Tag: Indoor Air Quality

How to Prepare Your Furnace for Winter?

Written by onestoput on July 21, 2022. Posted in Heating, HVAC, Maintenance.

If it’s suddenly cold outside, that’s a sign to brace yourself because winter is coming.

While most of the year you can rely on steadily warm and humid weather, the incoming months starkly contrast with what you are used to all year. A Utahn winter season can be grueling for you and your heating system.

If your furnace has laid dormant during warmer months, get to dusting and tidying all that dust for seamless heating.

Here are some furnace maintenance tips to prepare it when the temperature drops.

Pre-Winter Furnace Maintenance Tips

Scheduling pre-season maintenance is always advisable. Enlisting a professional to clean and inspect your furnace after a long period of not being used can better ensure its reliability and efficiency throughout the winter months.

Tip #1: Hire a trained professional to conduct an annual maintenance service during autumn.

Here are other quick furnace maintenance tips you can do yourself. Remember, nothing beats regular maintenance. However, these are things you can do if you are already gasping for warm air.

Quick view of maintenance tips:

Schedule yearly furnace maintenance before winter.
Inspect and clean your filters.
Check the state of your burners.
Remove any obstructions near vents.
Clean your pilot light assembly before primary re-ignition.
Replace corroded or rusty fan blades.
Check the manufacturer’s specifications in case of system failure.
Report unusual noises.
Familiarize yourself with your thermostat.
Keep up with routine professional maintenance.

Furnace Filter

Tip #2: Check your furnace filter system.

A dirty furnace filter can hinder your heating system, costing more energy while providing insufficient warmth. Many homeowners with natural gas furnaces think they save on energy costs, but that is only part of the truth. If you don’t maintain your gas furnace, distributing heating around air ducts can cost more energy.

Your furnace’s filter plays a major role in the entire operation. While filters cannot directly better air quality, your furnace’s air filters protect internal components from dust and debris. Any particle pollution and contamination pose different obstructions and hazards to internal components. A clogged air filter can restrict airflow, preventing sufficient input from making it where it needs to be.

Your furnace’s air filter can affect the one in your HVAC system or air ducts once dust and debris make it past the primary air filter into heating vents blowing air into your living spaces, directly affecting your indoor air quality.

If you see a dirty filter in your furnace after months of no usage, clean it to ensure only pristine air flow through your air ducts. However, only some dirty or clogged filters can be remedied by thoroughly cleaning. Change your furnace filter every few months.

Burners

Tip #3: Check your burners.

Furnace maintenance requires a thorough cleaning, and it isn’t just filters that get dirty. While filters help prevent pollution from contaminating your furnace, residual fuel and burner moisture can cause corrosion.

Burners and blowers may not be accessible from the outside, and you will have to open up your furnace to inspect them. Ensure all systems are off and any links to supply lines before opening furnace doors to check on internal components. A sophisticated configuration of internal components comprises your home furnace. The most vital parts lay in your burners:

heat exchangers
pilot light
flame sensor
ventilation

Each element plays a unique role that’s crucial to keep your furnace working properly.

Heat Exchangers

The heat exchanger facilitates airflow in and out of your furnace, letting usable air into the furnace and keeping breathable output separate from contaminated air. Heat exchangers dispel waste heat into chimney-type vents and direct breathable hot air into your air handlers.

Tip #4: Remove obstructions and use a vacuum cleaner around all openings; blocked vents may redirect carbon monoxide fumes into your AC system.

Pilot Light

A low, light yellow or flickering flame indicates dirty furnace burners. If the pilot light doesn’t turn on, don’t be too quick to blame it on a sensitive or faulty flame sensor. Delayed ignition may be due to internal contamination or residue and condensation.

Tip #5: Gently dust off debris with an emery cloth, and wipe off any residue on your pilot light assembly using light grit sandpaper.

Blowers

Tip #6: Replace rusty fan blades, and wipe off or remove any dust and debris on your blower wheel.

Your burners let air flow through various vents to gather input and produce output. A blower system is responsible for allowing air in and out of your furnace. Natural gas furnaces also require air intake to generate any output. Insufficient air can result in an overheated furnace due to various pressure buildup, causing overcompensation and a possible surge in your utility bill.

Like burners, your blowers are more than just a one-person team. Various elements make up the entire furnace blower system. Keep an eye on these components and ensure they undergo routine maintenance, as any damage will warrant costly repairs.

Blower Motor

The heating season may throw your motor into overdrive. You must maintain the motor to keep everything else in working order. Always keep your furnace clean to secure your engines from dislodged parts and harmful particles. Anything that infiltrates them may get in the way of their wire connections. Your entire furnace may break down due to frayed wires. If you live in an area with rats, deploy extra precautions against rodents and pests.

