Enjoying your indoor air

In spring, many people fear the outside air, due to pollen and other seasonal allergy irritants.  What many people do not realize is that indoor air pollutants may be even worse.  They include pollen, molds, fungal spores, viruses, bacteria, smoke, gas combustion by-products, outgassing from carpets, furniture, plywood, and drywall, cleaning supplies and other personal care items, pet dander, dust mites and their feces and body fragments, cockroach body parts, and more.  Disgusting! 

Worse, it’s unhealthy.  Over 50 million Americans suffer from allergies and 20 million have asthma. Tighter building envelopes in the quest for greater energy efficiency are making things worse. We spend most of our time indoors, surrounded by the indoor air pollutants.  The larger pollutants, less than 10 microns, are caught in our throats (by comparison, a human hair is 30 to 120 microns in diameter). Smaller pollutants are inhaled into our lungs where they can remain trapped for years.

There are four principle ways to fight indoor air pollution and improve filtration in your home. These are source control, ventilation, air filters, and air cleaners.

Source Control 

The starting point for a home indoor air quality strategy is source control. It makes sense. If you can control a pollutant before it becomes airborne, you’re ahead of the game. Source control strategies include the use of low emission paints, varnishes, and carpeting, no smoking, no pets, maintaining optimum humidity levels, regular cleaning, and regular servicing of combustion appliances, such as furnaces.  Unfortunately, you cannot always control pollutant sources.

Ventilation 

After source control comes fresh air ventilation. According to the EPA, the air inside your home is far worse than outside air.  Yet, when it’s really hot or really cold, who’s going to open the windows?  It’s uncomfortable and unaffordable.

There is a solution for some homes that improves fresh ventilation without the comfort or energy costs.  It’s called an energy recovery ventilator.  Not only can it improve air quality, it can actually reduce utilities in certain circumstances.

Air Filters 

Has your air quality remained the same, even after the installation of that expensive filter?  All filters have a “pressure drop,” or amount of resistance.  Even cheap throw-away filters can become problematic if not changed on a regular basis.  As dirt collects on the filter, the pressure drop rises. Far worse than low cost throw-away filters are the high pressure drop filters, which have pressure drops of 0.35” w.g. or higher (some have pressure drops exceeding 0.5” w.g. by themselves). Homeowners buy expensive filters because they want to improve the air quality and comfort in their homes.  Ironically, the filters often make things worse.

Look inside the panel of a furnace or blower for a central air conditioning system and you will find the manufacturer’s rating label.  Typically, one of the ratings is “Total ESP.”  Total ESP stands for Total External Static Pressure. When the Total External Static Pressure is exceeded in a home comfort system, the fan slows. When the fan slows, there are a couple of possible consequences.  First, there may not be sufficient air flow to ensure enough air is delivered to the end of the longest duct runs.  When this occurs, these rooms may feel stuffy and too hot or cold, even though the temperature is comfortable elsewhere. Second, the air flow passing over the evaporator coil may be insufficient to ensure proper dehumidification. If the evaporator coil doesn’t fully dehumidify, it and/or the surrounding plenum box can become a breeding ground for bacteriological growth and contaminants.

Fortunately, the HVAC industry has a number of excellent solutions for homeowners who want better filtration than the minimal amount found with a throw-away filter, but do not want the comfort or bacteriological problems of a high pressure drop filter. These include residential HEPA (high efficiency particulate arresting) filters, deep pleated media air filters, and electronic air cleaners.

Air Cleaning 

The fourth way to fight indoor air pollution is air cleaning.  Do not buy the cheap tabletop and gadget air cleaners you hear advertised.  They are a waste of money.  According to an American Lung Association® report, “The reviewed data provide little reason to endorse the use of inexpensive tabletop, appliance-type air cleaners, regardless of the technology they employ. In general, high-efficiency particle collection requires larger filters or electronic air cleaners.”

We recommend a whole-house approach with a duct mounted UV light and either a HEPA filtration system or an electronic air cleaner. The installed cost of an electronic air cleaner is roughly 30 cents a day over the life of the air cleaner. What’s appropriate for your home depends on your budget, comfort system, and family.

Whether it’s installing a new ventilation system, filtration system, or air filter Elite Service Company is happy to help with all of your comfort system needs.  Call us at 918.610.7300
© Service Roundtable

Winter Tip of the Day: Change Furnace Filters

Some plants can help you reduce your allergy symptoms!

More than 50 million Americans suffer from allergies.  Allergies are the sixth leading cause of chronic diseases in the United States.  They are a widespread problem. 

     

Unfortunately, your home can contribute to allergy problems.  Today’s tight construction traps allergens and other airborne particles in the home.  The EPA says that airborne pollutants may be 25 to 100 times worse indoors than outside.  And we spend 90% of our time indoors!

    

If any of your homeowners suffer from allergies, we recommend two solutions.  First, and simplest, buy a few air cleaning houseplants.  Some of the best are:

·        Areca Palms

·        Bamboo Palm

·        Boston Fern

·        Corn Plant

·        Dwarf Date Palm

·        English Ivy

·        Ficus

·        Lady Palm

·        Peace Lily

     

Second, consider offering an electronic air cleaner for their home.  Electronic air cleaners are mounted in your duct system and quietly work to clean the air, trapping particulates as small as 0.3 microns.  This is smaller than tobacco smoke particulates, cat allergens, dust, pollen, and mold spores.

