conditions, and the onset of physical discomforts such as irritated eyes and scratchy throats. Here are some suggestions for improving the indoor air quality in your home this fall and year-round.

• Change HVAC system filters: The air filters in your furnace, air conditioner, or heat pump help remove particulates from your indoor air. They capture these materials as air from your home circulates through the system to be heated or cooled. Make sure these filters are kept clean and fresh. They should be checked at least once a month and changed when they get dirty.

• Maintain your HVAC equipment: Regular preventive maintenance will improve the function of your HVAC system and boost its ability to remove particulates, reduce humidity, and keep your indoor air cleaner.

• Clean, dust, and vacuum regularly: Keeping your indoor environment clean and free of dust, mold, and other contaminants can significantly improve indoor air quality. Dust and vacuum at least weekly.

• Increase ventilation: Ventilation keeps a steady flow of air moving through your home, which helps remove particulates and send them outside. When weather and outdoor conditions permit, open windows and doors to let breezes move through your indoor spaces. Install a whole-house ventilation system that provides effective airflow for your entire home. Turn your window air conditioner to fan-only to provide extra ventilation.

• Install air filtration and cleaning systems: Install high-efficiency air cleaning and filtration equipment that provides additional removal of particulates and indoor pollution. Use the highest-quality filters possible in these devices.

Air Assurance is a premier source for professional HVAC services in Tulsa and the surrounding Oklahoma communities. Contact us today for more information on indoor air quality and how to keep your home's air cleaner and fresher throughout the year.

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).Credit/Copyright Attribution: “Zurijeta/Shutterstock”

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). 

How Dust Affects Your Indoor Air Quality

What is dust and where does it come from? In Oklahoma, most of us have to deal with pervasive dust in our homes, so it's important to know its source and not only keep it from gaining entrance, but also to control the dust that wafts inside. Controlling dust will vastly improve your indoor air quality.

What Is Dust?

Many online sources claim that dust is us -- that is, most of it is made up of shredded human skin and hair. Turns out, that's untrue. Most human skin and hair particles are washed off during showers and go down the drain. Only a small percentage of the dust in our homes is human-derived.

Most dust blows in from the outdoors, particularly in homes that are less than airtight, or where the doors or windows are kept open, or from tracking the outdoors inside on our feet or on our pets.

The other dust particles are derived from pet hair and dander, decaying insect bodies, carpet fluff and clothing and textile fibers. Some dust may be made of pollen and soot.

Controlling Dust

The best way to keep dust under control is by frequent vacuuming with a HEPA filter. Be sure to vacuum carpets, rugs, furniture and baseboards. But do be aware that vacuuming can scatter dust particles into the air, so whenever possible, clean floors, such as tile or hardwood, with a damp mop.

Your HVAC air filter can play an important role in controlling dust, but to do so effectively, it needs frequent changing. Use a good quality, polyester, pleated air filter so it can catch the smaller particles that the cheap fiberglass filters can't catch. Filters should be rated 8-12 on the MERV (minimum efficiency reporting value) scale.

An in-house air purification system may also help. Consult your HVAC specialist to discuss the best type for your home.

Keep doors and windows shut to keep dust out. Air seal minute cracks around doors and windows that may be allowing dust inside.

For more on preventing dust from compromising your indoor air quality, contact Air Assurance of Broken Arrow.

Is Air Conditioning Healthy?

Air conditioning affects on health are overwhelmingly positive, particularly when you compare today’s living conditions to the past. While about 87% of American homes are air conditioned now, this wasn’t always the case. Up until the 1960s, residential air conditioning was rare and frequently not included even in newly constructed homes. As A/C has become a way of life, Americans have benefitted from more than just the comforting sensation of coolness on a hot day.

Here are some ways air conditioning affects on health have contributed to our higher standard of wellness.

Reduced heat hazards.