Tip #7: Depending on manufacturer warranties, you might be able to replace a malfunctioning or damaged motor.

Blower Fan

The blower fan, the wheel it’s on, and its blades all directly affect one another. Solid debris, such as rocks, may be caught in your blower if your furnace produces unusual banging and rattling noises. Small stones and sharp objects may tear through the furnace filters into other components. The filter can only vet microparticles and soft larger ones. Winter requires more heating, causing fans to rotate much faster.

Tip #8: Remember that you may attribute a few unusual noises to more vigorous fan rotation, but the higher demand for heating shouldn’t warrant alarming noises.

Thermostat

Tip #9: Always familiarize yourself with manufacturer specifications before setting your thermostat.

A cooling or heating system comes with a separate thermostat. Thermal controls allow quick temperature alterations. However, a thermostat may not quickly shift from cooling to heating at a moment’s notice. There are also possible issues with compatibility with your thermostat and HVAC system. You might need to replace the unit or fix its internal wiring if your HVAC equipment stops responding to thermostat controls. No predictable or universal lifespan guarantees your thermostat. However, with its systems included in your yearly maintenance, it should last a decade.

The Importance of Maintaining Your Heating System

The most important tip of all our furnace maintenance and tune-up tips, especially before winter months, is to ensure regular inspection and comprehensive maintenance. Things that start with your filter that isn’t dealt with in time may keep you from your dreams of a cozy winter. Comfort isn’t the only thing a dirty furnace can negatively impact. Your faulty furnace can also put your health and safety at risk.

How Your HVAC System Can Affect Your Health?

Something as simple as bird nests resting on exit pipes and heating vents can threaten your health. Nests blocking intake pipes may contaminate the resources going into your furnace. However, anything blocking your exhaust pipes traps contamination within your furnace, impacting your Indoor Air Quality (IAQ).

Indoor Air Quality

A lot of us know about IAQ but continue to neglect the different dangers it poses to our health. Your home’s IAQ is determined by the presence of Carbon Dioxide in your indoor environment. A buildup of CO2 can lead to chronic and acute respiratory illnesses. However, it isn’t your home’s most dangerous chemical gaseous compound. Carbon monoxide exposure is more harmful and potentially fatal compared to CO2 buildup.

While you can still let carbon dioxide out through natural and mechanical ventilation systems, carbon monoxide poisoning happens much more quickly. Even more problematic is carbon dioxide smells like rotten eggs, allowing homeowners to pick up on it faster than its more hazardous counterpart.

Carbon monoxide doesn’t smell like anything and stagnates anywhere with static pressure. You won’t be able to get rid of it as fast as it can build up. Call for emergency heating repair immediately.

Furnace Maintenance & Repair

Tip #10: Don’t hesitate to call professionals for help.

A furnace is a sophisticated system. It requires professional tools and techniques. Using amateur tools and techniques, you might cause more damage by conducting haphazard repairs. If you have been duped by unreliable services before, remember that there are transparent and honest HVAC technicians you can entrust with your heating system.

One Stop Heating & Air Conditioning

Problems with your cooling and heating system? Don’t worry! One-Stop Heating & Air Conditioning does more than just winter furnace maintenance.

Not only can our top-rated team of specialists clean and replace your air filter, we can also maintain all your vital furnace components at a moment’s notice, just in time for the heating season! Catch problems early before they need costly repairs.

Are you looking for a furnace tune-up or furnace repair service in Sandy, Utah? We’re there! Contact us day or night, and we will get your heating and the rest of your HVAC equipment up and at them for winter and all year long.

Call anytime anywhere (801) 355-9500

How to Get Your Air Conditioner Ready for Summer?

Written by onestoput on May 2, 2022. Posted in Air Conditioning, Air Quality, HVAC.

If things are heating up, brace yourself, summer is coming.

Utah is one of the hotter states in the U.S., and its dryer climate doesn’t help.

You should ensure your cooling equipment, such as air condition systems, is kept in tip-top shape.

Air conditioners require more care and attention in areas like Utah, where summers get really hot and the rest of the year is hardly any different.

Its semi-arid desert climate can be too much to bear and might be enough to overwhelm your HVAC system during the peak of summertime.

When was the last time you had your air conditioner checked?

Standard maintenance checks suggest a yearly inspection. However, a pre-season tune-up is advisable for hotter states.

Remember, don’t put off an air conditioning repair to avoid additional costs.

If you know your air conditioning systems require repairs, act on them immediately to prevent causing further damage and ensure they don’t falter when you need them the most.

