Category: Air Quality

Top Air Quality Products Every Home Should Have

If you think you can escape polluted air indoors, think again. Depending on your habits, lifestyle and your home’s structure, the air indoors may present more problems than the air you breathe outdoors. With the addition of air quality products that can purify air by reducing and eliminating unwanted pollutants, you and your family can enjoy a healthier and fresher environment indoors. Some of the most important air quality products you should consider include: Air Purifiers An air purifier is one of the most popular air quality products installed in homes where there are household members who suffer from asthma and allergies. Air purifiers work by passing air through filters to remove particles and other pollutants. Once the air comes out of the purifier, its pollutant content is significantly reduced. Many of today’s cooling and heating systems have a built-in air purifier, although many homes still install a stand-alone unit for extra protection. Some of the most common types of air purifiers sold in the market include: HEPA filters – High Efficiency Particulate Air purifiers that can eliminate particulates as small as 0.3 micrometers Ozone Generators – capable of turning oxygen molecules into ozone that disinfects the air and removes unpleasant odor

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Do I Really Have to Think About Asbestos in 2016? Here’s What You Need to Consider

Researchers in the United States started recognizing the dangers of asbestos in the early 20thcentury. Still many major industries continued to use asbestos to create structures and goods throughout the 20th century, hitting its peak in the U.S. from 1940 to 1975. Though the Environmental Protection Agency banned products containing asbestos in 1989, most of this ban was lifted in 1991. The United States stopped producing asbestos in 2002, but it still imports approximately 3,000 tons per year. This may cause you to wonder, is asbestos still something to worry about in 2016? What You Need to Know About Asbestos Many people are not aware that asbestos is still being used in the United States as most commercial uses of asbestos are still allowed. Here’s what you need to know about asbestos and whether or not it still poses a threat to you and your family. What is Asbestos? Asbestos is a group of minerals that are made up of long, thin fibers, which cannot be seen by the naked eye. These minerals occur naturally in six different forms, mostly in underground rock. Asbestos is a highly durable material that is resistant to heat, fire, and chemical damage. The material works

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Indoor Air Quality a Rising Concern For Home Buyers

Many potential home buyers are actively looking to relocate in the spring and summer months, and this makes the warmer months of the year a very busy time for the real estate market. If you have decided to buy an existing home or build your dream home, indoor air quality is something that should be a priority. There are ways you can ensure that your future home is healthy and safe for all the members of your family by dealing with these concerns before you make a buying decision. Indoor Air Concerns for New Home Buyers When you decide to purchase a new home, you give yourself the best opportunity to ensure that your indoor air quality is healthy. During the past 10 years, home builders have noted that consumers have been asking for “green” building materials more often. They want to buy homes built with flooring, cabinet materials and other products that are environmentally sustainable and free from dangerous chemicals. Bamboo is a popular choice for flooring, and it is an example of an environmentally friendly building product. Reclaimed oak, which is usually found locally, is another one, and is a better choice than traditional oak for flooring when

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Extreme Weather Can Affect the Air in Your Home

Extreme weather events can negatively impact indoor air quality, which may lead to serious health consequences. With weather events such as heat waves, storms and floods increasing in recent years, air quality should be on every homeowner’s radar. Higher Temperatures Bring Air Quality Problems Intense heat waves can make it miserable to be outdoors, but it can also create problems for those who stay indoors. Heat may trigger various events that threaten indoor air quality. Heat increases the production of pollen, which gets into the air both indoors and outdoors. A good air filter should remove most of the pollen from your indoor air, but a significant increase in the overall amount of pollen will increase the amount that makes it through the filter and into your home. Rising temperatures, and the associated rise in energy costs, inspire many homeowners to improve their weatherization. However, the nature of weatherization—limiting the movement of air between indoors and outdoors—can worsen air quality problems. Super efficient and weather-tight homes rely entirely on mechanical systems for fresh air, and any problems in those systems can send indoor air quality plummeting. Air Quality Threats From Storms and Flooding Violent storms that cause brownouts or blackouts

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The Importance of Changing Your Air Filter

With so many household chores to complete, many people overlook important HVAC maintenance tasks. One crucial objective is to perform an air filter change three to four times per year. Three-inch or smaller filters should be replaced after 90 days; larger units need to be changed every four months. This type of heating and cooling system maintenance can prevent health problems, enhance comfort, reduce air pollution and cut operating costs. Changing Your Air Filter Enhances Energy Efficiency Compared to new filters, grimy units make it considerably harder for air to move through the system. They have the potential to raise fuel or electric power consumption by as much as 15 percent. For example, a dirty air filter could boost a home’s annual cooling costs from $900 to $1,035. Keep in mind that some types of new HVAC filters operate more efficiently than others. Promote System Reliability & Performance The added energy costs associated with a clogged filter are often minimal compared to the repair bills. It may begin to cause mechanical problems after excessive amounts of dirt accumulate on coils or motors. This results in costly service calls, repair work and part replacements. Another problem is that it may force

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Why You Should Care About Maintaining Your Home’s HVAC

Did you know that your HVAC should be inspected about twice a year? With spring right around the corner, you’ll want your AC to be checked out so you and your family can be as comfortable as possible once the heat hits. Once the colder months of the year roll back around, it is important to make sure that your home’s heater is in proper working order. Neglecting regular maintenance for your HVAC can cause you to run into some costly problems. Be wary of these serious issues that you can run into: Bad air quality in your home It is much more likely that you will experience more sick days during the winter than you would in the summer. This is due greatly to a lowered immune system in the colder months. However, if you are breathing in dirty air due to a heater that isn’t working properly, this will not help you in your efforts to stay healthy. If you regularly maintain your heater, you will have much cleaner air to breathe in your home. Costly repairs that could have been avoided If you were to never change the oil in your car, you would eventually have to invest in a whole new

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Indoor Air Quality and Covid

Everything We Know About COVID and Indoor Air Quality

Since Spring 2020, the world has been dealing with COVID-19. We now know that COVID spreads via aerosol, and more homeowners in Los Angeles understand the meaning of the term Indoor Air Quality (IAQ). But we’re all learning as we go here, including scientists and researchers. In our quest to continue learning about the industry and how to best protect our team and customers, we’ve reviewed the latest research and recommendations on the topic of Covid and IAQ. Here’s what we’ve learned:  There’s No Silver Bullet: Use Many Methods to Improve IAQ Recent research from the Central Building Research Institute indicates that there is no one, perfect solution for improving IAQ. Instead, the best course of action to improve indoor air quality is using many different methods. Most Los Angeles residents are already familiar with the baseline recommendations. Wearing facemasks, social distancing, and limiting large gatherings are the best ways to keep things safe inside most buildings. One challenge with these recommendations is that it requires every individual to choose to comply. In other words, the quality of everyone’s IAQ depends on… everyone!   There are ways to promote great IAQ, regardless of individual choices. These are called “engineering controls” –

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