During summer heat waves in the past, uncontrolled indoor temperatures very commonly resulted in a high incidence of dehydration, heat exhaustion and heat stroke for individuals residing inside non-air conditioned homes. Extreme heat is especially dangerous for infants, small children and the elderly. The widespread emergence of home air conditioning has greatly reduced these health risks.

Healthy humidity control.

High indoor humidity is the source of potential health issues, including toxic mold growth that causes symptoms in susceptible individuals. Chronic moisture sources including high indoor humidity trigger dormant airborne mold spores into the active growth mode that causes illness in some residents exposed to it. The evaporator coil in your air conditioner continuously extracts water vapor from indoor air as part of the cooling process. This function inhibits indoor mold growth by keeping household humidity in the EPA-recommended range below 65%.

Cleaner indoor air quality.

Indoor airborne particulates—dust, lint, dirt and smoke particles—can be a source of irritation and allergic responses for many persons. As your air conditioner circulates cooling through the household ductwork, the air is also repeatedly cleaned by the system air filter. Particulate levels are kept lower and allergy-related symptoms are reduced. In a typical home air conditioning system, the entire air volume inside the house passes through the air filter multiple times eacg day. Remember to replace the air filter monthly throughout the cooling season to safeguard indoor air quality.

For more about air conditioning affects on health and maintaining optimum indoor comfort, contact the experts at Air Assurance.

Will Closing Vents in Unused Rooms Help You Save Money?

When you’re focused on finding ways to save on heating and cooling costs during fluctuating temperatures in Broken Arrow, you might be tempted to close vents in unused rooms throughout your home. While this practice might seem like a sure-fire way to reduce energy costs, the reality is that closing off vents can lead to some unintended consequences.

The following discusses just a few problems related to closing your vents.

Your Energy Costs Could Actually Increase

When you close vents in unused rooms, increased air pressure within the vents might make it more difficult for your HVAC system to blow air into your ducts. Restricted airflow can cause energy efficiency issues similar to clogged air filters.

Extra Strain Can Be Placed on Your HVAC System

If the airflow is restricted to the point that your air conditioner’s coils begin to freeze, the end result could be permanent damage to the compressor. Conversely, low airflow can cause the heat exchanger in your heating unit to overheat or possibly crack.

The Atmosphere in Your Home Could Feel Uncomfortable

The more vents you close, the harder your heater or air conditioner will have to work to keep your house at a comfortable temperature. The added pressure from closing vents will lead to unnecessary energy waste, too.

Mold and Mildew Problems Could Develop

Whenever you close the registers of your heating or air conditioner, lower surface temperatures in unused spaces could allow condensation to occur. This can result in mold and mildew growth behind the air vents within your ducts. If mold and mildew recirculate throughout your home each time you operate your system, it could pose a serious health risk to your indoor air quality and your family. Open your air vents to help keep things nice and dry throughout the system.

Schedule Service Today

From residential to commercial HVAC services, the knowledgeable team at Air Assurance in Broken Arrow covers it all. Whether you’re in need of air conditioning repair, plumbing service, or indoor air quality improvement, give us a call today to schedule an appointment.

Reduce the Effects of Spring Allergies in Your Home

Reduce the Effects of Spring Allergies in Your Home

Did you know that you can fight spring allergies using your HVAC system? It’s actually the best tool you already have to minimize the effects of all that pollen that bombards you during the pollen-producing months. Gauging pollen counts using flowers is misleading because most allergies are caused by tiny flowers found on grasses, shrubs and trees and not showy or heavily perfumed flowers.

Central air conditioners move a good deal of air. As a consequence, much of the pollen and other allergens pass through the air handler and ductwork every time the system runs. Keeping these components clean and dust-free is essential for reducing the discomfort airborne allergies cause.

Spring HVAC Maintenance

An HVAC pro from Air Assurance will go through your system thoroughly, removing all the dust from the components. Besides breathing easier, you’ll also benefit from a system that runs with greater efficiency. When parts are clean and adjusted, they use less energy and aren’t as vulnerable to premature breakdowns.