Below you will find some helpful tips to ensure your HVAC systems are in fighting shape for a Utahn summer.

How Your Air Conditioning Unit Can Keep You Cool for the Summer

Depending on the configuration of your home, you might have one, two, or more outdoor and indoor units.

Indoor units are called Indoor Air Handlers, and outdoor units are called Outdoor Condensers.

They serve different purposes, providing your home with comfortable Indoor Air Quality (IAQ).

Indoor Air Quality isn’t something you should take for granted; it must be something you know by now.

However, before discussing the major components of air conditioning systems, let’s clarify what it is.

What is Indoor Air Quality?

Indoor Air Quality or IAQ refers to the quality of breathable air within and around enclosed spaces.

The higher IAQ ratings your home has, the better quality of the air you are breathing, which means lesser risks of contamination and heat exposure.

Regardless of its importance, most Americans still know less about it than they should.

If you have an allergy you can’t explain, it might be due to poor indoor air quality.

How Does My Air Conditioner Affect My Indoor Air Quality?

An overflowing air filter may leave your air conditioning systems a breeding ground for impurities. Pollutants, germs, bacteria, mold, and mildew may be hiding in your AC unit.

Neglecting to keep up with routine maintenance check-ups and tune-ups may prevent you from figuring that out and leave you breathing in harmful contaminants.

On top of servicing your AC units, professional HVAC technicians can further perform indoor air quality checks to ensure your health and safety.

Remember, both your air handlers and condensers play a major role in your IAQ, and routinely maintaining them will help keep things up to standard.

Typically, indoor air handlers house your air conditioner’s air filters, refrigerant coils, and other components that require routine maintenance and, if neglected, shall deliver hazardous effects to your home.

Indoor Air Handler

For central air conditioning systems, air handlers look like miniature square-shaped or rectangular vents. They are often plastered on walls and ceilings.

A central cooling system releases cold air from centralized ductwork that’s linked to the outdoor unit. They also have return ducts that extract the ambient heat from your home.

Only one or two air handlers are attached to the same condenser in cooling systems like window types and ductless mini-split systems. This allows for more energy efficiency to be observed and helps you save money on electric bills.

Its air handlers, however, are larger and appear more prominently on your walls. Still, their more modern aesthetic isn’t hard to look at, especially when placed in strategic placements such as the side or middle panels.

Air handlers of any cooling system facilitate airflow in and out of your home. As such, they are more likely to gather particles and store high-pressure air.

Left unchecked, it may malfunction. While they are inside your home, we don’t advise you to go tinkering about its interior.

Electrical issues aren’t for an electrician to deal with, especially for inexperienced users who want to save a few bucks.

If you hear unusual noises, encounter leaks, or have other problems with air handlers, you should call a licensed HVAC technician.

Outdoor Condenser

All air handlers are attached to outdoor counterparts and play an equally large role in maintaining your family’s health and comfort.

Condensers house various wires, coils, blowers, and motors.

They are the first line of defense against unconditioned air penetrating your home. If one component inside your condenser malfunctions or performs poorly, it can throw entire air conditioning systems off.

To ward off a recurring AC repair, you should keep them away from direct sunlight or cover them with anti-UV and anti-heat exposure outdoor covers.

It would be best if you didn’t place them near fixtures that may hinder airflows, such as up against walls, curtains, and other blockages.

Water heaters, heat pumps, and other heating air conditioning components belong inside condensers. While they facilitate heat, we shouldn’t add to its burdens by exposing it to more than it needs to condition. An AC unit can succumb to overwhelming heat and hinder its abilities to manage heat.

Heating air is a huge undertaking, but heating and cooling systems are equipped to deliver. During winter, you can count on your well-maintained air conditioner to warm your indoor environment.

Remember, “water heaters” deal with humidity and added moisture in your systems. Your air conditioner requires just as much attention pre-winter as it does pre-summer.

Banging noises are users’ most commonly reported issue, and dislodged parts may cause them. It is an issue that may cause extensive damage to your air conditioning system.

Any problems with your condenser are easily distinguishable to experienced technicians, who should check your outdoor and indoor units during every inspection.

Disclaimer

For a cost-efficient AC repair, reach out to a reliable HVAC technician. An extremely professional technician can help you cut costs by replacing cogs instead of fundamental components. Don’t be fooled by electricians who fear-monger homeowners into coughing up more money to remedy HVAC issues.

Yes, it happens. Fear-mongering among unlicensed technicians and users is a real threat. They may mess around with your HVAC system and charge for many services, and the damages they cause won’t help you save money.

Remember, an excellent service agency means offering great service at affordable prices. A reliable HVAC specialist that offers AC repairs and other services prioritizes customer care and transparency.