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Only TRANE CleanEffects™ removes up to 99.98% of the tiniest allergens.

• Pollen
• Mold Spores
• Smoke
• Dust
• Pet Dander
• Bacteria

 Give us a call and we'll do our best to give you relief from your allergies!  918.610.7300

           

Curb your allergy symptoms this spring!

Last week, we mentioned a few ways you can improve the quality of your indoor air.  This week, we will go over those steps in depth.

Source Control

The starting point for a home indoor air quality strategy is source control.  It makes sense, if you can control a pollutant before it becomes airborne — you’re ahead of the game.  Source control strategies include the use of low emission paints, varnishes, carpeting, no smoking, no inside pets, maintaining optimum humidity levels, with regular cleaning, and servicing of combustion appliances, such as furnaces.  Unfortunately, you cannot always control pollutant sources.
 

Use your air conditioner to control humidity for the spring and summer months and a duct mounted humidifier in the winter.  Get your air conditioner serviced every spring and your furnace serviced every fall.  The most economical approach to maintenance is a Preventive Maintenance Agreement.

Ventilation

Fresh air ventilation is a close second in air standards according to the EPA, the air inside your 
home is far worse than outside air.  Even during allergy season?  Possibly.

Fortunately, there is a solution that improves fresh ventilation without compromising comfort or energy costs.  It’s called an Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV).  It exchanges stale, polluted indoor air with fresh air and cleans the incoming air.  The ERV captures roughly 85% of the heating or cooling energy from the indoor air.  Not only can it improve air quality, it can actually reduce utilities in certain circumstances.

Air Cleaning

The third way to fight indoor air pollution is air cleaning.  Do not buy the cheap tabletop and gadget air cleaners you hear advertised.  They are a waste of money.  According to an American Lung Association® report, “The reviewed data provide little reason to endorse the use of inexpensive tabletop, appliance-type air cleaners, regardless of the technology they employ. In general, high-efficiency particle collection requires larger filters or electronic air cleaners.”

We recommend a whole-house approach with a duct mounted UV light and either a HEPA filtration system or an electronic air cleaner.  What’s appropriate for your home depends on your budget, comfort system, and family.

At Elite Service Company, we may not be medical doctors, but we are air doctors.  We know air.  We know filtration.  We know ventilation.  And we know service.  We can assemble an indoor air package that fits your family and budget. 

The food your family eats is regulated and inspected.  The water your family drinks is tested and treated.  Yet, when it comes to the air your family breathes, it’s all up to you. 

When you can’t breathe, nothing else matters! 


Call Elite today to book any services listed above!  918.610.7300

Allergy season strikes again!

Ah, Spring.  The weather is turning.  The grass is growing.  The flowers are blooming…and so are your allergies!

For a quarter of the population, this is not Spring--it’s allergy season.   It’s the season of red and itchy eyes, sneezes and runny noses, wheezing, congestion, shortness of breath, headaches, drowsiness, and all around misery.

People with allergies inhale pollen, dust, dust mites, animal dander, and other nasty stuff that fills the air.  Breathing these impurities can trigger the release of histamine—a neuro-transmitter that is produced when an allergic reaction occurrs.  Histamine causes nasal tissues to swell and mucous to build as your body becomes a battlegroud. 

I’ll just stay indoors…

Unfortunately, shutting yourself inside on a beautiful spring day is not the answer to conquering your allergies.  After all, indoor air pollutants are all around us.  They include pollen, molds, fungal spores, viruses, bacteria, smoke, gas combustion by-products, outgassing from carpets, furniture, plywood, and drywall, cleaning supplies and other personal care items, pet dander, dust mites (their feces and body fragments) cockroach body parts, and more.  Blech! 

Allergy Management

Aside from taking antihistamine medication, what can you do?

The only solution for allergy sufferers is to avoid the allergens that cause the reaction.  I know you’re rolling your eyes, thinking, “Easier said than done, lady!”

The following are a few simple steps to prevent your allergies from ruling your life this spring:

·        Keep your windows closed at night 

·        Run the air conditioner to dehumidify your home 

·        Drive with your car windows rolled up. 

·        Shower when coming in from the outdoors to wash away the pollen and mold that     collects on your skin, clothes, and hair

·        Clear out cobwebs from high ceiling corners.

·        Flip your mattress

·        Vacuum your mattress and boxspring

·        Take down drapes and curtains for cleaning

·        Vacuum all sofa and chair cushions and coverings

·        Move furniture and vacuum underneath

·        Use a paper mask when performing yard work
 

Improving conditions indoors

John L. Kirkwood, President and CEO of the American Lung Association® says, “Keeping the air in your home clean is particularly important for people with asthma or allergies, but the quality of indoor air is something all Americans should be concerned about.”

There are three ways to fight indoor air pollution: 

·        Source Control

·        Ventilation

·        Air Cleaning

Over the next few weeks, we are going to provide you with tips to escape the misery of allergy season, while helping you improve the quality of your indoor air.