Duct Inspection

When you schedule your A/C tune-up, ask about ductwork inspection to locate any leaks and to learn the overall condition of the ducts. The technician will use special equipment to measure the leakage and will look for signs of dust and debris inside the ducts. Leaks can happen any time and even ducts in newer homes can be debris-filled.

Ductwork leaks can worsen spring allergies because they pick up dust and pollen from the area where there is leakage. Sometimes ducts are places where insects and rodents live. They can either enter through the register covers or through tiny cracks in the ductwork. Their waste products can trigger allergic responses and the insects and animals themselves can spread diseases.

Air Filters

The filter is essential to air conditioners and keeping it clean goes a long way toward lowering the pollen indoors. Use the highest-rated filter recommended for your system and change it when it’s covered with dust.

Tending to your HVAC system will reduce the discomfort of spring allergies. To learn more, contact Air Assurance, providing HVAC services for Broken Arrow homeowners.

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 other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273.

Understanding Airflow in Your Home

Understanding Airflow in Your Home

Most of us don’t give airflow much thought, but it’s a physical phenomenon surrounding us every moment. Inside our homes, the movement of air, or lack thereof, drives its air quality and the costs for keeping it comfortable. Even though it’s largely intangible, air has some of the same physical qualities as water. Air moves just as easily as water does, but instead of being affected by gravity, it’s affected by pressure that’s always trying to equalize itself. Where positive pressure exists, it moves into a negative space and vice versa. 

Why It Matters

A home’s energy efficiency depends on a few important factors. Insulation in the attic and walls makes a big difference, as does its degree of air infiltration. A leaky home will be hard to heat and cool because air is either moving in or out. You’ve probably experienced how a drafty room feels on a cold day. The draft probably came from a window, exterior door, or around the floor. Another way to encourage the movement of air from positive to negative is to close off a room in a home that has a forced-air HVAC system. Closing off the duct without stopping the return airflow will create a negative pressure gradient that will pull unconditioned outdoor air inside. 

Air Infiltration and Quality

While homes with low air infiltration rates cost less to condition, they may have air quality issues. The U.S. EPA reports that the air quality in many homes is among the worst that people encounter. Pollutants include volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from products made from hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and radon, dust, pollen and dander. All homes need some fresh air ventilation. The most energy efficient way to introduce fresh air without driving up energy costs is with a heat recovery ventilator (HRV) that uses technology to capture the energy in the outgoing air and put it into the incoming air. If your home isn’t as comfortable as you’d like or your air quality is low, you may have airflow issues.

To learn more, contact Air Assurance, providing HVAC services for Broken Arrow homeowners. 

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 other HVAC topics,download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 918-217-8273.

How Wood-Burning Affects Indoor Air Quality

Wood burning for indoor heating has sure gotten a bad rap these last few years, and no wonder. Wood smoke is full of particulates that adversely affect the indoor air quality of a home, and that aggravate all kinds of respiratory problems, from allergies to bronchitis and asthma. It can even aggravate conditions leading to heart and lung failure.What's more, wood smoke is full of the carbon emissions that are contributing to the greenhouse effect; plus it creates a layer of smoke that can hover over cities in the winter time. Some municipalities have even had to ban the burning of wood to diminish the haze.Still, some people are mighty partial to having some kind of heating option in addition to their central HVAC system. Let's look at some choices that might not have as many potential problems as a wood-burning fireplace.