Prominent or established HVAC companies can organize a maintenance check, pre-season tune-up, and routine cleaning every day. You can even add on a new air conditioner installation or upgrade in one day’s work.

Efficiency and transparency are the most distinguishable traits of a reliable HVAC business. If the company you employ designates one job daily, they may be less reliable. Unless you have an entire industrial factory that requires an overhaul HVAC service, professional services for a residential cooling system shouldn’t last longer than one business day.

How to Properly Maintain Your Air Conditioner?

A yearly check-up and tune-up should be on your list of priorities.

However, pre-season maintenance should also be in order as hot as it gets in Utah.

Users report many issues with their air conditioners during peak hot days, but ask them when they last had a refrigerant or air filter replacement, and their answer might not come as a surprise.

Poorly maintained heating and cooling systems face more risks and can harm you and your family.

How Do You Know if an Air Conditioner is Poorly Maintained?

Modern air conditioners have built-in functions that warn users of impending breakdowns and various issues.

However, with more traditional systems, you will have to wait for warning signals to know if your air conditioner is dealing with an issue.

Air Conditioners and Warning Signals

There are various signs users should look out for, like unusual sounds and other unusual behaviors.

Of course, these are warning signals you might never encounter if you kept up with their maintenance.

If you are looking for these signs, maybe you missed your last inspection or tune-up.

Here are things you should look out for:

Unusual Sounds

Buzzing
Banging
Bubbling

Buzzing, banging, and bubbling are the most commonly reported strange noises from an air conditioning unit.

If they become overbearing or become an often recurrence, it would make more sense to call a professional sooner than later.

Air Conditioner Automatically Cycling Off?

A leak in refrigerant tubes may freeze refrigerant coils and trick your cooling system into thinking your indoor environment has reached optimal levels. It is a domino effect that can cause your AC unit to shut down.

Who to Call for Reliable Installations, Repairs, and Maintenance

If you encounter any of these issues, don’t hesitate to call a reliable technician.

Reach out to established companies in your area to help remedy any issues you’re having with your air conditioning.

We can help you with that!

One Stop Heating and Air Conditioning

One Stop Heating and Air Conditioning has helped keep homes safe and comfortable from Sandy to South Jordan and all over Utah.

Whether your house needs HVAC equipment installation, repair, upgrade, maintenance, and replacement, we can help keep the stress away!

Call (801) 355-9500

Why You Should Schedule A Pre-Season AC Maintenance Check?

Written by onestoput on April 25, 2022. Posted in Air Conditioning, Air Quality, HVAC, Maintenance.

All heating and cooling systems are just like the human body; they require regular check-ups.

Scheduling a routine maintenance check and tune-up for your air conditioner can prevent indoor air quality problems and help you save on energy bills.

Strategically timing your annual maintenance can prevent an unwarranted mid-season breakdown.

A pre-season maintenance check dramatically reduces your risks of suffering under the sweltering heat during the height of a Utahn summer.

Get to know your HVAC system and the best way you can prolong its life to serve you longer and better.

Here’s everything you need to know about scheduling pre-season maintenance checks.

When Do I Schedule a Pre-Season Tune-Up for My Air Conditioner?

You can schedule pre-season maintenance anytime. However, it would be best to be strategic on which “season” you’re scheduling it before.

Based on professional advice, regular maintenance is a must, and it’s best to schedule it before the appropriate season.

When is Cooling Season in Utah?

You might mistake it for winter or the year’s cooler months. However, the cooling season is actually during summer between June and September.

It’s when an air conditioner is mainly utilized to cool indoor environments. Thermostat settings are typically set to lower temperatures, making air conditioning more challenging against the Utahn summer outside.

During this time, an air conditioner has a tougher time keeping up with lowering indoor temperatures.

A cooling unit that isn’t in tip-top shape may give out when you need it the most.

The need for repairs and other services tends to surge before the winter and summer months. It’s best you don’t wait until the last minute to pay attention to your AC unit.

You should schedule a tune-up sometime in the spring to keep your summers cool and during fall to heat things up in the winter.

Many components within your cooling system require attention to keep it working properly.

However, you need the right specialist to conduct your unit’s check-ups and tune-ups with so many different HVAC systems.

Pre-Season Tune-Ups for Different HVAC Systems

One air conditioner can be totally different from the other in electrical connections, blower components, and overall system controls.

A general HVAC technician may be well-versed in aspects of an air conditioner and all its moving parts. Still, a specific specialist might have more expertise better suited for your unit.

