HVAC and Indoor Air Quality: Risks, Filters and Ducts

For many home and building owners throughout Park City and other parts of Utah, indoor air quality is an important concern. Indoor air can become quite unhealthy if the right steps aren’t taken, and one of the key areas to be maintaining if you’re interested in the best possible indoor air quality is your HVAC system.

At My Buddy the Plumber, we’re happy to assist clients with a wide range of HVAC services, including themes like home humidifiers, filter assistance and many others that speak either directly or tangentially to air quality in your Park City home or building. In this two-part blog series, we’ll go over some of the top threats to indoor air quality, plus some HVAC themes you can lean on to help you avoid them.

HVAC indoor air quality filters

Common Indoor Air Quality Risks

Many people don’t realize that their indoor air is often significantly dirtier than the air outside — it’s true, and it’s due to a few things, including the lack of UV rays and other natural air-cleaners in the environment. In addition, many home components lead to creation of pollutants or contaminants, and these may also contribute. Some of the top causes of indoor air pollution include:

  • Various fuel-burning appliances, such as gas stoves, fireplaces and wood-burning furnaces
  • Mold, mildew or dust inside the home’s ductwork
  • Cigarette smoke (especially in a closed-off environment)
  • Pollen (high concentrations of pollen can also trigger allergies)
  • Carbon monoxide (typically from gas appliances that aren’t burning cleanly; running a vehicle in an enclosed space can have similar negative effects)
  • Bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms
  • Build materials or furnishings like asbestos, formaldehyde, varnish and polyurethane
  • Pet dander (just like with pollen, high concentrations can trigger allergies)
  • Household cleaning and maintenance products (especially if not properly sealed/stored)
  • Outdoor pollution sources, from exhaust fumes and radon to fertilizers, pesticides and more

Luckily, you don’t have to just accept these pollutants in your home or building. Our next several sections will go over HVAC-related tips for managing and even eliminating them.

Air Filter Considerations

The single most important thing you can do for your HVAC system is to ensure that it’s running with clean air filters. This will keep the large particles that cause allergens and dust from circulating throughout your home or building, instead trapping them before they have a chance to contaminate your indoor environment. Replacing or cleaning your filters on a regular basis is one of the best ways to keep dust and other pollutants from entering through conventional HVAC systems — it should be done at least as often as manufacturer recommendations signal, if not more often.

Consider Air Duct Cleaning

If it’s been at least a few years since the last time you had your central air ducts cleaned, now is the right time for an HVAC service. Allowing contaminants to build up inside your home’s air ducts can lead not only to poor indoor air quality but also system performance issues and health problems. Our company offers detailed cleaning services at competitive prices, ensuring that your air ducts remain clean at all times and do not allow contaminants to build up.

For more on how to utilize your HVAC system to improve indoor air quality, or to learn about any of our plumbing or HVAC services in Park City, speak to the staff at My Buddy the Plumber today.