our opinions: ADVICE FROM AN EXPERT
In The
Comfort
Zone
Happy New Year —
Allergy Time Is Here Again
By BRETT HOBSON
CEO Comfort Experts
A
88
s I write this, Pollen.com a website that tracks allergens
in the air, lists Fort Worth, Texas as one of the worst
cities in the country for allergy sufferers. There are many
issues to worry about if you suffer from seasonal allergies;
grass, hay, pollen, and mountain cedar are just a few of the
allergens that trigger symptoms for many of us when we
go outside. But the air quality in your home shouldn’t be
something that you should have to think about, given the
improvements that are currently on the market that can help
improve the air inside your home.
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA), Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) refers to the air quality
within and around buildings and structures, especially as
it relates to the health and comfort of building occupants.
If you understand and can control the number of common
pollutants in your home, you can reduce your risk of indoor
health concerns. The results of indoor pollutants are things
like itchy eyes, sneezing, colds and even viruses like the flu
in the short term. Long term exposure to indoor air pollutants
can be serious and cause some respiratory diseases, heart
disease and even forms of cancer, which can be debilitating
or even fatal.
The EPA says the most effective ways to improve your
IAQ are to reduce or remove the sources of pollutants and
to ventilate with clean outdoor air. In addition, research
shows that filtration can be an effective supplement to
source control and ventilation. Portable air cleaners and
HVAC filters can reduce indoor air pollution; however, they
cannot remove all pollutants from the air. Portable indoor air
cleaners are effective but only in cleaning the air in a single
room. Furnace and HVAC system filters are suggested to
reduce pollutants in an entire home and work whenever the
system is operating, which is about 25 percent of the time.
The air filters on furnaces and HVAC are designed to filter
particles, so if you decide to upgrade to a higher efficiency
filter, choose one with a minimum efficiency reporting value
(MERV) 13 rating. Check your system, it may not accom-
modate a MERV 13 filter, so choose the highest rating filter
your system fan and filter slot can accommodate. If you have
questions about filters, ask your HVAC technician about the
best quality filter for your system.
Brett Hobson
Once you’ve chosen the highest rated filter that your
system can use, your job isn’t over. The filter needs to be
changed based on manufacturers recommendations which
is usually every 60 to 90 days. If you notice that your filter
is really dirty when changing it on schedule, you may want
to change them even more often, especially during periods
where the pollen counts are high. Window unit air condi-
tioners and wall mounted systems are not designed to filter
air, they are just for temperature control, so if either of these
is the kind of system you have, you might want to consider a
portable air cleaning system.
In addition to upgrading your filters, you may want to
consider duct cleaning to clean the various heating and
cooling system components of your system. This service
cleans the supply and return air ducts, registers, grilles and
diffusers, heat exchangers heating and cooling coils, drip
pans, fan motors and housing and the air handling unit itself.
These parts may become contaminated with dust, pollen or
other debris, as well as mold when there is moisture pres-
ent. Like any other service you hire for your home, make
sure the provider you choose will be cleaning all of the
components using tools specially designed to remove these
allergens in ducts and then vacuum them out using a high-
powered vacuum cleaner. The company may also suggest
the use of chemical biocides that are designed to kill mold
or other microbiological components. Ask your service
provider if mold is present and have them show you where
in your system it is occurring before taking on the additional
expense.
Keeping the air quality in your home as clean and aller-
gen free as possible will help you keep the sneezing at bay
this winter. That is until spring comes and everything is in
bloom again, and it will be time for all that pollen in the air.
Starting off the year with a clean HVAC system will last you
through this allergy season and the next one.
Recently, Comfort Experts was awarded a letter of
support at a Pentagon ceremony attended by members of
the management team. The Employer Support of the Guard
and Reserve (ESGR) was signed because of the company’s
support of military reserve and National Guard members.
The first statement of support was signed in December of
1972 by General Motors. Less than two dozen employers
were honored the day Comfort Experts signed its letter of
support to our country’s military. The statement of support
signifies the company’s continuing efforts to be model
employers.