There are two major types of air conditioning systems:

Ducted
Air flow travels through ducts for equal distribution throughout multiple enclosed spaces. It is a typical set-up for central air conditioners that cater to more extensive infrastructures with various partitions.
Ductless
An AC unit with a ductless system caters to one enclosed space per split-type unit. Air flow comes from the outdoor unit and goes directly to the one indoors without going through a distribution process.

Central Air Conditioning System

HVAC technicians can conduct a maintenance service on a ducted system with general equipment.

More contractors are equipped with the tools and expertise necessary to service a ducted system. To preserve its heat pump and maintain refrigerant levels.

When seasons change, so do your needs. If you have housemates, your needs might differ from one another. Too many changes to cater to varying needs might shorten its life span and increase its need for a tune-up.

Poor airflow can stem from many things like dirty coils and low refrigerant levels.

During its tune-up, you can expect technicians to measure voltage, check the heat exchanger, restore refrigerant levels, and clean or change its dirty filter.

Its less complex system makes its maintenance simpler. A tune-up service should be an easier job to execute.

However, energy costs will tell you it isn’t the most efficient choice you can make.

Ductless Mini-Split System

A mini-split system features more advanced technology within its hardware.

Air flows through tubing systems that run from the outdoor unit to the indoor unit. Its more compact composition manages air more efficiently, and its direct transmission is less susceptible to potential contamination with fewer materials for outdoor pollutants to stick.

Within its systems are more sophisticated processors that require more specific equipment and expertise.

An unreliable technician might experiment and tinker around at your expense. Unknowledgable tinkering may cause more damage.

They might cause abrasions to your unit’s fragile coils, wires, and tubing systems without knowing it. Accidentally knocking around components might unwittingly cause a leak, drastically reducing refrigerant levels and water damage.

While it costs more upfront and takes more meticulous maintenance, it is the more cost-efficient and sustainable alternative to traditional HVAC systems.

Energy Efficiency of Air Conditioners

The efficiency of air conditioners determines how much you spend on energy costs and how big a carbon footprint it makes.

If you are worried about how much of a negative impact you are causing by satiating your air conditioning needs, look into your unit’s specifications more closely.

There are three significant rating systems you should know about:

Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER)
Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER)
Heat Seasonal Performance Factor ((HSPF)

Let’s talk about how each of them determines the energy efficiency of your AC unit and the role they play in its needs for routine maintenance.

SEER

SEER stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio; it’s a rating system devised to measure how efficiently your air conditioner functions during hotter seasons.

It is currently the most prominent standard utilized by contractors and manufacturers to indicate an AC unit’s energy efficiency.

A good SEER rating for air conditioners in Utah is 13 SEER and above.

Any lower and your air conditioner won’t only have a harder time keeping up with surrounding temperatures but will most likely require more maintenance.

If you have an older air conditioning system, try finding out its SEER rating. If it is lower than state regulations, ensure you never miss an annual check-up.

Where Can I Find the SEER Rating of My Air Conditioner?

You will likely find your unit’s SEER ratings indicated on its packaging. Examine the box it comes in, typically written on the side or bottom.

If it isn’t on the box, inspect the unit for an off-white, light, or neon yellow-colored sticker. Manufacturers might stick it alongside its bottom or side panels.

You can also look through the pages of its user manual. It’s unlikely you won’t find it there.

Still, there are more ways you can find your AC unit’s SEER rating.

If you can’t find it anywhere but happen to locate your unit’s model number, you can reach out to the manufacturer and provide its details to get your air conditioner’s SEER ratings.

While SEER may be the best rating system to apply here, you should know about the others.

EER

Many mistakenly interchange EER and SEER for one another. While higher ratings for both mean better efficiency, the two aren’t the same.

However, EER is typically measured against one temperature. SEER is calculated with the average number of hours in the summer with its built-in thermal configurations called the British Thermal Units (BTU).

EER is a standard measurement that helps indicate overall efficiency. SEER indicates how well AC units function for entire seasons, like summer.

In Utah, where summer is more of a year-round climate than a season, SEER is the more reliable rating of the two.

HSPF

Heat Seasonal Performance Factor is better used for measuring efficiency during the heating season.

It is the direct equivalent of the SEER rating. A higher HSPF rating measures the efficiency of an AC unit’s heat pump.

However, despite its name, a heat pump doesn’t generate heat; they manage heat by pumping it in and out of enclosed spaces through HVAC systems.

Heat pumps are a critical component in all AC units. If an air conditioner’s heat exchanger can’t function efficiently, it won’t handle air exchange well in the summer and might malfunction more.

If you miss its yearly tune-up, it might give outright in the middle of summer.

