Fall and winter are considered the worst seasons for those who have chronic allergies. Such individuals find themselves sniffling and sneezing and are highly uncomfortable throughout these seasons.
Why does this happen? As it turns out, there are many allergens in the air in your home. You may be surprised to know that your HVAC plays a big role in triggering your allergies. The good news, however, is that you don’t need to wait for the season to change to get better. Here’s what you need to know:
Dirty filters and allergens
Air filters are a mesh-like layer on the air vents around your home. Their function is to filter out any airborne particles from going into your HVAC system. Over time, these filters capture dust, pollen, mold, spores, dander, and other contaminants that latch onto your system’s filters.
If these filters aren’t regularly changed or cleaned, your HVAC system will be blowing out these allergens into your home. Such allergens trigger asthma attacks and other respiratory problems in individuals.
Air filters easily get clogged up with dust and other allergens that affect their efficiency. The clogged up filters can increase your power consumption as your HVAC system will have to work doubly hard to reach the required temperature.
Steps to reduce allergens in your home
Keep windows and doors locked
Open doors and windows are the number one reason for airborne contaminants entering your home. Your HVAC system will have to work in overdrive to keep such contaminants out. Your system won’t be working efficiently and it will cost you a lot more money in utility bills. Even if you don’t have serious respiratory problems, contaminated air and dirty air filters in your home will have you coughing, wheezing, suffering from watery eyes, and much more.
Regularly change the air filters
Air filters are easy to buy and install. They’re readily available at home improvement stalls and don’t burn a hole in your pocket. Experts suggest that every 90 days, the air filters in a home should be replaced. Households with pets need to change air filters more regularly. Regularly changing the filters will ensure no particles and contaminants are lurking around in the filters.
Invest in a good quality pre-filter and secondary filter
The pre-filter is the one that requires replacement every 3 months. Families that have members with acute respiratory issues are recommended to get a secondary filter. The secondary filter should be made of a finer mesh than the pre-filter. Its purpose is to filter out other finer contaminants that the first filter could not get a hold of.
Regular heating and air conditioning maintenance are important to preserve the health of your family. Florida Breeze offers heating repair in Palm Bay. Contact us at (321) 951-8767 for an appointment.