According to the Environmental Protection Agency, indoor air is often three to five times more polluted than outdoor air. This may be particularly true throughout Georgia where the pollen count is high and humidity is rampant. If you’re like most Americans, you spend more than 90% of your time indoors, and doing so could lead to unforeseen health effects.
Poor interior air quality has been linked to a variety of health conditions, including asthma, allergies, headaches and skin rashes. Poor air quality also contributes to chronic respiratory conditions like asthma. Routine AC maintenance is one way to help make sure the air quality inside your home or place of work stays within a healthy range.
Your HVAC System Impacts Air Quality
When you think of your HVAC system, you probably picture your heating and cooling units. Your HVAC system is a lot more than a means of providing you with warm air in the winter and cool air in the summer, though.
If your HVAC system relies on a heat pump, it is bringing outdoor air with all its pollutants into your home or workplace. If you rely on a furnace for winter heat, that furnace is producing by-products that pollute the air you breathe. Without regular HVAC maintenance, these pollutants can get stuck inside your ductwork and filters. If indoor pollution is compounded by excess moisture, as it can be in a humid climate like Georgia’s, you’re also at risk for the growth of dangerous molds and bacteria.
HVAC systems can play a prominent role in alleviating asthma and allergy symptoms if those HVAC systems are properly maintained. Since 1973, 4 Seasons Heating & Air in Alpharetta, GA, has been helping homeowners and business owners alike breathe more easily.
What Are the Causes of Indoor Air Pollution?
Indoor air pollution has many sources. They include:
- Particulate matter
- Pet dander
- Volatile organic compounds
- Pathogens
Fine particles, including pollen, dust and vehicle exhaust, can find their way inside your home or workplace through open windows and doors. If you have pets, your pets shed hair and microscopic flakes of skin called dander. Did you realize that carpeting, synthetic building materials, cleaning solvents, and even certain personal care products emit fumes called volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can be hazardous to many people? Finally, bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens can be recirculated through HVAC ductwork.
Indoor air pollution represents a serious hazard to your health and the health of your family. Regular HVAC maintenance services can help improve the quality of your indoor air by reducing airborne particles, pollutants, and pathogens. 4 Seasons Heating & Air offers HVAC maintenance packages that can help you decrease the pollutants inside your Alpharetta property.
What Is Regular HVAC Maintenance?
Complete HVAC maintenance consists of nine steps. They are:
- Cleaning or replacing filters
- Cleaning and removing duct debris
- Checking condensate drains
- Inspecting exhaust outlets
- Checking fuel lines
- Checking thermostats
- Checking electrical connections
- Checking furnaces
- Checking refrigerant levels
The filters that are part of your AC system and furnace are your first line of defense against indoor air pollution. If these filters are not regularly cleaned and replaced as needed, your HVAC system will have no way to sift particulate matter from the air. Cleaning and replacing filters is one of the most important parts of routine HVAC maintenance.
Dust and debris don’t just collect in your filters, though. Particles also collect in your air ducts as well as on furnaces, condensing units and other moving parts associated with your HVAC equipment. When dust builds up, it gets into the air. An HVAC technician has the training and the equipment to clean accumulated dust and debris safely.
If your AC unit’s condenser develops a clog, the flow of condensed water through it can be obstructed. This can lead to an accumulation of moisture throughout the system and raise the likelihood of leaks. Excess moisture can lead to mold and bacteria growth, which further compromise your air quality. As part of your routine HVAC maintenance service, an experienced technician will flush and clean your condenser’s draining unit.
If your exhaust outlets aren’t working properly, you run the risk of a buildup of carbon monoxide or other noxious gases. Clogged fuel lines increase the accumulation of soot particulates, which can be hazardous to your health. Clogged fuel lines also constitute a fire hazard.
While the other steps involved in routine HVAC maintenance may not have a direct effect on the air quality inside your home or office, remember that the parts of your HVAC system are designed to work together synergistically. If your thermostat is not working optimally, for example, this puts a greater strain on the other parts of your HVAC system that are responsible for maintaining high-quality air throughout your property. You can trust the highly trained technicians who work with 4 Seasons Heating & Air to make sure that every part of the HVAC system that heats and cools your property in Alpharetta is perfectly maintained.
Improving Air Quality Throughout Alpharetta
For more than 40 years, 4 Seasons Heating & Air has been providing high-quality HVAC services to residential and commercial customers throughout Alpharetta and other parts of the North Atlanta area. Now more than ever, our top priority is to provide you with services that will help ensure that your home is the healthiest, most comfortable environment possible. We offer fall and spring maintenance packages that include all the services you’ll need to help your HVAC system continue to operate efficiently and cost-effectively.
When you sign up for our maintenance plans, you won’t have to remind yourself to schedule maintenance because we’ll remind you. You’ll be eligible for money-saving discounts, and you’ll never face overtime charges. Unless we have to special order a part, you’ll receive same-day replacement on all parts if our diagnostic services show that you need a repair. Remember, too, that most HVAC equipment manufacturers will void your warranty if you can’t show that your equipment was serviced regularly.
Our technicians are NATE certified, and our service trucks are stocked with parts and supplies for practically every job. What this means is that in most cases, we’ll be able to offer you the right solution to your HVAC issue without a second service call. We offer 24/7 emergency repair services because we know HVAC systems often occur at the most inopportune times. Customer service is very important to us because the satisfaction of our customers is our number one priority at all times. Our technicians will arrive at your job site promptly, and we’ll make sure you have the opportunity to review a detailed estimate before we undertake any repair work.
In addition to providing routine HVAC maintenance services, we do heating repairs and replacements as well as cooling system repairs and replacements. If you want to upgrade your current duct system, which may help your HVAC system function more efficiently, we can tailor that project to your exact specifications. Call our office today to schedule a service call and get more information about our air quality solutions and the other services we provide.
