The Joys of Clean Indoor Air Quality

Posted on March 21, 2019 | by Daniels Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning, LLC

The Joys of Clean Indoor Air Quality

Does your quality indoor air “spark joy” for you? This spring, Marie Kondo’s methods of organization, based on keeping possessions that “spark joy,” has become wildly popular.

Perhaps you too have been swept up into a flurry of organizing the house and giving away unwanted items, especially since this craze has perfectly lined up with spring cleaning.

However, if you’re only looking at your physical objects or closets, you’re missing out. When cleaning and decluttering to see what “sparks joy,” you should also see if your air quality and HVAC system are igniting joy and happiness in your life and lungs.

Noticing Your Air Quality

During spring cleaning, you’ll come across many items demanding your time and attention. It’s easy to tell when a toy is broken or a bookshelf is overstuffed and easy to clean or replace these items.

But other things are less noticeable, such as the most important thing in your home: your air. Unless you have health issues or have a significant problem with pollution, most of the time you won’t even really notice the air, because it’s just…there.

But, given how much time is spent indoors, it’s important to take a step back and figure out if you have good or bad air circulating in your home.

Measuring Indoor Air Quality

Do you know if you have high-quality air in your home? While it would be difficult to measure it, there are a few things you can do to see if you have good indoor air quality.

- Think about the past month. Although most of us may struggle to remember every detail of every day, think back and see if you can recall suffering from more sneezing, coughing, or sinus issues than normal in the past month.
  Also, take into account your children and/or spouse and if you’ve noticed any changes in their health. Allergens like dust, mold, and pollen can cause allergies to flare up. It can make severe health issues like asthma worse too.

See if anything is amiss with your HVAC system, filters, or air vents. Although a professional is the only person who should be servicing and inspecting your HVAC system, you can look pretty easy to see if your HVAC system is suffering from neglect. The first thing you should check is your air filter. If it’s overdue for a change, it may have a thick film of dust, which means it no longer can filter air well.
If dust is peeking out of vents, coils, wires, and air ducts, or blanketed thickly inside vents, then your air is being filtered poorly and you may have a serious issue on your hands. Sometimes, a sign your HVAC system isn’t working could be something as simple as not hearing the machine at all or air not coming from the vents, both signs your blower might not be running.

Still not sure? A professional can make sure your HVAC system is running smoothly and efficiently!

Getting a Spring Tune-Up Now

For peace of mind and to ensure your HVAC system is working year-round, particularly during the hottest and coldest times of the year, you should have your HVAC system professionally serviced twice a year.

In addition, you’ll need to change your filter as often as needed. Now is the best season to make sure your HVAC is in tip-top shape before the hot summer months arrive. Your HVAC system likely has to work its hardest in the winter and summer, so ideally you’d plan to have your system inspected in the spring and fall.

That way, any serious problems should be able to be addressed in time to prevent unpleasant temperatures in your home during the hottest and coldest months of the year. Don’t forget, part of reducing the amount of dust in your home and air also requires dusting high places like shelves, windowsills, and ceiling fans. Don’t forget these places during spring cleaning!

For all your maintenance needs, be sure to call us at (505) 898-8860! One of our experienced technicians will be happy to ensure your HVAC system is properly maintained and running smoothly so that you can enjoy enhanced air quality and clean home that “sparks joy” all spring and summer long.

Cleaning Your Air Ducts: How Often Should You Do it?

Posted on April 19, 2018 | by Daniels Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning, LLC

Cleaning Your Air Ducts: How Often Should You Do it?

There’s a growing debate over the issue of indoor air quality. Recent studies indicate the air in our homes could be more polluted than the air outside. This is in large part due to high amounts of dust, debris, and chemicals found in the average home.

Such findings are of grave concern since humans can spend up to 90% of their time indoors. The obstacle facing homeowners is eliminating these harmful substances while minimizing their ability to spread throughout a household.

A major factor in this discussion is the role played by air ducts. Any contaminants that enter a home’s HVAC system can also easily reach every corner in every room. This poses a huge potential health risk to anybody inside.

Those who reside in Albuquerque, NM can feel lucky they have access to professional services that can help with air duct cleaning. The questions that remain are when to order this service, and how often should it be performed?

