Spring brings everything back into full bloom, but it also brings along springtime allergies. With pollen, pollutants, and microorganisms in the air, those suffering from allergies can find breathing hard. Fortunately, a well-maintained HVAC system can distinguish between sneezing indoors and breathing comfortably. This guide will demonstrate how adequately maintained HVAC systems can relieve springtime allergies.
Type of Filtration
When someone in your home has severe allergies, the filtration you use in your HVAC system is important for how well you breathe. Regardless of the type of filtration you decide to use, you must change the filter more often. If you have allergies, consider changing the filter at least every other month. This will minimize dust and allergens in the system and help the air circulate more freely.
Carbon Filtration
This is a filtration type that removes allergens and odors, making it easier for those with respiratory issues to breathe. It purifies the air by absorbing pollutants into the carbon within the filter, which acts like a sponge for odors and particles that may obstruct breathing.
Indoor Air Purification
One significant upgrade to an HVAC system to enhance indoor air quality is installing a whole-home air purification system. Unlike standalone air purifiers that clean only the air in a single room, whole-home purifiers treat all the air recirculated through your HVAC system. They eliminate airborne allergens such as dust, pet dander, and pollen. This material accumulates on the filter media, allowing easy removal through a filter change or cleaning if the filter is washable.
With a standard HVAC system, airborne particles are sometimes too small for an HVAC to filter out fully. With a dedicated air purifier, they capture airborne particles, and the whole-home system will even help neutralize some odors that result from:
- Chemical cleaners
- Cooked and uncooked food
- Secondhand smoke
- Garbage
- Pet odors
Whole-house air purification may also extend the life of your HVAC system. When a system runs without air purification, allergens and dust settle on air filters. Blocked air filters cause the HVAC system to need more energy to push air through the ducts, increasing wear and tear on components and your home’s utility bills.
When you use air purification in your home, it will remove many of these particles before they reach the air filters and the ducts. This means that your system will run much more efficiently, and less buildup will occur on filter media. This means that you won’t have to change your intake filters as often.
HEPA Filtration in Air Purifiers
A HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filtration system will catch smaller particles, making it possible to see more allergens and pollen during the filtration process. This type of filter catches 99.97% of all air allergens larger than 0.3 microns. It effectively eliminates pollen, dust, pet dander, and other allergens from your living space. These are not used in whole-home residential applications but can be found in smaller, standalone air purifiers.
UV Air Purifiers
UV (ultraviolet) filtration purifies the air entering your home before it reaches the air you breathe. It acts as a disinfectant, effectively “killing” germs and bacteria. UV filtration is an excellent choice for improving indoor air quality, as it inactivates microorganisms that cause allergens like mold, pet dander, and dust mites.
It does this by damaging their deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and making them unable to reproduce. This is great for older adults living in the home because it prevents viruses and anything that could exacerbate breathing issues like asthma and allergies from circulating in the air.
Air Scrubbers
Air scrubbers, like air purification systems, work to remove allergens and particles from the air, but the particle management system is different. These devices can be used independently in a single room or attached to your whole-home HVAC. An air scrubber will not only remove airborne particles but also particles on the surfaces around your home.
Air scrubbers use ionization to make both airborne and surface particles heavier, making them easier to filter or clean. They are also used with some of the abovementioned filtration technologies, as these scrubbers draw in air. For example, modern air scrubbers filter the air with HEPA and UV light.
These systems are often installed within the ductwork of HVAC systems. This means that the whole home will be able to have its air scrubbed of:
- Dust
- Pollen
- Mold
- Mildew
- Bacteria
- Chemical fumes
- Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
- Secondhand smoke
- Pet dander
In many cases, air scrubbers are more effective than air purifiers when removing microorganisms since ionization renders them inert through oxidative stress. Air scrubbers also use at least a three-stage filtration system to remove the overwhelming majority of allergens in the air.
Control Humidity Levels
Optimally, for those who want better indoor allergen management, between 30% and 50% humidity levels within a home are best. To achieve these levels, using a whole-home humidity control system with your HVAC is a good idea. This specific humidity range is ideal because the home becomes much more friendly to microbes that love moisture when humidity is above this threshold. For example, mold, mildew, and bacteria prefer environments above 60% humidity.
On the other hand, low humidity levels promote dryer skin, which increases dust and pet dander. This is because water droplets in the air will attach to particles and drop to the ground. Additionally, with drier air, your nasal passages will dry out and produce less protective mucus, which means allergens will have an easier time passing through to your respiratory system. All of this happens when humidity levels drop below 30%.
Installing a whole-home humidity control system within your HVAC unit can ensure comfortable humidity levels in your home. This unit allows you to adjust your humidity both up and down. You can set the humidity to the levels above so that neither humidity-loving airborne allergens nor low-humidity conditions that promote allergies are a problem.
Smart Home Features
When your HVAC system uses smart thermostats, it will have sensors that monitor the air quality in your living space in real-time. Adjusting a single control allows you to optimize the air quality quickly and easily. You can have the system send an alert when the quality of the air changes. It will also track the patterns of air quality throughout the day and week. This may help you to detect patterns and potentially causes. Controlling the temperature and the humidity level with your innovative system also makes comfort in your home more convenient.
Manage Your Spring Allergies
With all of these arrows in your quiver, the spring allergy sufferers in your home will have a break from coughing and sneezing. Each tool improves indoor air quality, but most require professional installation or maintenance. One of our well-trained HVAC technicians can help you upgrade your system or maintain your HVAC system to keep your allergies at bay. We can also help with any other heating and cooling needs. Call Sam's Air Control in Metuchen, NJ today.