Energy Star

Energy Star is a renowned department advocating environmentally-friendly solutions. The United States government backs the national eco-friendly advocate.

The department only recognizes the most energy-efficient AC units. Energy Star certifies HVAC systems that provide better overall air conditioning sustainably.

Among its advocacies is the cleanliness of indoor air.

The Important of Clean Air Conditioning

The conditioning of outdoor air isn’t all about temperature. It includes sanitation.

Air filtration systems play a significant part in AC units. Without routine check-ups, air filters might overflow with different particles and increase contamination risks.

A contaminated system invites different bacteria and breeding grounds for a mold infestation.

Your indoor unit will produce hazardous airflow, negatively impacting your indoor air quality and cultivating an environment of different diseases.

Depending on how bad air quality gets, immediate symptoms include:

Allergies
Asthma
Rashes
Insomnia
Dry eyes
Itchy throat
Dry cough
Lightheadedness
Hazy vision
Nausea

Prolonged and repeated exposure may lead to more severe respiratory diseases like lung cancer or emphysema.

The importance of maintaining indoor air quality has gained prominence over the last few decades. Still, not enough of us know more about it.

Why Indoor Air Quality Matters?

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) is a matter of health worldwide.

Poor indoor air quality causes more illnesses than you might think.

While most of us think we can only attain respiratory diseases through bad habits or prolonged exposure to outdoor pollution, a significant amount of studies tell us differently.

More and more studies have surfaced indicating indoor air show higher concentrations of pollutants and harmful gasses.

Indoor pollution doesn’t just come from the outdoors. We can generate pollutants indoors through poorly adjusted stoves, lingering tobacco smoke, and poor ventilation systems.

The concentration of organic and chemical gasses increases with fewer avenues for dissipation and air exchange.

Natural ventilation systems like windows, doors and chimneys are helpful. However, they provide air with a two-way street exchange.

Mechanical ventilation systems have more technologically advanced techniques. Its smarter functions include filtrations systems and blocking outdoor pollutants from making their way into your home.

HVAC systems include filters and ventilation systems that dictate airflow and manage overall indoor air quality.

What is Good Indoor Air Quality?

One of the most prominent manners of measuring air quality indoors is through Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) sensors.

VOC measuring devices measure the concentration of Carbon Monoxide (CO2) indoors. These helpful measuring devices are available to the public. Still, they aren’t all reliable.

You might have difficulty figuring out the numbers and computations necessary to determine your IAQ accurately.

Still, determining the air quality, you are breathing indoors is one way to tell if your air conditioner is functioning correctly.

At any time one of your HVAC system’s components is malfunctioning or underperforming, it will reflect on the results of your indoor air quality measurements.

Call a reliable technician to immediately inspect your IAQ and AC if something doesn’t feel right.

The Most Trusted Installations and Repairs in Sandy, Utah

We provide inspections and consultations.

We conduct various relevant tests to ensure the quality of your systems is in tip-top shape.

Our experts have extensive backgrounds in both old and new air conditioners, and we haven’t been trumped yet.

If you need help in installing new ones or repairing old ones, we’re there!

One Stop Heating and Air Conditioning

If you are looking for reliable technicians to install and maintain air conditioners, you can visit our website.

Check out our full-service suite for all your heating and cooling needs.

Don’t forget to send us a message!

We’re Here for You 24/7

You can chat with our online representatives at any time.

In case of emergencies, you can reach out to Sandy’s most reliable technicians.

Let us help you keep things cool by ensuring your family’s health and safety through different seasons. Leave your family’s comfort to us.

Schedule your pre-season maintenance now.

Call (801) 355-9500

What is Indoor Air Quality?

Written by onestoput on April 18, 2022. Posted in Air Quality, Heating & Cooling, HVAC.

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) determines the quality of your air indoors.

While we’re inside, we’re all thinking the same, “we’re safe from all the pollution outside.”

That isn’t always true.

All internal heating and cooling systems have filtrations systems that help block pollutants and other contaminants. However, it can’t and won’t catch everything.

The indoor air quality will only be as good as how your air filters manage outdoor air.

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)

Not many people are aware of Indoor Air Quality, sometimes known as IAQ.

After the industrial age, people paid more and more attention to the ill effects of pollution. Its importance has been recognized since the mid-eighteen hundreds (the 1800s).

However, it did not get the attention it deserved until a hundred years later, in the 1970s.

Today, it is a critical component in environmental statistics.

While concerns for bringing attention to indoor air pollution originated in Scandinavian parts of the world, it soon garnered prominence. It really took off in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Raising Awareness About the Importance of Indoor Air Quality

In the 1980s, the dialogue spread worldwide about the environmental effects of tobacco, volatile organic compounds, radon, chemical compounds, and regular house dust.

