Your HVAC system is the heart and lungs of your home delivering much-needed warm or cool air, depending on the season. One of the major assumptions Toronto homeowners make about the heating and air conditioning system is that the air coming out of the vents is healthy. While the vast majority of the time it is there are times when allergens can find their way into the system. The good news is that these allergens can be eliminated with a few common-sense steps.
Easy Ways to Eliminate Allergens From Your Heating and Air Conditioning System
For many springs is the most wonderful time of year; a time of rebirth and promise. For others, it means something profoundly different: allergies. So many allergens are released into the air each spring that it’s no surprise some of them find their way into your Toronto home’s HVAC system. Below are our top tips for ‘allergen proofing’ your system.
- Keep your outdoor unit clean – The outdoor unit of your heating and air conditioning system can become choked with dust, debris, blossoms from flowering trees, and everything else that floats in or falls through the air. Take a trip outside at least once a week and clean off the outdoor unit to ensure the air you’re breathing indoors is as clean as possible.
- Install better filters – The MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value) scale rates air filters on their ability to remove microscopic particles from the air. The scale ranges from 1 to 16 with a higher MERV rating meaning the filter will trap smaller particles. The filters in most homes only range from 1 to 4 on the MERV scale, meaning they’ll only trap the largest particles. To help ensure allergen-free home purchase filters that have a MERV of at least 8 or 10.
- Inspect the ducts – The amount of dust and debris that can accumulate in ductwork can be astonishing. It’s also fairly common for animals ranging from mice to raccoons to find refuge in your ducts. When they do they can create allergy nightmares as their fur and dander is repeatedly circulated throughout the house. Birds too will both nest and die in the ductwork. Have your ducts thoroughly inspected and cleaned to eliminate this problem.
- Dust off your registers – Many allergy-causing particles come to rest on the registers where they sit for a while before rejoining the air circulating through the home. Dusting off the registers on a regular basis will remove these particles from circulation and help restore the air quality in your house. If you use a dry cloth you could simply loosen the particles and send them back into the air. Instead, make sure you wipe the registers with a damp cloth.
- Inspect for mold – Mold can accumulate on the blower fan and evaporator coil along with many other places and can trigger allergic reactions or worse (some forms of mold are known to be potentially fatal). Have your entire system checked and cleaned if necessary by a qualified professional to eliminate this possibly serious health threat.
The easiest and best way to keep your system free of offending allergens is to schedule regular heating and air conditioning maintenance checks. During these checkups, your HVAC technician will not only make sure your system is running as efficiently as possible he’ll also make sure your system is free of potential pollutants that could cause allergic reactions.
Toronto Heating And Air Conditioning Company have been serving the needs of business and homeowners since 1992. When you arrange for scheduled maintenance with us you’ll help to ensure that the air in your house is as clean and healthy as it should be.