Air Duct Cleaning Service

Air ducts run through every major part of a home acting as a built-in delivery system for warm and cool air.

If unwanted particles enter the HVAC system, they can be blown into any living space and hide in any corner until they get kicked up or consumed.

Health risks associated with dirty air ducts include respiratory and sinus infections along with increased rates of asthma and allergy attacks.

The best method we have of eliminating contaminants in a home’s air supply is performing an air duct cleaning. Apart from getting rid of any bad compounds, scrubbing the ducts can also improve indoor air quality and overall efficiency of the HVAC system.

When Should Ducts Be Cleaned?

Technicians may suggest cleaning your air ducts every three to five years, but if you want to be on the safe side, you should contract this service whenever you spot any signs of heavy dust and debris buildup.

These can include puffs of dust coming out of vents, an increase in the amount of dust around your home and clogged up vent grills. Contact an air quality specialist if you think your air ducts are due for a deep cleaning.

Maintaining Your Air Ducts

If you want to keep contaminants at bay and delay your next cleaning, the best way to go about it is by conducting routine maintenance on your HVAC system.

One of the most important tasks is to check the filter every few months. If it becomes clogged or dirty, it must be replaced right away. This component is on the front lines when it comes to protecting your air supply.

When it comes to addressing your home’s indoor air quality, no service can have a greater impact than air duct cleaning. Clean ducts mean clean air and easy breathing for you and your family.

Survive Your Upcoming Home Reno with these 3 Expert Air Quality Tips

Posted on December 18, 2017 | by Daniels Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning, LLC

Survive Your Upcoming Home Reno with these 3 Expert Air Quality Tips

Renovating a home can take weeks or even months, and very often it is not affordable or practical for you to relocate while the work is being done. It can be a challenge to plan your everyday life around the noise, fumes, and dust that is often necessary to get things done.

One of the worst parts of this process is keeping your air fresh and breathable, as all of the sawing, drilling, varnishing, and painting can raise a great deal of dust, as well as spread toxins into your living spaces.

However, with just a few clever lifestyle hacks, you can manage to survive the worst aspects of this transition, without having to inhale dust or fumes.

1. Plan Your Everyday Life Around Your Renovation

One way to prevent home renovations from disrupting your life is to do a bit of planning ahead of time.

Think of ways you can curate your living arrangements so that you are well out of the way of any noise, fumes or disruptive workmen.

It helps to set strong boundaries with contractors, making it clear that they only have access to certain areas of your house.

It is a very good idea to seal off areas that are being varnished, painted or demolished with sheets of plastic that reach from ceiling to floor. This will help keep the indoor air pollution that is part of a home renovation, away from your living quarters.

2. Be Aware Of Disturbing Toxic Building Materials

One way to maintain your air quality is to do be well prepared in case your contractors manage to find toxic materials embedded in your walls. This can include fiberglass insulation, which releases tiny threads of glass into the air, asbestos and black mold. If you live in a much older house, then you might have to consult with an environmental specialist to determine how severe the problem might be and how to handle their removal from the walls of your home and contain it safely.

Many different solutions might be suggested, including shutting down your HVAC system temporarily, installing protective sheeting and you might be advised to leave the home for a while if the material is known to be very hazardous to human health. In conclusion, it is crucial or Albuquerque NM residents to plan ahead so that your life will not be completely turned upside down by a home renovation. If you are worried about air quality in your home, then you also might want to consider replacing your entire HVAC system.

This is important nowadays because extremes of temperature all over the world are making it necessary for people to use these systems more often. It is also a good idea to replace your air filters at least twice a year, but more often if you are renovating or suffering from asthma or allergies. The diligent use of clean air filters helps keep your indoor air breathable. Replacing air filters frequently can also help you maintain your HVAC system and reduce the cost of your energy bills.

3. Replace Your HVAC Air Filters Frequently

Replace your HVAC air filters as often as every week while renovations are being done in your home.

This is because your system can easily be overloaded by the amount of dust and particulate matter it might be trying to filter as it jettisons air through your home’s rooms.

It is best to only operate air conditioning or heating units in rooms that are not being renovated, if possible, as turning fans on high can cause dust to be sucked up from the work area and through various living areas.