Initial studies shed light on how indoor air pollutants collect and lead to the deterioration of building materials and inhaling air carrying indoor air pollutants.

Topics included both how pollution from the outdoor air flows into homes and how it affects building occupants.

It also expresses how polluted indoor air can lead to hazardous health effects such as asthma, rashes, allergies, and more severe respiratory diseases.

Your home’s indoor air pollution might produce specific health problems and grave illnesses depending on indoor pollutant levels.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported ten to thirty percent of the indoor environment within homes, offices, and establishments in the Western Hemisphere encounter indoor air problems, coining the term Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) in 1986.

It attracted more attention when different regions began conducting their own studies regarding poor indoor air quality.

The UK established the House of Common Select Committee Enquiry of Indoor Pollution in 1991. Later on, it was appointed as the Environment Audit Committee (EAC) by the United Kingdom’s House of Commons.

The committee stated all governments should raise awareness about the repercussions of indoor air pollutants and the importance of fresh air by developing a system measuring acceptable indoor air quality.

The United States government, among others, soon enacted relevant laws and ordinances to uphold them.

What is Good Indoor Air Quality?

In 1993, the Department of Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) released a book about Good Air Quality in Your Home.

The pamphlet about indoor air quality problems gained worldwide attention, with other governing bodies following suit.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched its own study and relevant guidelines for Americans to avoid subpar indoor air quality.

The EPA guidelines state the common causes behind poor indoor air quality and its effects on human health.

You will find how to track indoor air quality by measuring Carbon Monoxide emissions and other measurable components.

The EPA’s guidelines include the health effects of increased exposure.

It also warns Americans about immediate symptoms and how much attention they should pay when they occur and how long they stay.

The EPA indicates how Americans can prevent contaminated air from making its way indoors, expressly stating how important keeping outdoor air pollution is in avoiding health and comfort problems.

How Does Poor Outdoor Air Quality Affect Indoor Air Quality?

Americans spend 90% indoors on average, at home, at work, and social events.

Air handling systems are where outdoor air enters. They handle air movement in indoor spaces to regulate temperatures by utilizing newly conditioned outdoor air.

It can also produce an airflow that carries pollution and can make its way indoors.

There’s no way to prevent outdoor air from coming indoors and keep contaminants out just by closing doors, windows, and other natural indoor air sources.

The pollution outside can penetrate anything meant to protect you from it without competent and reliable filtration systems built into your artificial air sources.

Air conditioners have filtration systems that block outdoor pollutants and other contaminants from making their way indoors.

When air filters don’t do their job sufficiently, your indoor air quality is only as good as the one outdoors.

A polluted indoor environment will cause more problems than you think.

Indoor Air Pollution

According to the EPA, deficiencies in air quality aren’t only derived from outdoor pollution.

We can create pollution indoors as well. Second-hand smoke, a poorly adjusted gas stove, and improperly installed air handling systems can increase indoor pollutant levels.

Indoor air pollution can stem or worsen due to poor ventilation.

An inadequate ventilation system without reliable fan motors that continuously remove indoor air can hinder proper airflow. Too little outdoor air can lock contaminated air in enclosed spaces and suffocate building occupants.

While natural ventilation is imperative, so are mechanical ventilation systems.

Natural ventilation like doors, windows, and chimneys are more important and helpful, but a mechanical ventilation system doesn’t just remove indoor air.

Intelligent systems that only allow a one-way entry-point prevent outdoor air from getting indoors.

Natural and Mechanical Ventilation

Doors and windows, when opened, allow two-way air exchange. In Sandy, Utah, where there’s relative humidity and a hotter climate, the indoor temperature is often set to be lower than outside.

Through thermodynamics, we learn that air temperature differences dictate airflow, which means two things:

Higher temperatures penetrate lower ones instead of the other way around.
Outdoor air carrying pollutants makes its way in before indoor air makes its way out.

The argument behind the importance of mechanical ventilation systems is technical, and you might be inviting more trouble than you’re letting out in opting for only natural ventilation systems.

Before splurging on an expensive air conditioning or mechanical ventilation system, get to know your indoor environment first.

How Can You Tell the Quality of Your Indoor Air?

The concentration of harmful gasses is naturally denser indoors, with fewer avenues for its dissipation than in outdoor spaces. Some devices can help you measure them, like CO2 or Volatile Organic Compound sensors you can buy anywhere.

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) isn’t an outright tangible measurement, but you can quantify it by measuring more significant contaminants like Carbon Monoxide. The most common method to measure indoor air quality is through CO2 emission in the form of Carbon Monoxide parts per million (ppm).

