While here in Phoenix, we don’t suffer the intense winters of the Northeast, we do still have plenty of nights with below freezing temperatures. Along with our cold winter nights, we also have one of the poorest air qualities in the country. That’s why your home’s HVAC system is so important.
Your home’s indoor air quality affects your health. Sealing your home against drafts can be counterproductive, keeping in stale germ laden air. Poor indoor air quality can lead to chapped lips, sinus infections, sore throats, itchy skin and colds. The way to keep your indoor air quality high and stay healthy is to improve your home’s ventilation system. If you can, it’s a good idea to have your home’s HVAC system serviced before the cold weather strikes.
How to Stay Healthy In The Winter
There are some simple steps you can take to keep your family healthy in the winter. Along with your heating and ventilation system, regular cleaning can reduce allergens, like pet dander and dust. Here are a few ways to improve the air quality in your home this winter.
1. Vacuum Frequently – Buy a vacuum cleaner that includes a HEPA filter to remove dust, pet dander, and dust mites from your home. When you spend a lot of time in the house over the winter, dust and dander can get into your lungs and cause allergy attacks, increase your risks for asthma, and lower your body’s immune response, making you more susceptible to colds.
2. Take a Proactive Approach to Cleaning - Wash all the surfaces in your home frequently and wash linens at least twice a week. That includes blankets, bedding, and comforters. Use a quality, scent free detergent. Use hypoallergenic mattress and boxspring covers. These eliminate allergens, bacteria and viruses from reaching your lungs.
3. Keep Your Home Ventilated – Here in Arizona, we’re blessed with warm days and cold nights. On days with low pollution indexes, crack a window or two during the day to exchange the air in your home. Use kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans. If you’re concerned about energy efficiency, consider installing an in-window air exchanger. It will pull in filtered outside air without letting heated air escape.
4. Keep Your Heating Systems Maintained – Have your furnace, wood burning stove, fireplace and space heaters checked before the cold weather hits. Have a professional HVAC company come and service your systems to make sure they are running at peak efficiency. Change or clean your air filters, chimneys and ductwork to keep dust down.
The Importance of Maintaining Your HVAC System
Your heating system plays a huge role in not only keeping your home warm throughout the winter months, but in the overall air quality in your home. Much like your vehicle, your heating system needs periodic tune-ups to keep it operating at maximum efficiency. You should have it serviced twice a year, in the spring before the heat of summer, and again in the fall before the cold weather hits.
Regular repair service should include replacing filters, checking ductwork, testing your furnace for efficiency and making any necessary adjustments to burners, fans, and electrical connections. This can not only ensure the air quality in your home, it can keep your system running at peak efficiency, saving your money on energy costs. Preventative maintenance and regular service can keep your system running trouble-free year round. It can also identify problems before they become serious and require costly repairs.
Avoid Getting Sick With A Whole House Air Purification System
Air purifiers are installed in the ductwork of your home and all of the air in your home is circulated through it. They use electrostatic energy to charge any particles in the air and the particles are removed by attaching to an oppositely charged collector plate or collecting the dust in a cell. To maintain efficiency, this plate needs regular cleaning.
A whole house air purifier can remove allergens and germs from your home. This can mean fewer asthma and allergy attacks as well as fewer colds.
Give The Experts at Day & Night Air A Call!
The professionally trained and certified technicians at Day & Night Air can help your family stay warm and healthy this winter. We offer scheduled maintenance plans that can keep your HVAC system operating efficiently all year long. If you need heating repair, Day & Night can service any make and model of furnace or heat pump. We also provide air quality services and 24 hour emergency service. Any time of the day or night just give us a call, and we’re there!
If you’d like to make an appointment for heating, air conditioning or air purification services, or just learn more, give us a call today.