Other Heating Options

The majority of wood stoves sold have some of the same issues as wood-burning fireplaces. They give off carbon emissions and particulates that foul your IAQ, and are inefficient to use. However, a new generation of so-called catalytic stoves are a much better option. These stoves have a catalytic combustor that traps smoke and other combustion byproducts. A chemical coating in the combustor interacts with the smoke, igniting it at a much lower temperature than the 1100 degrees F that is normally required for wood stoves.The fact the ignition occurs at low temperature means the stove is more efficient, and that the amount of emissions given off is reduced. Wood also lasts much longer. These stoves do require maintenance to keep them clean so they continue to burn efficiently. Also, the parts can be expected to wear out within a decade or so.Non-catalytic stoves are easier to maintain, but release more emissions and have a higher burning rate so are less efficient.Pellet stoves are another option. They burn cleaner than non-catalytic wood stoves and fire places, but require some electricity to ignite the pellets.

For more on fire places and indoor air quality, contact Air Assurance of Broken Arrow.

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 other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273.

Fall Indoor Air Concerns and How to Counter Them

As the weather gets cooler and you start spending more time indoors, you should think about how healthy the air in your home is. Fall allergens and other particles can lower your indoor air quality, which can put you and your loved ones at risk of developing health issues. Find out more about these concerns and how to deal with them.

Outdoor Allergens

Ragweed and other outdoor allergens can make their way into your home during fall. You might bring these in on the clothes you’re wearing, or you might spread them around if you walk around your home with your shoes on. These allergens can also get inside if you open your windows to let fresh air in. You can keep these allergens out of your home by changing clothes after coming in, taking off your shoes and keeping your windows closed during fall.

Dust

Dust can build up inside your home’s ductwork and on your HVAC system’s air filter over time. When you start using your heating system in fall, all of that dust can be blown into your home through your ducts and vents. You can lower your risk of having to deal with a lot of dust by having your ductwork cleaned and changing your air filter on a regular basis. You should also vacuum and dust your home frequently.

Pollutants

Pollutants are found in some household items, such as cleaning products and certain kinds of finishes. When you’re inside more during fall, you risk being exposed to these pollutants more often, which can result in respiratory problems and other health issues. Having an air purification system installed or making changes to your home’s ventilation can help reduce your risk of exposure to these particles. Working with an HVAC technician can also provide you with more ways to boost your indoor air quality by eliminating pollutants.

If you need additional information on improving your indoor air quality, please contact Air Assurance. We offer dependable HVAC services that can help make the air in your home healthier.

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 other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273.

UV Lights and Your Home's Air

UV lights provide one of the simplest and most effective tools to improve indoor air quality (IAQ). UV (ultraviolet) is a spectrum of sunlight that sanitizes the air and it’s particularly effective at preventing the proliferation of viruses, bacteria and mold spores. It works by attacking the outer shell of microscopic, organic particles. As a result, their altered DNA won’t be able to reproduce, which keeps them from spreading.

The lights have been used for decades inside hospitals and clinics to control the spread of infectious diseases and they’re also available for use in home HVAC systems. They’re placed inside the ductwork or in the air handler. Inside HVAC systems, they prevent the proliferation of airborne germs that would otherwise spread throughout the home.

These lights are also one of the few ways to manage volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that accumulate in the home when the doors and windows need to be closed. VOCs are byproducts of many ordinary household products made from hydrocarbons like cleaners, perfumes, new paint, exhaust from vehicles and yard equipment. Their side effects range from mildly irritating to serious. When exposed to UV lights, VOCs change and become less harmful.

Their Benefits

• Lower disease transmission. When viruses and bacteria can’t reproduce, they can’t flourish and spread.

• Affordability. The lights are an affordable way to clean the air, compared to other air cleaners and purifiers. They don’t require filters and don’t take up valuable space. They’re out of sight in the HVAC system.

• They operate effortlessly and soundlessly. Depending on the dust load in your home, the lights only need cleaning every six months. They need to be replaced after a year of normal use.

• Increase energy efficiency. When placed inside the air handler, the lights prevent the growth of mold and biofilms on the evaporator coil, the part of the air conditioning system responsible for removing the heat. A clean coil speeds the cooling process.