The higher the ppm levels present indoors, the poorer the air quality. While different methods gauge indoor air quality reliably, CO2 is currently the most tangible measurement.

The proper equipment can easily measure it, but the more technical and accurate ones aren’t easily accessible. They all measure the ambient gas concentrations present in an enclosed space, but not all of them are accurate or reliable.

You should call a professional to conduct an expert inspection if you really want to know.

What Causes Poor Indoor Air Quality?

Besides outdoor air pollution, there are plenty of underlying causes homeowners don’t know about, including the insufficient maintenance of mechanical ventilation and air handling systems.

Here are some of the more commonly known causes:

Chemical Ignitions
Organic Combustions
Dust Particles
Fuel Emission
Tobacco Smoke

And below are some lesser-known causes:

Insufficiently Maintained Air Handling Systems
An Improperly Adjusted Gas Stove
Poorly Maintained Spaces
Abundant or Sustained Ambient Moisture

Reading them might make it feel more evident than it actually is, but it’s easy to bypass common sense when we’re comfortable.

Before evident symptoms arise, ill health effects might already be brewing on the down-low.

Building occupants in office environments or anywhere that utilizes central air conditioning benefits from the Occupational Safety and Health Act of the 1970s. OSHA regulates everything related to physical and mental health, including sufficient or acceptable indoor air quality.

Building owners who cater to more than one family are legally obligated to uphold national standards for indoor air quality.

If you live in a residential home, observing regulations is strongly advised for the health and safety of your family.

Carbon Monoxide in Your Home

Lung cancer caused by carbon monoxide poisoning is a serious problem in the U.S.

The United States government prioritizes raising awareness about lingering secondhand smoke, which leads to significantly more carbon monoxide in indoor environments.

Such indoor pollutants paired with inadequate ventilation can compound indoor air quality problems and lead to grave illnesses like lung cancer among others.

The national standards vary from different departments. Still, the consensus is any measurement that exceeds 25-35ppm is considered poor air quality.

Long or repeated periods of exposure to indoor environments with a higher ppm are considered unhealthy or dangerous.

How to Improve Indoor Air Quality?

Manage both natural and mechanical ventilation systems within your home. Ensure you have a high air exchange rate to prevent locking yourself in with indoor pollutants and absorbing outdoor air contaminants.

You can also improve indoor air quality by only entrusting the installation and maintenance of your air handling systems to reliable contractors.

It’s prudent to find a reliable professional, especially in maintaining your current air handlers.

A criminally underrated cause behind an indoor air quality problem is the poor installation or maintenance of mechanical ventilation devices, air conditioners, and automatic air fresheners.

Don’t risk respiratory diseases down the line by pinching pennies on your HVAC contractor.

Who to Call for Indoor Air Quality Inquiries?

You can call a reliable HVAC specialist to measure your indoor air quality and find the necessary solutions to any problems you might be having with it.

They have access to tools that can accurately measure indoor air quality better than those accessible on the market.

The access professionals have to the appropriate tools, and their expertise can help you determine the state of your environment indoors and what factors can improve or dilute it.

While you might think it’s a waste of money to call a specialist, it might be part of your due diligence as a homeowner.

Whether installing or maintaining air handlers, they can help identify indoor sources and how they can deter or help improve your indoor air quality efficiently.

The Proper Maintenance of Cooling Systems

The proper maintenance of your heating and cooling devices involves their frequency.

A routine check-up and tune-up can prevent undue harm to your home and body. Tune-ups include cleaning and changing air filters, where dust and other contaminants often collect.

If your filters aren’t routinely inspected, you might be breathing in pollutants from all the smoke and smog outdoors.

However, it isn’t all about properly filtered air conditioning.

Fan motors and heat pumps that don’t function correctly can also dilute indoor air quality by preventing important components from playing their roles competently.

A reliable specialist can help you remedy issues without charging a surplus for labor and materials. Be careful of less than reliable professionals who utilize indoor air quality issues to scare you into paying out the nose.

If you’re looking for a more reliable partner with your indoor air quality problem, we can help you with that.

One Stop Heating and Air Conditioning

Our team of experts will conduct the necessary inspections and help you sort things out. We won’t charge you unless you are 100% satisfied with our services.

We can help you with the installation, replacement, inspection, repair, and maintenance of a broad range of heating and cooling systems.

We like to keep things transparent and cost-efficient for our customers.

We offer a full-service suite that involves everything relevant to your indoor environment and how it impacts your health and comfort.

You can reach out to our experts any time!

We’re Here for You 24/7

If you want to know more about us, you can visit our website.

For immediate concerns and emergencies, you can call our hotline!