Installing UV lights in your HVAC system will improve IAQ 24/7. To learn more, contact the pros at Air Assurance, providing HVAC services for Broken Arrow homeowners.

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 other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273.

The Differences Between Air Filtration and Air Cleaning

Keeping your indoor air fresh and clean can be a challenge, especially during the winter months when you are more likely to keep doors and windows closed. There are two choice available for keeping particulates and other contaminants out of your indoor air: air filtration and air cleaning.

Air Filtration

Air filtration involves the removal of particulates such as dust, pollen, fibers, and other small pieces of debris from your indoor air. The air filters in your heating and cooling systems are designed to provide this type of filtration. Air circulating through your HVAC system passes through the filter where the particulates are caught and held in the material of the filter, often a type of spun fiberglass or pleated cloth.Higher quality filters with a higher MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value) rating can capture smaller particles. More efficient types of air filtration systems are also available that can be added to your HVAC equipment. HEPA filters, for example, can remove extremely small particulates from your indoor air.There are some disadvantages to air filtration systems:

• They can remove only those particulates that are pulled back into your HVAC system through the air return.

• They cannot remove biological contaminants such as bacteria and viruses.

• They cannot remove odors, fumes, and gases.

Air Cleaning

Air cleaning systems, on the other hand, are designed to remove not only particulates but also biological contaminants and odors. They usually combine a high-quality filtration system for removing physical particulates with additional elements that remove biological pollutants. These include:

• Ultraviolet light: UV light can destroy bacteria and other potentially harmful microorganisms.

• Activated charcoal layers: Charcoal is effective at absorbing and removing fumes and odors from air passing through a layer of it.

• Electrostatic precipitators: These devices transfer an electrical charge to particulates which are then attracted to a collection plate, removing them from the air.

Air Assurance provides top-quality HVAC services to customers in Tulsa and the nearby communities. Contact us today for more information on air filtration and for expert help with deciding if a filtration or purification system is best for your needs.

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 indoor air quality and other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273.

Improve Your IAQ with the Right Indoor Plants

There's nothing like indoor plants to help cheer us up through the gray days of winter. But it turns out that indoor plants aren't just good for decoration. They can actually improve the air we're breathing, particularly in the winter when the house is shut up to keep the heat in and it becomes stuffy and stale.Read on for how to improve indoor air quality with indoor plants.

How Plants Clean Air

Research from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration suggests that plants can help clean the air in a home by absorbing gases through the pores on leaves. Plants take in gases, which include carbon dioxide needed for photosynthesis, but also formaldehyde, benzene and other so-called volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs enter our homes through a variety of means:

• textiles and carpet

• household cleaning chemicals

• pesticides

• plastics

• cigarette smoke

• cosmetics

• pressed wood products

• dry cleaning solvent

VOCs can trigger numerous health problems, from asthma and allergies, to chronic bronchitis and even cancer.

Choosing Indoor Plants

While all leafy plants help purify the air, some do a better job than others. So here are three indoor species you might want to add to your home.

Pothos. (Epipresmun aureum). Pothos has been used as an indoor plant for many decades. It is highly toxic, so put it where children and pets can't reach it. Avoid overwatering and direct sunlight. It roots easily by putting cuttings in a glass of water.

Boston Fern. (Nephrolepsis exaltata). Another traditional favorite, Boston fern is a champion at removing formaldehyde, which is off-gassed by pressed wood products. They like to stay moist, so you may need to mist them and keep soil evenly watered. Also, feed weekly in growing season.

English Ivy. (Hedera helix) English ivy, which also removes formaldehyde, is less fussy than Boston Fern. It likes to climb so can be used in topiary and enjoys partial sun, as well as occasional misting and watering through winter.

For more on indoor plants and improving your indoor air quality, contact Air Assurance. We serve Broken Arrow and the surrounding area.

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 indoor air quality and other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273. Credit/Copyright Attribution: “Free-Photos/Pixabay”